Roger Federer defeats Richard Gasquet to stay in semi-final hunt
Roger Federer stayed in the hunt for a semi-final spot at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday when he beat Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3 in round-robin play.
|Last Updated: Nov 07, 2013, 11:52 PM IST|Source: AFP
London: Roger Federer stayed in the hunt for a semi-final spot at the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday when he beat Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3 in round-robin play.
The 81-minute win meant that Federer avoided the embarrassment of losing two straight group matches in a row for the first time at the year-end event after the six-time champion was beaten by Novak Djokovic in his opening match.
Federer still needed six match points to get the job done in an afternoon of 29 winners and 30 unforced errors as he broke Gasquet in a marathon final game.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner wasted his first five match points with unforced errors before Gasquet put a return wide.
"Today was just a battle for myself, making sure I move the right way, I play the right way, I have the right shot selection," said Federer.
"Richard does a good job of making you feel uncomfortable; he uses heights, spins really well. He likes extended rallies.
"But I guess those are the kind of matches I need right now -- straight sets against a good player. It clearly comes at the right time."
Federer, playing the season finale for the 12th consecutive year, earned his 11th win over the Frenchman from 13 matches.
He has now won a record 43 matches at season wrap-up tournaments; Gasquet dropped to 1-4 at the finals on his second appearance.
In the evening match, world number two Djokovic was facing Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, as two of the most in-form players on the ATP square off.
A win for the Serb would send him into Saturday`s final four at the O2 Arena along with Rafael Nadal.
Federer will fight for his spot against del Potro, whom he beat in Paris last weekend.
"That win was big for me, he did beat me three times indoors straight, the Basel finals twice, and also here last year," said the Swiss.
"I`m glad I got one back in Paris because I knew we could be again in the same group, we could be playing each other. Think that win for me in Paris psychologically was very important. I could beat top 10 guys, I beat Richard, I beat Juan Martin last week.
"My confidence is higher, and that`s what I need to beat the best, and Juan Martin is part of that group honestly."
Federer was momentarily rocked at the start as Gasquet won the first six points before the Swiss gathered his resources in the must-win contest.
The 32-year-old came from 0-30 in the second game to hold and then seized a break for 2-1.
Federer lost his lead in the eighth game as he saved one break point but sent a backhand wide to bring Gasquet level at 4-4.
The Swiss broke straight back for 5-4 and set up three set points a game later with his third ace.
The longtime London crowd favourite converted on his first to take the early lead after 34 minutes.
Federer began the second set with a break and stayed in charge throughout despite struggling with his consistency before closing out victory.
The win was his 44th of the season.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.