Roger Federer looks to catch his 100th ATP Tour title in the Dubai Open on Saturday March 2nd, once the world no. 7 matches rising celebrity Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Federer is a heavy favorite over the youthful Greek celebrity, however came out on the losing side of their last head-to-head matchup.Federer last earned in Dubai in 2015, which had been his seventh time winning at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Considering that the Australian Open, the 37-year-old has had a schedule leading up having not played in a tournament since. The rest has proved worthwhile as he has had a relatively straightforward path to the finals.In reality, he has actually been improving as the championship wears on. Federer advanced during the first two rounds with wins over Fernando Verdasco and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
In the quarter-finals, despite a close first set together with M??rton Fucsovics, he prevailed 7-6 (8-6) 6-4. He made quick work of world no. 13 Borna ??ori?? in the semi-finals by winning 6-2 6-2.
A win on Saturday will give both titles in Dubai to Federer and a 100th career ATP Tour title win.
While I watched a route for Federer to reach at the Dubai Open finals when the lure was made, I was unsure just how much Tsitsipas could have abandoned just last Sunday after claiming the title in Marseille. He won all four games in France in straight sets.
Tsitsipas hasn’t dropped off though this week after the win, finding himself in the Dubai Open Finals after defeating the 23rd ranked Gael Monfils 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(4).When he faces Tsitsipas on Saturday, a win could give him both eight titles in Dubai and also a 100th career ATP Tour title win.His route to the finals hasn’t been the hardest though when you consider his competitors were: Matthew Ebden (47th), Egor Gerasimov (155th), and Hubert Hurkacz (77th) throughout the opening three rounds.
Tsitsipas has his sights on a top 10 placing following this tournament.
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