Swiss maestro Roger Federer continues his return to the ATP Tour with a quarter-final match at the ATP 250 in Doha against Nikoloz Basilashvili on Thursday, March 11th. The match is scheduled for 6pm local time (0300 pm BST, 10am EST). Get the live streaming options of this Roger Federer v Nikoloz Basilashvili match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Roger Federer v Nikoloz Basilashvili Head to Head
The players have met once, in the first round of the Australian Open in 2016, and Federer won that dropping only five games in the match.
Also Read:
Federer Back To Winning Ways
The holder of twenty grand slams, 103 ATP tiles and much more, Roger Federer returned to the ATP Tour after a 14-month absence with two knee surgeries during the pandemic, against his most recent practice partner Dan Evans from Great Britain.
A three-time winner here in Doha, Federer chose this as the venue for his return, given the outdoor hard courts, the warm weather and the somewhat low key set-up of an ATP 250. However, the presence of Roger Federer makes any place non-low key given the buzz that comes with it.
Federer looked in good touch starting off the match, with some very good serving, but Evans was able to hold his with ease as well and the set was headed for a tie-break. After being up 2-0, Federer squandered the mini-break as he lost four points in a row before winning some crucial points and taking the breaker to 6-6. Both players exchanged set points, with the Swiss missing a point on his racket up 7-6. On his next set point up 9-8 on the Evan’s serve, the Swiss hit a backhand cross court passing shot that looked like ‘Vintage Federer’ to seal the set 10-8 in the tie-break.
Federer looked extremely sharp in the opening games of the second set as he had his chances to break the Evans’ serve, but a slight lapse in concentration saw Evans break to go up 3-1 and despite chances to break and looks at the Evans serve, Federer lost the set 3-6, bringing up a decider. Evans looked to have the advantage for a good portion of the third set especially when he had a break-point on a tired looking Roger Federer at 3-3.
The three-time Doha Open winner used his experience and variation to the best he could to get out of any pressure on his remaining service games, and when he had his second match point at 5-6, 15-40 on the Evans’ serve, Federer successfully closed the match with a trademark backhand down the line.
After the two hour twenty four minute match, Federer said he was happy to be back and very pleased with the level during the game. The Swiss looks forward to his next match and hopes recovery and all else remains as seamless as can be.
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Basilashvili Hoping To Re-Emerge After Woeful Run
Nikoloz Basilashvili was once ranked in the top 20 in the world as he was the winner of three ATP 500 titles a couple season ago, twice at Hamburg and once at Beijing, where he defeated some of the top ranked players in the world today. With a thundering baseline game, he has remained a tricky opponent in the draw for the best out there.
The Georgian has hit an unbelievable run of poor form since the resumption of the season after the pandemic hiatus losing nine singles matches in a row to wrap up 2020. While he has not particularly been able to pinpoint where in lies the problem, he has looked a shadow of the player he was. Although he did better to win a couple rounds to kick off the 2021 season at the Antalya Open, he again hit a low with opening round losses at the ATP 250 in Melbourne and at the Australian Open the following week, which put him on a 4-11 losing streak in the last 15 matches,
The pendulum may be swinging a little for the Georgian, as he has looked in decent touch this week defeating a tricky opponent in John Milman, and then a convincing win 6-2,6-2 against Malek Jaziri.
Federer v Basilashvili Prediction and Tip
Federer and all of the tennis world will be happy with the level of his comeback and it remains to be seen how well he recovers. But, there could not be a more favorable opponent next up for Federer, given the Georgian’s current form. A less challenging and routine win for the Swiss in straight sets seems the most likely outcome here.
Tip: Federer to win in straight sets: 4/9 (bet365)
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The 2021 ATP Doha Open will be played from March 8 to 14. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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