Basel, Switzerland: With his fellow Finals Showdown contenders falling around him at the Swiss Indoors Basel, Roger Federer stayed tough yesterday, fighting past Denis Istomin 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals. Should the Swiss win his sixth Basel crown this week, he would qualify for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals.
The Basel native overcame a slow start to beat Istomin in one hour and 51 minutes, notching his 49th win at the ATP World Tour 500 indoor hard-court tournament.
He fended off four break points in the second game of the deciding set, before reeling off the last five games to claim victory. Federer won the title in 2006-08 and 2010-11, and finished runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro in the final last year.
The 32-year-old Federer is chasing his second ATP World Tour title of the season, following victory at the Gerry Weber Open in June.
Former finalist Kei Nishikori, who had been a potential semi-final opponent for Federer this week, was defeated in the second round. Croatia’s Ivan Dodig defeated the Japanese world number one 6-1, 6-2 in just 57 minutes, winning 77 per cent of points on serve.
Dodig is through to his seventh ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season.
Earlier, France’s Richard Gasquet put himself in the danger zone for qualifying into the season-ending ATP event next month, as the fatigued fifth seed lost 6-4, 6-2 to compatriot Michael Llodra.
The first-round defeat in 70 minutes still leaves Gasquet standing a provisional ninth in the race for a spot in the eight-man World Tour Finals in London starting a week from Monday.
Gasquet, who lost in the Shanghai first round and rebounded by winning the Moscow title at the weekend, admitted that he was out of energy.
“I was tired after playing a lot of matches,” said the player who qualified for the year-end event in 2007 when it was played in Shanghai in China.
“It was a long flight from Moscow and the conditions here, the court and the balls, are completely different.
“Plus Michael was playing very well, it was very tough for me today. It’s disappointing to lose but now I need to rest and then try to play well in Paris. It’s my last chance.”
Gasquet’s Moscow success marked his third title of the season, after Doha and Montpellier. France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu advanced to the second round as he beat American Denis Kudla 6-4, 7-5. AGENCIES
