Del Potro beats Federer in Basel

Argentina’s Juan Del Potro at the ATP tournament in Basel, Switzerland ... on Sunday.
 

Top seed Juan Martin Del Potro retained his Swiss Indoors title with a 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-4 victory against home favourite Roger Federer in Basel on Sunday BBC Sport reports.

A sixth Swiss title for world number six Federer would have sealed his place at next month’s ATP World Tour Finals in London for a 12th successive year.

“It’s always a pleasure to play Roger. He’s the hero here and for me my biggest inspiration,” said Del Potro.

Federer said, “I lifted my level and in the end wasn’t playing too badly.”

Federer, who has won only one title in 2013, produced some vintage moments but could not deny Del Potro his fourth ATP Tour 500 title in a calendar year.

The Swiss now has to beat Kevin Anderson or Mikhail Youzhny in his second-round match at the final qualifying event in Paris next week to ensure one of the eight places at the 02 Arena for the World Tour Finals, which would equal Ivan Lendl for the most successive appearances at the season finale.

Del Potro, already safely through to the Tour Finals, broke in the eighth game of the opening set but to the delight of the crowd Federer broke back immediately to love.

The home favourite saved two break points to take the set to a tie-break but quickly found himself 3-0 down and Del Potro went on to take the set.