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7/5/08 1:39 PM | Ricky Dimon
Roger Federer rolls past Marat Safin in straight sets on Friday. The result is a third-straight dream Wimbledon final between Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Five-time defending Wimbledon champion Roger Federer will go for an Open Era record six consecutive titles on Sunday after taking out Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-4 in the semifinals.
It lasted just one hour and 41 minutes even though the set scores were not particularly lopsided. Federer broke Safin in the second game of the match and cruised the rest of the way in the opening frame to claim a one-set lead. The Swiss lost a mere four points in five service games and obviously never came close to being broken.
Federer again dominated on serve in set two, but Safin also held comfortably as his opponent started making at least some unforced errors (Federer committed just one in the first). The world No. 1 also failed to capitalize on his net points (one of five), but as usual he raised his level when it mattered most--in the tiebreaker.
The third set seemed poised to produce another tiebreaker, but again Federer pounced as he sensed the kill. He broke Safin when the Russian served to stay in it down 4-5, finishing things off with a devastating backhand cross-court pass. For the third straight set Federer's winners more than doubled his unforced error total.
“I was just really consistent; didn't really give him too many chances,” Federer said. “It was a perfect match for me.''
Sure Federer basically owns Wimbledon, but he will have to be close to perfect in the final if he wants to defeat the on-fire Nadal for a third straight year in the title match. Federer won in five sets last year and four sets in 2006. Nadal. however, scored his most dominant win ever over Federer at the French Open a few weeks ago and overall the Spaniard leads their head-to-head series 11-6.
Federer struck 38 winners to just 14 unforced errors.
N/A. Still an incredible tournament for Safin and perhaps a revival of his career.
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Did you know that... Thomas Johansson's boyhood idol was Mats Wilander.
gordana, Dec 3, 2008 9:49 AM
gordana, Dec 3, 2008 9:29 AM
RickyDimon, Dec 3, 2008 5:21 AM
tennisgirl, Dec 1, 2008 11:48 PM
lendl, Dec 1, 2008 6:17 PM
Navratilovastillplay, Dec 3, 2008 1:32 AM
Casper, Dec 2, 2008 8:23 PM
Casper, Dec 2, 2008 8:02 PM
Roger Federer
Marat Safin
Wimbledon
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