Roger Federer Loves Playing Basel

Written by: Staff on 22nd October 2013

Roger Federer Loves Playing Basel

epa03918429 Switzerland's Roger Federer during his first round match against France's Adrian Mannarino at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, 21 October 2013. EPA/GEORGIOS KEFALAS |

Roger Federer faces Denis Istomin after the Uzbek booked his place in the second round with a 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) defeat of Argentine Horacio Zeballos. Federer has won all five matches he’s played against Istomin, the last at while nursing a bad back in March at Indian Wells.

Federer is in the chase for one of the four remaining spots at the eight-man World Tour Finals in London starting a week from Monday. After a poor season in which he admitted to mistakes in scheduling and trying to play through injury, the world No. 6 – winner of only one title in 2013 – is on red alert this week at home and next week at the Paris Masters, last tournament of the ATP regular season.

He trails compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka by just 40 ranking points in the race to London, standing provisional eighth to the seventh of US Open semi-finalist Wawrinka, who has never played at the year-ender. But Wawrinka did himself no favors as he bowed out 6-4, 6-3 in his opening match, ending on a double-fault against Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

The “second” Swiss lost in 71 minutes to the number 65 and blamed himself for not controlling his nerves on the home court. “It was a big match for me, playing in front of the Swiss people and I didn’t handle it well,” said Wawrinka. “I have to accept it.

“But I’m still having the best season of my career and I can’t forget that.” His year-end campaign now rests with the Paris Masters. “I will go to Paris early and practice, I need to be ready.”

Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori sent local Marco Chiudinelli6-2, 6-4 Chiudinelli, 32, has played Basel nine times and reached the semi-final four years ago to lose to Federer. Nishikori will bid for the last eight against Ivan Dodig after the Croatian needed just nine minutes on court as Argentine Carlos Berlocq quit injured trailing 2-0.

Marcos Baghdatis lines up against either defending champion Juan Del Potro or Swiss wild card Henri Laaksonen after beating German qualifier Benjamin Becker 7-6(8), 6-1. German Daniel Brands upset Italian seventh seed Andreas Seppi 7-6(3), 6-3.

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Benjamin Becker, Denis Istomin, Horacio Zeballos, Ivan Dodig, Juan Martin Del Potro, Kei Nishikori, Roger Federer, Sports, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News