TENNIS – World Number 2 and top-seed Roger Federer had to dig deep to battle past Spain’s Daniel Gimeno Traver in three hard-fought sets with 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 to advance to the semifinals of the inaugural edition of the ATP Touurnament in Istanbul after two hours and 28 minutes in the packed Koza Arena Diego Sampaolo
Federer started the match holding his serve to love before converting on his first break point chance for 2-0. Gimeno Traver, who finished runner-up in Bucharest last week, broke straight back in the third game for 1-2. Federer faced some problems but he held his serve for 3-2. He left no chances to to the Spanish player in the seventh game and held his serve for 4-3.
Federer brought up two break point chances but he failed to convert them allowing Gimeno Traver to draw level to 4-4. Gimeno Traver took advantage of the unforced errors made by Federer to draw level to 5-5. The first set came down to the tie-break where Federer prevailed with 7-3.
In the third game of the second set Federer failed to convert on two break point chances for 2-1. In the next game Gimeno Traver went up 40-15 and converted his first break point chance. Gimeno Traver confirmed his break to hold his serve to pull away to 4-1. Federer broke back in the ninth game to recover from 2-5 by winning two consevutive games before holding his serve in the next game to draw level to 5-5. Gimeno Traver brought up three break point chances but Federer saved them. The second set was also decided by the tie-break. Federer got two mini-breaks but Gimeno Traver recovered from 0-2 by winning seven of the next nine points
Federer faced four break point chances in the opening game of the decider but he saved them and held his serve for 1-0. The third set went on serve until the 8th game. Gimeno Traver served at 3-4 40-15 but Federer managed to get the crucial break to take the 5-3lead before closing out on his first match point with a hold to serve.
Federer will take on Argentina’s Diego Schwartzmann who fought back from a bagel in the first set to edge Santiago Giraldo with 0-6 6-2 6-2 in three sets after 1 hour and 51 minutes. Federer leads 2-0 in his previous head-to-head matches against Schwartzmann and won their last clash in Indian Wells in straight sets. Schwartzmann will play his first career ATP semifinal.
Giraldo won the first 8 games before Schwartzmann reeled off the next six games turning around the match. In the third set both players traded breaks in the first four games before Schwarzmann dominated the next four games to reach his first ATP semifinal
Grigor Dimitrov beat Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-3 in one hour and 16 minutes to get through to the semifinal where he will face this year’s Sao Paulo champion Pablo Cuevas who edged Thomas Bellucci 7-5 6-3.
Dimitrov took a 4-1 lead in the first set which featured three breaks in five service games. Dodig recovered the break but Dimitrov reeled off 8 of the next 9 games to close out the first set on the first set point.
Dimitrov broke in the fourth game of the second set to cruise to 4-1 but Dodig broke back for 3-4. Dimitrov took another break lead and closed out the match in the next game.
Federer and Dimitrov could square off against in the final in a possible re-match of this year’s semifinal in Brisbane last January.
ATP 250 in Estoril: Kyrgios reaches his first ATP semifinals
Twenty-year-old Nick Kyrgios hit seven aces and won 70 percent of his first serve points in his 6-3 6-4 win over Robin Haase to advance to his first ATP Tour semifinal after reaching the quarter finals at the Australian Open last January. Kyrgios will face Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta who converted on six of his nine break point chances in his 6-2 6-4 win over Giles Muller.
World Number 31 Guillermo Garcia Lopez overcame young Croatian rising star Borna Coric 6-3 7-6 (7-4) . Garcia Lopez, winner last week in Bucharest, recovered from 1-5 down in the second set to win the match at the tie-break
In tomorrow’s semifinal Garcia Lopez will face Richard Gasquet who beat Nicolas Almagro 6-17-6 (7-4). The Frenchman is playing his first tournament since Indian Wells. Gasquet saved four break points in the first game of the first set before getting the break in the fourth game for 3-1 on his first break point chance. After dropping his serve in the second game of the second set to go down 0-2 Gasquet recovered from 2-5 to 5-5 by reeling off three consecutive games. Gasquet clinched the tie-break with 7-4.
ATP Munich: Entire day’s session cancelled due to rain
None of the quarterfinal matches were played because of rain. They have all been re-scheduled for tomorrow which means that both quarterfinals and semifinals would be played on the day. Andy Murray (1) will play Lukas Rosol (9), Philipp Kohlschreiber (5) will take on David Goffin (4), Roberto Bautista-Agut (3) meets Victor Estrella-Burgos and Dominic Thiem will play fellow Austrian Gerald Melzer
