Roger Federer soared into his ninth final at the Gerry Weber Open with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Kei Nishikori on Saturday.
Federer will vie for his 14th grass title and 79th overall after improving to 45-5 on the lawns of Halle. The six-time champion (2003-06, ‘08, ‘13) fired 10 aces and was a perfect 2/2 on break point opportunities, dismissing the Japanese in 73 minutes.
Nishikori rallied from behind in the second set, forcing a tie-break and earning an early mini-break at 4-2, but two consecutive forehand errors would hand the advantage back to Federer. The second seed would convert on his first match point, levelling the FedEx ATP Head2Head at two apiece.
The Swiss will face Alejandro Falla in the final after he became the second Colombian to reach an ATP World Tour final in 2014, rallying to upset home favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first semi-final. Santiago Giraldo recently advanced to the final in Barcelona (l. to Nishikori).
Falla emerged victorious 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and 22 minutes, fighting back from a break deficit in the third set to deny the 2011 champion a third appearance in the Halle title match. He will face the winner of the second semi-final between Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori.
"It’s an amazing feeling," said Falla. "I’m very happy for my second final. It’s a goal that I had. It’s been a great week for me. I fought in every match, I was down many times...The only thing I could do was fight because I wasn’t playing that great today in the first set. I think he was playing a little better but I was fighting and then I found my way out."
The 30 year old, who won his 100th tour-level match with a first-round victory over Lukasz Kubot, will attempt to become the second Colombian-born champion on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era. Mauricio Hadad previously won in Bermuda in 1995.
Falla is the first South American to reach the final in the 22-year history of the Gerry Weber Open and the first left-hander since Petr Korda in 1997. The Cali native is seeking to become the second first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this season after Federico Delbonis prevailed in Sao Paulo (d. Lorenzi).
Kohlschreiber, meanwhile, was eyeing his second consecutive three-set win in as many days after saving five match points in a thrilling victory over Dustin Brown in Friday's quarter-finals.
atpworldtour.com
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