ATP Basel: Roger Federer sails into SF after withdrawal from Stan Wawrinka
Roger Federer has become the first player with 16 appearances in the semi-final of a single ATP event, receiving a walkover from his compatriot Stran Wawrinka ahead of their quarter-final meeting. Friday's meeting would have been the 27th between two Swiss giants, with Roger winning 23 of those overall and all after the quarter-final loss at Roland Garros in 2015. Instead of the match of the day, Stan was forced to leave the event, suffering a back injury during a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Frances Tiafoe after two hours and 32 minutes. Stan fired 50 winners and 47 unforced errors against the young American and fended off four out of five break chances to stay in control throughout the encounter.
On the other hand, Frances gave his best to remain in contention, repelling 12 out of 14 break points offered to the Swiss and having a chance to grab the victory in the closing stages of the decider before Wawrinka claimed the last couple of games to reach the quarters. Home player settled into an excellent rhythm right from the start, dropping five points behind the initial shot in the first set and scoring a break in game four after a forehand error from Frances. Serving for the set, the Swiss hit three winners in game nine for a 6-3, hoping for more of the same in the rest of the encounter and to continue where he left in Antwerp.
Instead of that, Tiafoe repelled all five break chances offered to the rival in set number two, staying focused in the pivotal moments and earning a break in game four with a smash winner that carried him over the finish line with a service winner at 5-3, sending the clash into a decider and gathering momentum. The young American survived a challenging game at 2-3 and had a massive chance to move in front in game 11, creating two break points that Stan denied with two winners that saved his life in this one. In the 12th game, Tiafoe squandered no less than five game points and allowed Wawrinka to convert the second match point and advance into the next round where he couldn't play at his 100% against a great rival Roger Federer.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/341k4r4
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