Roger Federer will play in the Noventi Open final for the 13th time in his illustrious career on Sunday after taking care of Pierre Hugues-Herbert 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals.
Federer is already a nine-time champion in Halle, where he is now sporting a 67-7 lifetime record.
“It’s great; I thought it was a very solid performance from me,” said the 37-year-old Swiss, who had previously endured three-setters against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roberto Bautista Agut. “I didn’t struggle on serve and [when] I had my opportunities on the return, I was able to take them…. I was able to find some good energy today, especially in the important moments, because the past couple days have been tough. It’s been a lot of tennis, so this is maybe exactly what I need going into the final.”
David Goffin awaits what will be a ninth career contest between the two players. Federer is dominating the head-to-head series 7-1, and it’s a series that dates back to 2012–when Goffin probably still had posters of Federer on his wall–at the French Open. The Belgian’s lone victory came in the semis of the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals, but Federer won their only previous Halle encounter (2016) and their only previous title match (2014 Basel).
“He’s a great guy,” Federer said of Goffin. “I really like his game. He’s got one of the best backhand in the game. [He is] super fast on his feet and he’s got great footing on a court that’s really difficult. He played a great match against (Matteo) Berrettini today to stop his run and also against (Alexander) Zverev. I watched that match and that was mighty impressive. So I think I’m going to have a tough final, anyway at this stage, but particularly against David–who I have a lot of respect for.”
Goffin beat a red-hot Berrettini 7-6(4), 6-3 in the semifinals. He preceded that with wins over Guido Pella, Radu Albot, and the second-seeded Zverev.
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