Roger Federer rolled back the years to produce a stirring
comeback against Novak Djokovic and reach the final of the Dubai Open.
The 32-year-old fought back from a set down with a
masterclass of tennis to secure a 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory in one hour 50 minutes to
dethrone the defending champion.
Federer remains on course for his sixth title in Dubai
and next faces Tomas Berdych in Saturday's final.
Federer rarely troubled the world No 2 in the first set
and the pivotal moment came at 2-2 in the second when the Swiss saved a break
point with a delicious backhand pass.
The 17-times grand slam champion went on to hold serve
and then broke in a rain-interrupted game - the players leaving the court for
only a few minutes - with a backhand bullet from the baseline.
Federer clinched the set with an ace before Djokovic, 26,
double-faulted in the first game of the decider to gift his opponent a crucial
early break.
He broke again in the fifth game, although he had to save
two break points when serving for the match before holding his nerve to seal
victory.
The Swiss legend now holds a 17-15 lead in head-to-head
matches with Djokovic after to his first victory over the Serb in four matches.
Good form
World No 6 Berdych continued his new-found run of good
form when he reached the final for the second successive year.
Last year's runner-up had not won an ATP Tour title for
16 months until he won Rotterdam this month, but the 7-5 7-5 victory over
Philipp Kohlschreiber, the seventh-seeded German was his 16th win in 17
matches.
Equally crucially Berdych was able to impose breaks of
serve when it mattered most, at the end of each set, leaving his fluent but
lighter-weight opponent with no chance to repair the damage.
"It feels absolutely great," he said "I am
pleased with today because it was a really tough win. It's a pleasure getting
to the final again here, a tournament which has such a strong field.
"My rhythm is much better than it was. It is
important for me to be hitting the ball nicely and then my game really
works."
Culled from Skysports
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