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By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, March 1, 2019

 
Roger Federer

Seven-time Dubai champion Roger Federer crushed Borna Coric, 6-2, 6-2, to set up a Dubai final vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas in a rematch of the Australian Open.

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Lasering a forehand into the corner, Roger Federer stepped into the court ladling a drop shot winner that landed like a whisper.

When Federer wasn't busy backing Borna Coric up with declarative drives, he was bamboozling him with soft touch.

Watch: Tsitsipas Charges Into Dubai Final, Top 10

Playing one of his cleanest matches of the year against a depleted opponent, Federer crushed Coric, 6-2, 6-2, storming into his 10th Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final.

The seven-time champion stands one win from history.

Federer will play for his 100th career title tomorrow as he bids to join 109-time titlist Jimmy Connors as the second man in ATP history to reach the 100 championship mark. 




Federer showed slick sleight of hand skills disarming Coric in 77 minutes.

The 37-year-old Swiss must conquer a nemesis to reach the magic milestone. Federer will face the man who ended his Australian Open reign—Stefanos Tsitsipas in tomorrow's blockbuster final.

It's actually their third meeting of the season, including the Hopman Cup exhibition in Perth, and Federer is pumped for the rematch.

“I am looking forward to it, maybe a little bit,” Federer told the media in Dubai. “We already played a couple times this year, in the Hopman Cup and then the Australian Open.

“Obviously I was horribly disappointed and upset that I missed as many break points as I did, had all the opportunities I had. That match kind of hurt in some ways."

Showing his all-court skills, Tsitsipas out-dueled Rotterdam champion Gael Monfils, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), in a three-hour thriller to score his eighth straight win and reach his second consecutive final.

The 20-year-old Tsitsipas made history stunning Federer in the Australian Open fourth round to become the first Greek player—male or female—to advance to a Grand Slam quarterfinal.


“He did very well to get out of those tricky situations," Federer said of Tsitsipas. "Again, he did the same again tonight against Monfils. He gets it done that way. It’s not the classic one-dimensional way. He has many ways to do it. That makes him tough to play, tough to beat."

Tsitsipas out-aced Federer 20 to 12 and denied all 12 break points he faced dethroning the defending champion, who said he sees elements of his attacking style in the world No. 11. 

"Yeah, I mean, I guess so," Federer said of Tsitsipas. "He has a one-handed backhand and I used to have long hair, too. Yeah, so maybe a little bit, sure.

"He has more of a continental grip than players nowadays. Sure, that's a bit more my way than, let's say, Rafa's way."

Today's second semifinal was all Federer's way as he avenged successive 2018 losses to Coric in the Halle final and Shanghai semifinal beating the Croatian for the third time in five meetings.

Worn out from winning thee consecutive third-set tie breakers, Coric, who is typically one of the fitter players on tour, lacked the leg strength to stay in step with the sharp Swiss today.

Federer won 20 of 25 first-serve points, pounded seven aces and did not face a break point in the match.

Moving fluidly, Federer was stretching the 22-year-old Croatian driving the ball corner to corner. A bullet backhand handcuffed Coric at net as Federer stamped his second straight break for 4-1 after a mere 19 minutes of play.

Shifting spins and depths of his drives, Federer left a lethargic Coric looking downright disorientated.

Slashing a forehand into the corner to displace Coric, Federer carved an exquisite backhand drop shot winner that brought mother, Lynette, and wife, Mirka, to their feet in a magical moment for his fourth straight game.




The sixth-seeded Coric stalled his slide saving a pair of set points to hold for 2-5.

On his fourth set point, Federer stung a serve to snatch a one set lead after 32 minutes.

The draining physicality Coric endured winning three straight third-set tie breakers left him with little strength of stamina to combat Federer's creativity.

The Croatian coughed up his second double fault to face break and Federer immediately pounded working the short court again breaking to start the second set.

Direction and disguise on serve made reading Federer's serve as easy as deciphering a message scrawled on the surface of a lake. Federer pumped his third ace backing up the break after 44 minutes.

Declarative serving marked the match as Federer fired aces to open and close a love hold for 3-1.

Under stress on serve throughout much of the set, Coric sprayed a diagonal forehand wide as Federer broke again for 5-2.

A high forehand volley brought Federer match point. The man in all indigo slashed his seventh ace to seal his 10th trip to the final.

 


 

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