Federer fights back to claim No1 spot
Roger Federer will return to the No1 spot in the world rankings next week after coming from behind to beat Nick Kyrgios 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 in the semi-finals of the ATP Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart.
The 36-year-old Swiss will play Canada’s Milos Raonic in today’s final.
Federer, who has won 15 successive matches on grass over the past year, had to win to topple Rafael Nadal from the top of the rankings. He will begin a record-extending 310th week at the top tomorrow. But he was made to work hard for the honour as Kyrgios, playing in his first tournament after two months out with an elbow injury, refused to buckle in a contest that lasted just short of two hours.
Over their three career matches, eight of their nine sets have now gone to a tie-break, and there was little to separate them in Stuttgart, where Federer conceded first, forced his way back into the match and then was taken all the way in the third.
In the other semi-final, Raonic beat defending champion Lucas Pouille 6-4, 7-6 to reach his first final since the 2017 Istanbul Open. The seventh-seeded Canadian has not won a title since the 2016 Brisbane International.
Britain’s Johanna Konta overcame a rain delay to secure her place in the final of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham for the second successive year with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Donna Vekic.
In the second match on court, the British No1 breezed through the opening set in half an hour before, with Vekic having called for the trainer and looking ready to go for further treatment, the players were forced off by rain. After around an hour delay, Konta regained her composure to move 3-1 ahead.
The 21-year-old Croatian recovered to break back and level at 3-3. World No22 Konta, though, immediately regained the momentum against Vekic’s serve before a hold put her within sight of the final, and she then broke again on a first match-chance. Top-seed Ashleigh Barty awaits in today’s final.
Konta said: “It was challenging, for both of us and for different reasons. It is never easy with a rain delay, so I am very happy to have battled through, to keep my mind on the task at hand and do the best I can with the conditions.”
The British No 1 beat Barty in the quarter-finals at Nottingham last year. Konta added: “She is a very crafty and talented player, especially on this surface. She has improved a lot since last year and is playing incredibly well.”
In the same event, former British No2 Dan Evans came from behind to beat Marcel Granollers and book his place in the final. The 28-year-old, who is continuing his return from a drugs ban, was soon put on the back foot by the veteran Spaniard, who made the most of an early break to claim the opening set 6-4.
Evans, who has been handed a wildcard entry for the Fever-Tree Championships at the Queen’s Club this week, recovered to level the match with two breaks that helped him to win the second set 6-2. The deciding set was a tense affair until Evans converted a break-point chance to lead 5-3 and then served out for the match.