Federer, del Potro to meet for title
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Roger Federer was on the ropes, down two breaks in the second set and another one in the third. Borna Coric thought he was close to toppling the world’s top-ranked player. Not so fast. Federer rallied for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals on Saturday, extending his career-best start to 17-0 and giving him a chance to win his record sixth title.
“I went for my shots. I was not waiting. I made the right choices all the time,” Coric said. “He was just a better player in those specific moments. At the end, he just got through.” Barely. “I should have lost a match,” Federer said. He will meet No. 6 Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday’s final. The Argentine breezed past No. 32 Milos Raonic of Canada 6-2, 6-3 in 66 minutes for his 10th consecutive match victory and 400th of his injury-plagued career.
“It was surprising to see him serving not too hard, and I broke his serve very quick in both sets,” Del Potro said. “That gave me the control of the match.”
Federer is 18-6 in his career against del Potro, with two of the losses coming at the U.S. Open, in the 2009 final and last year’s quarterfinals.
“I love to play against him,” Del Potro said. “It will be a good challenge to see how my level is against him.”
Federer rallied from a 5-7, 2-4 deficit to win the final four games of the second set, breaking Coric twice for the first time in the match.