BASEL, Switzerland: Juan Martin del Potro earned his revenge after six losses this season to hometown hero Roger Federer when he won the Swiss Indoors title, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/3) yesterday.
The upset victory over the top seed in two and three-quarter hours denied world number one Federer a sixth title from the last seven editions at the St. Jakobshalle and kept him from the 77th of his career.
Del Potro last beat the Swiss star in 2009 when he captured the US Open at Federer’s expense as well as posting a victory in the year-end final two months later.
Del Potro won the 13th trophy of his career and improved to 62-14 on the season.
“This is a great win for me, a dream,” said Del Potro, who finished with 10 aces to the 18 of Federer, holder of six trophies in 2012.
“It’s an honor to be on the court with Roger, who is the greatest of all time, it’s great to share this moment with him.” Federer suffered his first loss at the tournament, which he has ruled since the 2009 final against Novak Djokovic.
“You played a great match and deserved to win,” Federer told Del Potro during the trophy ceremony.
“I beat you in a couple of tight matches this year, so it was your turn after those tough losses. I’m happy for you, you played a great match today.” Del Potro won the opening set in just over half an hour before Federer settled in for a long afternoon in front of his home public.
The Swiss top seed took the second set into a tiebreaker and squared the tight contest at a set each on his third opportunity from Del Potro’s backhand wide.
The third played out in a similar vein as Del Potro won a huge third game lasting for 10 minutes in which he overcame two double-faults and saved three break points to hold for 2-1.
Federer set up a second tiebreak with three straight aces but was unable to carry his momentum forward to a seventh win this season over the South American.
Del Potro took a 4-2 lead in the decider and set up three match points from a backhand error from the Swiss. The second seed finished off the final on his first match point.
The last time the pair met, it took nearly four and a half hours for Federer to squeeze out a semi-final victory at the London Olympics, a match that went to 19-17 in the final set.
Del Potro now heads to the Paris Masters after qualifying this week for the eight-man field at the season-ending World Tour Finals in London, starting a week from today.
“I’m hoping to get back to my best level,” said the former top five-ranked Argentine, who missed the 2010 season with a wrist surgery.
“Roger gave me a really tough match. It is super to win this fantastic title.” Federer was appearing in his seventh straight Basel final and ninth overall in 13 editions; he now stands 5-4 in hometown finals.
Del Potro expanded his win streak to 10 matches, last losing to Djokovic in the US Open quarterfinals.
He stands 17-1 indoors this season after adding Basel honors to trophies in Marseille, Estoril and Vienna.
Serena crowned
In Istanbul, Serena Williams completed her sensational 2012 comeback by easing to a 6-4, 6-3 win over Maria Sharapova for a third WTA Championships title on Sunday.
The 31-year-old’s victory came at the end of a spectacular year in which she also collected the Wimbledon, Olympic and US Open titles.
“It feels great to have achieved my dream,” said Williams, whose career head-to-head record over Sharapova now stands at 10-2.
“Maria won the last time we played in the Championships final, but she’s ranked ahead of me so I had nothing to lose.” Williams, who has battled back to the top of her game after battling injury and a life-threatening illness, said 2012 was just as good as 2002 and 2003 when she completed the “Serena Slam” of all four Grand Slams.
“It’s awesome. To come back after being in the hospital, I feel so happy whether I win or lose,” said the American veteran.
The third seed’s weight of shot, reliability of serve, and undiminished motivation enabled her to apply constant pressure.
As early as the fifth game, when she broke Sharapova’s serve for the first time, she looked the likely winner.
Williams also saved her best performance of the week for Sharapova and history may have played a part in that.
Since the year in which a 17-year-old Sharapova shocked Serena in the 2004 Wimbledon final, the Russian has not been able to repeat the win in eight attempts.
Ferrer triumphs
In Valencia, World No. 5 David Ferrer beat unseeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Valencia Open for the third time yesterday, claiming his sixth ATP World Tour title this year.
The local favorite, pushed all the way in a grueling third set, climbed up into the stands after winning to embrace his friend and former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero who retired from the sport earlier in the tournament.
“I am delighted to win here at home in front of my fans and my family,” Ferrer told Spanish television in the cavernous clam-shaped Agora building in Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences complex.
“It was extra special today because Juan Carlos Ferrero has retired here and I wanted to dedicate the title to him.” The match was evenly-balanced in the final set with world No. 21 Dolgopolov, who defeated defending champion Marcel Granollers in the quarters, making life difficult for Ferrer with his big serves and clever changes in lines of attack.
The pressure seemed to get to the 23-year-old, however, and he netted a straightforward shot on matchpoint.
“It was a very tough game,” Ferrer said. “He made it very hard for me throughout and he pushed me to the very limit. It was about keeping my concentration and I managed to do that.”
Del Potro shatters Federer’s sixth Basel title bid
Del Potro shatters Federer’s sixth Basel title bid
Panja leading Japan’s challenge for another 1351 Turf Sprint
- Japan seeking fourth win in group 2 dash after a one-two finish at last year’s Saudi Cup weekend
RIYADH: Panja Tower (JPN) will line up in the group two $2-million 1351 Turf Sprint Presented by Qiddiya City as Japan aims for back-to-back victories in the race.
Japanese runners have claimed the contest three times in the past, including Ascoli Piceno (JPN) leading home a one-two 12 months ago. And the nation sends a strong challenge again with three in the field.
For Panja Tower, trained by Shinsuke Hashiguchi, it will be his second overseas campaign following last November’s fifth in the Golden Eagle at Randwick.
Highly regarded as a 2-year-old, Panja Tower captured the group two Keio Hai Nisai Stakes in his second career start in November 2024, defeating a field that included Shin Forever (US), who would go on to finish second in last year’s group three Saudi Derby.
“He’s already used to air travel, having experienced it on his previous trip to Australia, and this time he’s travelling alongside many other Japanese horses, so I think he’s been able to maintain a routine similar to back home,” Hashiguchi said.
“There’s been a bit of a gap since his last race, but there are absolutely no concerns. He’s been training well during this period and I feel he’s made good progress.
“This overseas campaign in Saudi Arabia had already been part of our plan even before the trip to Australia. Everything has gone well so far.”
Panja Tower was aimed at some major prizes over 1,600 meters, including the group one Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, but some early efforts cast a little doubt on his credentials as a top-class performer on the trip.
However, he bounced back in May, winning a close finish in the group one NHK Mile Cup to claim his first title at the highest level.
It was also the first Japan Racing Association group one prize for Hashiguchi, the son of Kojiro Hashiguchi, a former Japan Racing Association trainer renowned for numerous starts including the legendary Heart’s Cry (JPN).
Since opening his own training yard at the JRA Ritto Training Centre in 2015, Hashiguchi junior has also secured two other victories at the highest level outside the JRA division, in the JBC Sprint and Korea Sprint.
The name “Panja” is inspired by the famous lion character from the Japanese cartoon “Jungle Emperor Leo” and plays on a rearrangement of the word Japan.
The trainer was happy with what he saw from Panja Tower’s breeze on the dirt track on Wednesday and is hopeful the lion can roar again.
“Jockey Katsuma Sameshima rode him today, with instructions to go around four furlongs (800 meters) in about 52 seconds and I believed he ran around that time as instructed,” he said.
“He switched leads smoothly in the final stage and accelerated comfortably, so I thought he moved very well overall.”
