Roger Federer won his seventh tournament of the season yesterday, beating the unseeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-4 to successfully defend his home-town title in Basle and ensure he finishes the season as world No1 for a fourth consecutive year.
Federer had not dropped a set in any of his previous seven meetings with the world No29 and the Swiss Indoors final proved predictably straightforward. “It’s been a fantastic week, having the support of my home crowd behind me all the way,” said Federer after receiving a standing ovation at the tournament where he once worked as a ballboy. “Securing the No1 ranking for the year and doing it here is particularly special.”
A single break of the Finn’s serve at the start of the opening set put Federer comfortably on his way to winning his 52nd career title and his third on home soil, following last year’s Swiss Indoors title and his 2004 triumph in Gstaad.
Nieminen started to find his rhythm in the second set, securing a break point in Federer’s first service game but failing to convert it. The left-hander then won two service games to love, a feat that Federer failed to pull off throughout the match. But any hopes that Nieminen might make things difficult for the world No1 faded when he next came to serve, double-faulting to hand Federer a further break point before hitting a forehand wide.
Sébastien Grosjean hit 17 aces to win his fourth career title yesterday, beating Marc Gicquel 7-6, 6-4 in an all-French final at the Lyon grand prix. It was Grosjean’s first title since winning at St Petersburg in 2002. “Winning in France, in Lyon, is great,” Grosjean said. “I’ve been waiting for five years.”
sport.guardian.co.uk
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