Roger Federer played his 13th final in his hometown of Basel and the 11th in a row in 2017. Federer faced two-time Basel winner Juan Martin del Potro in the title clash and prevailed 6-7, 6-4. , 6-3 in two hours and 31 minutes for his eighth Basel trophy.
It was their 24th meeting and 18th win for the Swiss star, who flopped in the Basel finals against Delpo in 2012 and 2013. They met four times in 2017, with Roger earning three wins, losing the most crucial meeting in the US. Open in four sets.
It was the 95th ATP crown for the Swiss, leaving Ivan Lendl in 94 and moving 14 away from Jimmy Connors. Federer failed to produce the level of tennis he brought against David Goffin the night before, struggling to find first serve and making some unusual mistakes at critical moments.
Nonetheless, his second serve worked better than del Potro’s, saving four of seven break chances and limiting damage behind the initial shot. The Argentine struggled to keep pace after missing the first serve, playing off 15 break points and suffering five breaks to give Federer the win.
Roger was broken twice in the first set, serving for the set at 5-4 before Juan Martin recovered the break and extended it to steal it 7-5 in the tie break. Federer clinched the second set with a late break in game 10 and controlled the decider despite losing serve in the first game.
Del Potro couldn’t stay ahead, getting broken in games two and four to end up on the losing side and lose a valuable 200 points in the ATP Race For London. It was Federer’s seventh title of the season. He reached that number for the first time since 2007 and left Rafael Nadal at six, narrowing the gap to the Spaniard to 1,460 points in the ATP Race.
Del Potro stole the first set, winning three points less than Federer (the Swiss served at 43%) and facing eight break points. He showed a genuine clutch whenever he needed a reliable point behind the opening shot.
Roger Federer defeated Juan Martin del Potro for his 95th ATP title at Basel 2017.
It was a shaky start for both players, with two breaks in the opening games and a break chance for Roger at 2-2 that Juan Martin erased with a forehand winner.
The Argentine faced two break points in game seven, producing strong forehands to stay intact and open a 4-3 gap. Ultimately, Federer found a way to deliver a break in game nine after wonderful defense and a forehand down the line winner that sent him 5-4 in front.
He was two points from the set in game ten, but Juan Martin stayed alive and won a break when Roger’s forehand landed long. Roger led 3-0 in the tie break before losing the next six points, including two on his serve.
He allowed Juan Martin to close out the set with a service winner at 6-5 in the 65th minute. Del Potro struggled even more with his second serve in set number two, unable to make a turn like in the first half. Roger saved two break points in games three and five, and del Potro did the same at 1-2, staying neck-and-neck in the closing stages of the set, with the pressure on the Swiss.
He faced it like a true champion, breaking his opponent in the tenth game to clinch the set 6-4 after a costly forehand error from Juan Martin. Instead of capitalizing on that, Federer suffered a break early in the final set after scoring a volley, giving his fans another scare.
It didn’t last long though, as he immediately broke with a forehand down the line winner. Another fine return gave Roger a crucial break in game four, having to serve well from that point to seal the deal. The returns claimed two points in the next four games but failed to capture a deuce or break chance, leaving the Swiss to serve for the title at 5-3.
Federer opened the game with a good serve and two forehands and went over the top when del Potro’s return went over the baseline.
