Roger Federer continues to set records and his 7-6(5) 6-4 win over Marius Copil in Basel was no different as he won a 99th title of his career.
The top seed came back from a break down in both sets as he edged past Copil to win the 99th title of his career and a 9th title in Basel.
The Swiss won 94% of his first service points as he extended his winning streak to 20 matches in Basel. The win means he could win his 100th title in Paris next week or at the Nitto ATP Finals in London.
As for Copil he will leave Switzerland with two top 10 wins after beating Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev en route to the final and will rise to a new career high of 60 in the world on Monday.
As a common theme for most of his matches this week, Federer conceded the early break as the qualifier asserted his authority with some powerful shot-making.
The Romanian served 26 aces in his last match against Zverev and once again notched up some big serves as he played the 20 time grand slam champion off the court.
However, Federer as expected turned on the heat in the latter stages of the set and some very good play at the net saw a break of serve for 3-3.
Despite the Swiss’ momentum, Copil held his own using his powerful backhand to full effect as the opening set went to a tiebreaker.
A mini-break on the seventh point was enough for the defending champion as he sealed the tiebreak 7-5, with the set lasting 48 minutes.
The second set was similar as the world number 93 grabbed the early break and held for a commanding 3-0 lead. The powerful shots and smart point construction was enough for Copil to take control of the match and even saved a couple of break points in the sixth game.
But Federer could sense that his opponent was there for the taking and broke back to 30 as he raised hopes for another Basel title.
The Romanian didn’t help himself after a couple of awful challenges put himself in danger of losing the match. Frustration told for Copil and a forehand that Federer successfully challenged saw the Romanian fall apart as luck wasn’t on his side.
After grabbing the crucial break, the Swiss converted his first match point to win his ninth Basel title and the 99th of his career.
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After the final Federer emotionally stated, “It’s been a magical week for me, thank you everybody for coming out. It’s a dream run.”
The win now means that he can win title number 100 either in Paris next week or at the season-ending finale in London in a few weeks time.
However his ninth title for now shows how much of a legacy he has created in Switzerland and how inspired he becomes in his home land.
Despite his win though, it’s only his fourth title of 2018 after wins at the Australian Open, Rotterdam and Stuttgart.
