The 37-year-old Federer, whose 99 titles are second only to the 109 of Jimmy Connors, began the day’s first semi-final as favourite.
Browsing: Alexander Zverev
World number one, Novak Djokovic, produced a rock-solid performance to dismantle the challenge of German firebrand Alexander Zverev at the ATP Finals on Wednesday.
“It’s frustrating for me not to be able to compete in London,” Del Potro, who last played in the event in 2013 since when he has been plagued by injuries, said in an ATP statement
Tennis: Zverev stunned by unseeded Tunisian Jaziri in Beijing
Roger Federer has dropped out of the Rogers Cup next month in Toronto.
He thus set up a Halle Open final with young Croatian Borna Coric.
Claycourt specialist Thiem’s relentless accuracy from the baseline proved too much for second seed Zverev who looked jaded after a gruelling path to his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
The victory ensured that Zverev secured his first trip to the last 16 at Roland Garros.
Nadal had his work cut out for him to beat defending champion Alexander Zverev, coming back after a rain delay to win 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
Sunday’s 6-1 1-6 6-3 victory over German Alexander Zverev on the Rome dirt ensured the 31-year-old would leapfrog Roger Federer and become world number one for a sixth time ahead of the French Open.
Nadal, who won both Monte Carlo and Barcelona for an 11th time, will also reclaim the coveted world No 1 ranking from Roger Federer when the latest set of rankings are released on Monday
The German defending champion will play on Sunday for the trophy against seven-time winner Rafael Nadal, who has beaten the German in all four of their previous meetings
Zverev has long been marked out as a future star of the men’s game and his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Thiem suggests the German can be a major threat at the French Open later this month.
The 31-year-old Nadal needs to win an 11th Monaco title to retain the number one ranking ahead of Roger Federer, and will be a red-hot favourite against Japan’s Nishikori in Sunday’s final
The 16-time Grand Slam winner has been sidelined since retiring with a hip problem against Marin Cilic in his Melbourne quarter-final.
He is chasing a seventh Australian Open title and started off well with a reassuring 6-1, 6-4 win at the Kooyong Classic on January 10.
After winning the first set against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, the American had disappeared in the second, losing it in only 28 minutes
Six-times champion Federer had booked his place in the semi-finals with victory over German trailblazer Alexander Zverev, but any notion that he would coast through his final group match proved wide off the mark
“I am very sorry to pull out of the Western & Southern Open as I always enjoy playing here,” Federer said.
The 20-year-old German, proved up for the task right out of the gate as he had the Swiss second seed on his heels from the start on a sun-kissed afternoon.