Federer wins again, continues to haunt Marin Cilic in London

World number two won 6-7(5) 6-4 6-1 in the final round of the ATP Finals group stage, adding salt to Cilic's unhealed wound from the 2017 Wimbledon final.

Without losing a single break, Roger Federer unleashed 17 aces to defeat his opponent at the O2 after one hour and 54 minutes. This was the 13th consecutive victory for the “Express Train”, helping him remain unbeaten in the group stage of the ATP Finals for the 10th time in 15 tournaments he has participated in. Federer’s record against top 10 players in 2017 was also raised to 14 wins, one loss (lost to Alexander Zverev in the Rogers Cup final).

Having reached the semi-finals with a game to spare, Federer entered the match looking to maintain his form and avoid injury. Down the first set in a tie-break and facing a break point early in the second, Federer defused the bomb with a masterful drop-volley combination. He only lost four more points on serve in the remainder of the second set.

Without having to exert much effort, Federer still makes...

... Cilic surrendered. Photo: AFP, Reuters.

“It wasn’t easy. I had a lot of chances in the first set, but Cilic served well and was sharp in the tie-break. I was really in trouble when I was down a set and a break point, but I got over it. I’m really happy with the way I played today,” Federer said. “In the middle of the second set, I told myself I had to play easy. It was nice to play without worrying about the result. I’m looking forward to playing Dominic Thiem or David Goffin in the semi-finals on Saturday.”

The second seed closed out the deciding set in just 26 minutes, winning 16 of 19 points on serve. The slight difficulty Cilic gave his opponent was not enough for him to avenge his 3-6, 1-6, 4-6 defeat in the 2017 Wimbledon final. But he still gave the audience a match worth watching, considering the nature of the match. The 2014 US Open champion has won only one of nine matches at the ATP Finals.

According to VNE