By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Roger Federer permitted just two points on his first serve scoring a 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over Jan-Lennard Struff to extend his Halle winning streak to 13 matches.
Photo credit: Mercedes Cup
The Halle stadium court is located on Roger Federer Allee.
Federer threw his version of a block party launching his quest for a record-extending ninth Halle title today.
The top-seeded Swiss was nearly untouchable on serve scoring a 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over Jan-Lennard Struff to extend his Gerry Weber Open winning streak to 13 matches.
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Launching his quest for his first title of the season, Federer fired 11 aces, served 62 percent, won 33 of 35 first-serve points and did not face break point in the 73-minute win.
Federer will face Malek Jaziri for a spot in his 14th Halle quarterfinal. Injury and illness have limited Federer to just 19 matches this season. He was multi-tasking in this opener.
Working out the kinks to his game, accumulating more match play before Wimbledon later this month and gaining confidence in his body and movement after a lower back injury forced him out of the French Open, are all priorities for Federer.
Playing for his fourth straight Halle title, Federer moved fluidly and hit his spots on serve effectively.
Five points into the match, Federer had burned through two challenges. The Swiss had no issues spotting the lines on serve.
Federer tore through successive love holds, hitting three aces in an eight-point span to level at 3-all.
Aggression on serve was an asset: Federer won 20 of 24 points played on his serve, including 16 of the last 18 in the opening set.
It was his defense that created the lone break of the set.
The 6'5" Struff hit a few well-struck flicks when stretched behind the baseline, but he was challenged at times digging his opponent's low slice off some worn-out patches behind the baseline. Federer drew three forehand errors snatching the break and a 4-3 lead.
Serving for the set, Federer used touch as a tool of torment.
A twisting backhand drop shot set up a flick lob down the line —not an easy task over a tall opponent —for 30-0 lead. Slashing a forehand down the line, the Federer sealed the 29-minute opener.
Struff held a 40-15 lead in the opening game of the second set when play was interrupted as a fan fell ill in the stands.
Both men were in control on serve: Federer won all 22 points played on his first serve in the second set. Though he never generated a threat on return, credit Struff for hanging tough throughout the second set.
After squandering a 40-0 lead in the ninth game, Struff got low for a forehand and cracked it up the line saving a break point. He erased a second break point with a serve into the hip, eventually thumping an ace wide to hold for 5-4 at the one-hour mark.
Opening the tie break with a double fault, Struff made a sharp stab volley drawing applause from Federer closing to 2-3 in the breaker. Federer snuffed out Struff with a serve winner and ace, earning four match points on a forehand error.
A biting slider down the middle ended it as Federer raised his Halle record to 52-5.
A trio of Germans—Alexander Zverev, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer—advanced.
In an all-German match of exuberance vs. experience, the 19-year-old Zverev held a 7-5, 3-0 lead over Benjamin Becker when the 34-year-old qualifier retired with a back injury. Becker built a 4-0 lead before his back tightened up and he lost 10 of the next 11 games. Zverev is the first through to the quarterfinals where he will take on either Marcos Baghdatis or Dustin Brown.
Kohlschreiber, the Stuttgart runner-up to Dominic Thiem on Monday, defeated Marcel Granollers, 6-2, 7-6 (4), in 96 minutes. The eighth-seeded Kohlschreiber will play towering Ivo Karlovic next.
The 32-year-old Mayer moved on with a walkover from second-seeded Kei Nishikori, who withdrew with a rib injury. Nishikori had reached successive semifinals in Halle.