rogerfederer.com - Roger to play his third final this year

Roger to play his third final this year

Roger defeated Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-2 6-3 to reach the final of the Dubai Open. Roger will now either meet second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal or unseeded German Rainer Schüttler in Saturday's final.

Although the score suggests it was a straightforward match for the Swiss top seed, a strangely inconsistent performance from Roger in the first set meant he fell behind in his first four service games. He had to fight off four break points in the opening game and although he broke to lead 2-0 when Youzhny netted a weak backhand, Roger faced another three break points in the next game. He also fell behind 0-30 in his remaining two service games of the set but often followed up by playing sublime tennis to pull himself out of trouble.

After holding off an eighth break point when leading 4-2, Roger broke again for the set when Youzhny made a forehand error. The second set was more comfortable for Roger as he raised his game and often ended rallies by changing the pace and forcing errors from his opponent. The outcome of the set still hinged on just one break of serve. That came in the seven-deuce second game after Youzhny failed to win any of five game points and then double-faulted on break point.

"Overall, I played well in the match," Roger commented. "I'm very happy, I just tried to win it."