Federer Flies Into 13th Final In Halle

On Saturday afternoon, Roger Federer set a NOVENTI OPEN tournament record. And by doing so, the top seed will have a chance to make personal history on Sunday.

Federer defeated Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3, 6-3 to reach his 13th final in Halle, the most in the ATP 500 event’s history. The World No. 3 will face David Goffin in the championship match, an opportunity for the Swiss to claim his 10th title here. If Federer accomplishes the feat, it will be the first time he has lifted 10 trophies at a single tournament.

The 101-time tour-level titlist also has an opportunity to move closer to Jimmy Connors’ record of 109 tour-level trophies. If Federer emerges victorious against Goffin, it will be the 16th time he has claimed at least three tour-level crowns in a season.

Federer, now 67-7 in Halle, had to battle through two three-setters to make the last four. But playing Herbert for the first time, he broke serve three times and did not face a break point, winning 88 of his service points en route to a 62-minute triumph.

The top seed takes a lopsided FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead of 7-1 into the final against Goffin, including a straight-sets victory here in Halle three years ago. In Federer’s seven victories against the Belgian, Goffin has won a total of one set. But the 28-year-old earned one of the biggest wins of his career by upsetting Federer in the semi-finals of the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals.

Federer’s current record for most titles at a tournament is nine, having earned that many crowns at both Halle and Basel, his hometown event. The Swiss has advanced to 14 finals at that ATP 250 tournament.

Did You Know?
Herbert was Federer’s 337th unique singles opponent. Although they both have played more than 200 tour-level doubles matches, they have not competed against one another on the doubles court, either.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour http://bit.ly/2ZCose0