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
Proud dad Zinedine Zidane watches Algeria beat Sudan 3-0
- Former Real Madrid legend Zidane watches his son Luca keep a clean sheet in the Algeria goal during the Africa Cup of Nations match in Rabat
- Riyad Mahrez scores twice for Algeria, one of the tournament favorites, who move top of Group E
RABAT, Morocco: France great Zinedine Zidane watched his goalkeeper son’s safe hands as Algeria started its Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan on Wednesday.
Riyad Mahrez scored twice and the 20-year-old Ibrahim Maza scored his first international goal for Algeria, one of the tournament favorites, to move top of Group E.
“The most important thing was to start with a win,” Mahrez said. “The last two AFCONs, we didn’t start good. Today, we really wanted to make it happen and we did.”
Zidane, who was at the sweet-smelling Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat to see his son Luca Zidane playing in the Algeria goal, was feted by the crowd every time he was shown on the big screens.
Luca Zidane opted to represent his grandfather’s country after getting the Fennec Foxes’ invitation and he’s been given his chance to shine because of an injury to Alexandre Oukidja, who might have been expected to start otherwise.
Algeria wasted little time Wednesday with Mahrez sweeping in the opener in the second minute after unselfish play from Hicham Boudaoui to set him up.
Zidane was called into action shortly afterward to deny Yaser Awad on a break.
Sudan had to play all its qualification games away from home because of the near 1,000-day old civil war ravaging the country.
Though the Algerians looked confident and played with intensity, the big chances fell at the other end, with Zidane saving again from Awad before Abdel Raouf fired over.
Salah Adil was sent off just as the rain began to fall shortly before the break with his second yellow card for a foul on Rayan Aït-Nouri, who would have been through otherwise.
But the Algerian fans, who were in a majority, needed to be patient.
Mohammed Amoura produced a brilliant cross with the outside of his boot for Mahrez to score in the 61st, and Baghdad Bounedjah headed the ball into Maza’s path for the substitute to complete the scoring in the 85th.
Drama in Casablanca
Edmond Tapsoba completed a remarkable turnaround as Burkina Faso scored two goals in stoppage time to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 2-1 in the early Group E game.
Tapsoba’s team had pushed hard for the opening goal after Basilio Ndong was sent off early in the second half for a bad challenge on Bertrand Traoré’s ankle.
Marvin Anieboh then stunned the Stallions when he launched himself at Carlos Akapo’s cross to score with a looping header in the 85th minute.
Georgi Minoungou equalized in the fifth minute of stoppage time and Tapsoba headed the winner three minutes after that.
Later Wednesday in Group F, defending champion Ivory Coast began its title defense against Mozambique in Marrakech and five-time champion Cameroon opened against Gabon in the coastal city of Agadir.
