Roger Federer battles back to beat Adrian Mannarino

Roger Federer is through to the semi final of the Swiss Indoors in Basel after he came from a set down to beat Adrian Mannarino 41 6-1 6-3. The Frenchman had only won 23 games, let alone a set, against Federer in their four previous encounters, two of which came at grand slam events.

So it came as an enormous shock to the partisan crowd when the Wimbledon champion dropped the opener 6-4, but the home favourite roared back in the next which he won 6-1. If Federer thought he was going to have it all his own way in the decider he was made to think again by the world No.28 who had opportunities to break in the sixth game before the Swiss ace’s serve proved too much to handle.

The 36-year-old then broke at the next opportunity, held his serve and broke again to book his place in the last four. Earlier in the day Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic booked their places in the last four, the former keep alive his hopes of claiming a place at the season-ending World Tour finals in London.

Cilic, Del Potro win at Swiss Indoors, will meet in semis

Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro will face each other in the Swiss Indoors semifinals after both were tested in three-set wins on Friday.

Second-seeded Cilic was on court for more than three hours to beat 100th-ranked qualifier Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-6 (4).

Cilic, the defending champion at Basel, clinched the quarterfinal with a delicate sliced backhand volley for a winner.

Fourth-seeded Del Potro needed exactly two hours to win 6-2, 2-6, 64 against sixth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain.

Del Potro won back-to-back Basel titles in 2012 and ‘13, both times beating Roger Federer in the final.

The Argentine will qualify for the ATP Finals in London if he wins the title in Basel

Federer, top-seeded again at his hometown event, played later Friday against Adrian Mannarino of France.

Garcia advances to semifinals at WTA Finals when Halep loses

Caroline Garcia advanced to the semifinals at the WTA Finals on Friday when top-ranked Simona Halep was beaten by Elina Svitolina.

Garcia defeated Caroline Wozniacki 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the early Red Group match, giving both 2-1 records.

Wozniacki had already advanced, but Garcia had to wait. When Svitolina beat Halep 6-3, 6-4 later in the day, the top-ranked Romanian was eliminated and Garcia was through as the group winner.

In the semifinals, Garcia will play Venus Williams and Wozniacki will face Karolina Pliskova.

Garcia, playing at a career-high No. 8 ranking after winning backto-back titles in Wuhan and Beijing, is the only one of the eight-players who didn’t have a chance to end the season with the top ranking.

“It was kind of weird, actually, to be here,” Garcia said. “I qualified last minute, two weeks before. I really wanted to keep improving, play every single match and get experience.

“That’s why I think I won these (last) two matches.”

Despite not reaching the semifinals, Halep will retain the No. 1 ranking unless Pliskova wins the title, which would make her the year-end No. 1.

“This system (round-robin) I don’t like,” Halep said. “You stay like stressed all week. If you lose, of course, you have another chance. I just want it to be if you lose you go home.”

Martina Hingis to retire from tennis after WTA Finals

The Swiss, 37, originally retired as a 22-year old in 2003 and then again in 2007 after a brief comeback.

Hingis won this year’s Wimbledon and US Open mixed doubles titles and regained the number one doubles ranking.

“I think now it’s definite. It’s different, because before I walked away thinking I might come back,” she said.

“After a season like this, I think it’s also perfect timing. You want to stop on top and not when you’re already going backwards.

“I couldn’t ask for a better finish.”

Hingis became the youngest player ever to win a Grand Slam title as a 15-year-old alongside Helena Sukova in the 1996 Wimbledon doubles event, and would end the year by losing to Steffi Graf in the singles final at the WTA Tour Championships.

In 1997, Hingis became the world number one singles player, at the age of 16, and won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, becoming the youngest singles champion at the All England Club since 1887.