Jolly Roger reaches Dubai final
Federer is unbeaten since losing to Andy Murray last August
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Friday, 02, Mar 2007 10:14
Roger Federer has beaten Tommy Haas 6-4 7-5 to reach the final of the Dubai Open.
The world number one extended his winning streak to 38 matches after a hard-fought victory over the fifth seed.
He will play Mikhail Youzhny in tomorrow's final after the Russian defeated Robin Soderling 7-5 6-2 in the other semi.
Federer grabbed an early break in the opener to take a 2-1 lead over Haas and saved a break point in the next game on his way to taking the set.
The 25-year-old came through a gruelling second set after saving three break points in game six.
Haas then took a 5-4 lead but the Swiss ace reeled off three straight games and clinched victory with a trademark return of serve.
The four-time Wimbledon champion said he was delighted with his quality of tennis.
"It was extremely physical out there tonight, a lot of tough points," Federer said.
"I knew it was going to be tough, a lot of running, patience as well. I thought that was an excellent performance. I rate it very high."
Elsewhere, Youzhny strolled through to his second straight final following his victory in Rotterdam last week.
The Russian fought back from 4-3 down in the opener to take the first set after a backhand error by Soderling.
Youzhny raced to a 5-2 lead in the second set and capped off an impressive display by holding his serve to setup a showdown with Federer.