ATP Finals: Roger Federer books semi-final spot with tight victory over Alexander Zverev

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  • Into the last-four: Roger Federer.

    Roger Federer reached his 14th ATP Finals semi-final in 15 appearances at the tournament thanks to a hard-fought 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-1 win over Alexander “Sascha” Zverev on Tuesday night.

    The Swiss No.2 seed squandered a break early in the second set as Zverev upped the ante to force a decider.

    They had split their four previous meetings prior to this week but it was Federer who dug deep into his reserves to pull away with two breaks for a 5-1 lead in the third set. He secured passage to the knockouts with a third break courtesy of a Zverev double fault, which was the young German’s 45th unforced error of the match.

    “It was a tough group so I’m happy I got through in two matches,” said Federer after the win, adding that he was pleased he can play freely in his next round-robin match against Marin Cilic.

    With 16 years separating the two players, you wouldn’t expect them to have already started a budding rivalry.

    Zverev turned 20 on April 20, just a few months before Federer celebrated the 20th anniversary of his first ATP Rankings point on September 22.

    Yet tennis often knows no age and the Federer-Zverev match-up is already proving to be a blockbuster affair.

    After Jack Sock defeated Cilic in a third-set tiebreak earlier in the day, all Federer needed was a win to guarantee a spot in the final four.

    Zverev, the youngest top-three players since Novak Djokovic in 2007, will now have to fight off Sock on Thursday for a place in the semi-finals.

    “I like what I’m seeing with Sascha. I see somebody who is working towards the future,” Federer said of Zverev. “I think, yes, of course it’s really important right now to have success. He had that with two massive wins in Rome and Montreal. I mean, that’s going to protect his season anyways. The rest sort of is all a bonus.

    “What I like to see is I feel like they’re working towards how he could be playing when he’s 23, 24 years old in terms of fitness, planning, organisation, all these things. I think that’s nice to see.

    “What I like about Zverev is he’s got the full package. He’s already three in the world. I think he’s going to leave the World Tour Finals, regardless if he qualifies for the semis or not, with a lot of information.

    “I think the last six months of the season gave him everything he needs to work forward to. Then, of course, he’s only going to get stronger from here. That should be very encouraging for him and his team.”

    On his part, Zverev is confident about his upcoming decisive match with Sock.

    “I think I still have great chances of qualifying, playing Jack Sock next. I think if I continue having this level, I don’t know, maybe you’ll see me on the weekend still,” he said.

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