Tennis

Roger Federer winning the first set was key to Halle defeat – David Goffin


Goffin started the match full of confidence and took the game to Federer, going toe-to-toe with the Swiss from the baseline and serving impressively.

Midway through the first set, the Belgian earned himself three break points but produced three unforced errors which allowed Federer to escape.

And that proved costly as Federer lifted his game in the tiebreak and won it 7-2.

The second set was then one-way traffic as Federer kept up the momentum and glided around the court hitting winners to Goffin’s frustration.

Federer broke Goffin three times in the second set on the way to completing a 7-6 6-1 win and claiming his 10th Halle title.

In his post-match press conference, Goffin was asked for his assessment and admitted losing the first set was a cruical moment.

“Yeah of course the first set was the key. I think I was little bit better in the first [set] especially in the rallies,” Goffin said.

“I think during the rallies it was OK. I was being aggressive. I made him miss a lot, made him run. I was really aggressive. I was serving great. I had a couple of opportunities, 0-40, with three points in rallies that I can’t miss.

“When you play against players like Roger, it is tough if you don’t take the opportunity you have then he walks over you and he comes back, gets more confidence in the match and that’s what happened.

“He stayed in the first set and then played an unbelievable tiebreak. All first serves, except the last serve.

“And as soon as he had the break [in the second set], I had a bad service game, two double faults and then he was more confident.

“As soon as Roger is ahead with a break, he started to serve better, be a little more aggressive and it was tough to come back.

“So the key was the first set yeah.”

Speaking after the match, Federer said Goffin had been the better player in the opening stages.

“He was the better player for probably the first 10 games of the match. He had more chances. He had big chances, too,” Federer said.

“Then I played a really good tie-break. I was able to run away with the lead getting the break early on in the second and I think that maybe calmed down my nerves.

“His level might have dropped just a tiny bit, but it was tough to play with the shadows, it’s a fast court.

“David of course also had a great week, so clearly he was feeling it from the baseline. But I was able to tough it out and at the end I was able to really play some great tennis, so I couldn’t be happier right now.”



READ NEWS SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.