Roger Federer vs. David Ferrer: semi-final preview – Barclays ATP World Tour Finals 2011
The prestigious season ending grand finale enters its semi-final rounds, with the four top performers ready to battle it out for earning a title shot at the Barclays ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Finals.
The first semi-final clash pits the former world number one, Roger Federer of Switzerland, taking on Spain’s number two, David Ferrer, to kick off the super-Saturday evening.
The big match will be staged on indoor hard courts of the glorious O2 Arena in London, with two of the best in business competing against each other to carry on their voyage to grandeur. The fourth seeded Swiss maestro is yet to
be defeated in the tournament and has shown brilliant performances with his racquet to top Group B, earning a place in the semis. Ferrer finished second in Group B with a 2-1 record to reach his second semi-final at the ATP World Tour Finals.
The Swiss maestro has finally got his vintage form back towards the end of the running season and is riding a 15-match winning streak after claiming two successive title victories at the Swiss Indoors Basel and BNP Paribas Masters
while coming to London. Federer took down the sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, his arch rival, Rafael Nadal and then the eighth seeded American, Mardy Fish, in the round robin stage to top Group B with a perfect 3-0 record.
The defending champion, Federer, is making his ninth appearance in the semi-final of the ATP World Tour Finals and the Swiss has already bagged the prestigious circuit finale trophy on five prior occasions as well. Federer is 6-2
in the semi-finals of the mega event and will step on court as the hot favourite for winning the contest on Saturday night.
Ferrer surprised everyone at O2 Arena with his emphatic straight sets victories over the two superior ranked players, world number three, Andy Murray and the top ranked Novak Djokovic, in his opening round robin clashes. He was
stunned by the seventh seed Czech competitor, Tomas Berdych, who outplayed him in three sets to join him in the semi-final round.
Ferrer’s confidence will be sky high after registering huge wins over the two Top-3 players in succession but he is coming to the semi-final out of a defeat from Berdych. The Undefeated Federer has appeared absolutely unplayable
in his last two matches, including a 6-3, 6-0, victory over the world number two, Nadal.
Most importantly, Federer is 11-0 against Ferrer in singles encounters, with six hard-court wins. The Swiss maestro has dropped merely three sets in all of those 11 meetings, finishing most of his matches in straight sets. Victory
in the Saturday’s match will ensure Federer reclaiming the world number three spot from Andy Murray and will give him a shot at his sixth ATP World Tour Finals title on his 10th appearance.
Although Ferrer is in his finest form these days, the belligerent defending champion remains the favourite for a straight sets victory over the Spaniard to finish the season on an assertive note.
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