Federer and Nalbandian reach Basel final
Roger Federer had too much class for Feliciano Lopez
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Saturday, 25, Oct 2008 09:08
Roger Federer has reached the final of his home tournament by beating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the semi-finals of the Swiss indoor event in Basel.
The world number two cruised to a 6-3 6-2 win to setup a final with David Nalbandian – a man who has given him plenty of problems in the past.
Argentinian Nalbandian gained revenge over his compatriot Juan Martin Del Potro, who he had lost to at the Madrid Masters last week, by winning a tight match 6-4 6-4 today.
It was a straightforward victory for Federer, who was rock-steady on his serve all match, and managed to break Lopez once in the first set and twice in the second.
Nalbandian on the other hand was involved in a real struggle in the other semi-final. The Argentine number one lost his opening service game. But he managed to hit back and broke Del Potro twice to take the first set. Nalbandian then broke in the third game of the second set and took it 6-4.
The fans in Basel are set to witness another Federer-Nalbandian battle, with the Swiss maestro holding a slender 9-8 win/loss record over Nalbandian.
However, it is Nalbandian who has a better recent record between the pair as he famously beat Federer to win back-to-back Masters series titles in Madrid and Paris at the end of last season.