FEDERER KEEPS HIS COOL TO FIGHT OFF YOUNG GUN
RAFAEL NADAL may have gone — his brief London stay not helped by a 4am fire alarm yesterday at his Westminster hotel — but Roger Federer will be in town until at least the weekend. The 36-year-old Swiss last night guaranteed himself a place in the last four of the Nitto ATP Finals at the O2 Arena when he saw off an initially vigorous challenge from Germany’s Alex Zverev. The 20-year-old German forced a set point in the opener before fading and losing 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 to the world No 2. While this has been an event shorn of some of the biggest names the quality of the matches has, so far, been better than in many recent years. Zverev, still coltish and with tousled hair, has yet to make his Grand Slam breakthrough but he hits the ball early and had the polished veteran flustered. Some of the packed assembly even forgot their usual loyalty to Federer as they warmed to him. Were it not for the odd bit of youthful petulance at key moments Zverev could have won. He saved two set points at 5-6 and then led 4-0 in the tiebreak, missing a forehand at 6-5 that would have given him the set, before losing it 8-6. Federer’s form dipped at the end of the second set and Zverev took advantage before fading in the decider. It would not be a huge surprise, however, if they were to meet again in Sunday’s final. The German will play American Jack Sock for second place in the Boris Becker Group after the American — who revealed the fire alarm that disrupted Nadal and Dominc Thiem at an ungodly hour — upset Marin Cilic 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, thus eliminating the Croat. Nadal was heading home yesterday for treatment on his knees and joins Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka in a race to be fit for next season.