Roger Federer made a great escape in the first round of the Gerry Weber Open on Monday, outlasting Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-6(5). Federer fired 15 aces and needed two hours and 11 minutes to keep his title defense alive.
The showdown featured so much back-and-forth drama that a first send ending 10-8 in a tiebreaker proved to be an afterthought when things were all said and done. A thrilling third set saw Kohlschreiber save two match points at 4-5 before Federer fought off a break point at 5-5.
One more service hold later and another ‘breaker had to decide the outcome. Kohlschreiber led 5-3 at one point only to crack at the finish line. The underdog German lost both of his service points at 5-4 and 5-5, the first after a wild rally, then netted a return with Federer serving at 6-5.
“Of course it’s not a nice draw, but you have to take it how it comes,” Kohlschreiber lamented. “I had a great plan in my mind how to play against him. I mentioned before that his first grass-court match could be a little bit tricky. I had my chances but I think at the end we both played very good level on both sides. In the crucial moments, he made the better decisions.”
Highlights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11dbLmEWMEQ]
Federer interview:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky2UZpmi9lU]
Fed triumphs again!….just such an inspiration to all tennis players, young and old…an inspiration to everyone who plays any sport!
Simply got lucky that’s all.
Auto filter the closet fed fan convincing no one. 10-23 God it’s KILLING me!!!
Found some time from his busy schedule to troll. Hilarious!
Lucky or not he still is the greatest of all time number 1 fan