Federer reaches 10th final in Halle

World number two defeated serving specialist Ivo Karlovic in the semi-finals of the Gerry Weber Open, with a score of 7-6(7-3), 7-6(7-4), on Saturday night, June 20. Meanwhile, second seed Kei Nishikori had to withdraw due to injury.

The Gerry Weber Open, held in Halle, Germany, is an ATP 500 grass court tournament that prepares for Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year, which begins later this month. Federer enters the tournament as the defending champion, and is now on the verge of a record eighth title.

Eighth seed Ivo Karlovic hit a record 45 aces in the quarter-finals, beating third seed Tomas Berdych. But the Croatian server was only able to trouble Roger Federer, who served 21 aces in the semi-final. After two tiebreaks, the Swiss top seed claimed his 13th win in 14 meetings with Karlovic.

"It's always difficult to play against Ivo, so it was important for me to stay calm. I'm very happy to be in the final in Halle again," said Federer, adding that he was also impressed by his opponent's ability to serve well: "Sometimes you can't do anything about the opponent's serve. So you also have to hope for a bit of luck, or that you don't make mistakes at important moments. The game can change in a moment. Today I had a bit of luck in the two tie-breaks."

Federer continues to advance on his path to defending his title in Halle. Photo: Imago.

Roger Federer will play unseeded Andreas Seppi in the final. The Italian world number 45 easily qualified for the semi-finals when Japan's Kei Nishikori retired with a calf injury at 1-4 down in the first set.

Seppi hasn't won a title since 2012 and has never been past the fourth round of a Grand Slam, but the 31-year-old still has reason to hope for a repeat of his upset against the 17-time Grand Slam winner. In the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year, Seppi shocked Federer in four sets, his only win in 12 meetings with Federer.

"I have played against Seppi many times. There was a time when we practiced together quite often. I think he hits the ball very well, especially cross-court shots. His shot is also very suitable for grass courts, so I think Seppi will be a tough opponent in the final," Federer said about his Italian opponent.

Seppi is inferior to Federer in every aspect, but the Italian tennis player can still cause surprises like when he eliminated "Express Train" at the Australian Open earlier this year. Photo: La Presse.

According to VNE