PARIS: World No.3 Roger Federer beat Belgium’s David Goffin 6-1, 7-6 (12/10) on Friday to qualify for the ATP Halle semifinals.
The Swiss veteran, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, is seeking a ninth title in the Wimbledon warm-up event in Halle, and fourth on the trot on the German grass.
Top seed Federer will play Alexander Zverev in Saturday’s last four after the young German beat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 7-6 (11/9), 6-3 earlier on Friday.
Austria’s Dominic Thiem, the No.3 seed, is also through to the semifinals after German Philipp Kohlschreiber pulled out of their quarterfinal.
Kerber fights back
Defending champion Angelique Kerber made a typically tenacious comeback from a set down and a day’s delay to reach the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon warm-up event in Birmingham on Friday.
She did it with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win over Daria Gavrilova, an improving young world number 50 from Australia who ended yesterday’s rain-ruined schedule within two points of snatching the first set.
She duly did that on Friday, capturing Kerber’s service game, which restarted with the titleholder 0-30 down.
But thereafter the German displayed admirable motivation in still-damp conditions and found a good rhythm with solid ground-stroke hitting.
“It was good to turn around the match after all the rain and a day later,” said Kerber, whose body language showed how determined she was not to follow several other big names through the exit.
“It’s always difficult to start again the next day so I am glad I found my rhythm again,” she added. Earlier she told the crowd: “I love this tournament and I want to do well again.”
The fifth day did however bring an improvement in the weather forecast and Carla Suarez Navarro, the sixth seed from Spain, took advantage to similarly recover from a set down.
Navarro was even closer to defeat overnight against Andrea Petkovic, another German, who began today just needing to win the second set tie-break to close the match out.
Navarro’s intelligent rallying narrowly denied Petkovic 7-5 in the tie-break and then, despite letting slip an early break of serve in the final set, Navarro somehow sneaked another tie-break, from 4-5 down.
Her patient 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) marathon win earned her a meeting with Kerber.
Federer ousts Goffin to reach Halle semis
Federer ousts Goffin to reach Halle semis
Dubai Basketball edge Milan to secure EuroLeague victory
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball strengthened their home-court reputation with a 99-92 win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 18 of the EuroLeague at Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday, cheered on by more than 5,000 fans.
The hosts made a fast start and immediately imposed themselves at both ends of the floor. Canadian center Mfiondu Kabengele and Serbian big man Filip Petrusev controlled the paint early, creating close-range scoring opportunities and forcing Milan into defensive adjustments. With McKinley Wright IV and Dwayne Bacon adding pace and penetration, Dubai surged into a double-digit lead and dictated the tempo of the opening quarter.
Milan struggled to settle and spent much of the first period on the back foot, as Dubai’s advantage stretched to 15 points. Although the visitors steadied themselves as the quarter progressed, the early deficit proved costly.
Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac praised the impact of the home crowd after the game, saying: “Congratulations to the fans. We were missing them for sure in the last home game, and they helped us a lot. In the first quarter, we played one of our best quarters this season. The next game is at home in three days, so there is no time to rest too much. We need to prepare for that game first. We are not thinking three games ahead — we prepare for every game and try to win every game.”
Milan showed improved rhythm in the second quarter, but Dubai responded before the break. Bacon punished defensive lapses from beyond the arc, while Kabengele finished strongly inside to help the hosts take a seven-point lead into halftime.
The final period was defined by composure rather than flair. Milan threatened to draw level on several occasions, but missed free throws and execution errors halted their momentum. Bacon sealed the outcome from the free-throw line in the final two minutes, pushing Dubai back into a double-digit advantage and closing out the contest.
Bacon led all scorers with 25 points, while Wright recorded 19 points and nine assists. Kabengele added 17 points, and Petrusev contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. For Milan, Guduric topped the scoring with 11 points, alongside seven rebounds and seven assists.
Dubai Basketball now turn their attention to the ABA League, where they remain unbeaten. The team return to Coca-Cola Arena to face Slovenia’s KRKA in Round 12 of the competition.
