Federer closes in on 11th title for 2004
Defending champion Roger Federer won through to Sunday's final at
the Masters Cup with a 6-3 7-6 (20-18) win over Marat Safin. The
Swiss did well to remain calm on his fifth match point at 12-11in
the tie-break, when the umpire wrongly over-ruled a stray Safin
backhand in the Russian's favour.
The one hour, 51-minute victory at the Westside Tennis Club ensured
Federer will meet Lleyton Hewitt, the two-time Masters champion, for
a sixth time this season.
The Australian has lost all five meetings and will be hoping to erase
any memories he has of the straight sets demolition in the U.S. Open
final in September.
Federer started the second semi-final of the day in Houston with a
flourish, breaking Safin in the opening game.
Any inside information, Federer's former coach Peter Lundgren passed
on to Safin prior to the match proved insufficient as the Swiss closed
out the first set 6-3 in 30 minutes.
However, 24-year-old Safin proved a different player in the second set,
following an opening service hold on his sixth game point.
The Muscovite began to find his groundstroke game and led Federer 4-1,
before the Swiss rallied back to prove his absence from the tour - due
to a left thigh injury - hadn't dimmed his appetite.
Safin tried his best to break the 23-year-old, remembering that he
hadn't won any of their previous four tie-breaks in six meetings.
But the Swiss remained composed and recovered from five set points for
Safin in the tie-break and eventually closed out on his eighth match point,
when the Russian sent his return long.
Federer's competitive edge ensured a 21st tie-break victory from 26 in
2004 and 22nd successive victory over a top ten player.
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