Roger Federer will face the young German Alexander Zverev in the semifinal of the ATP Finals 2018 as the hunt for his 100th title continues going into this knock-out encounter.
The Roger Federer v Alexander Zverev 2018 ATP Finals semifinal match will be played on Saturday, November 17, at 2:00 pm local time (1:00 pm GMT). Watch the Roger Federer v Alexander Zverev live streaming here.
After having a season that has been on the opposite ends of the spectrum, the two players will lock horns in the semifinals in London. On one hand, Federer holds a great deal of experience while on the other; Zverev has been phenomenally great this season. This is bound to be a thrilling encounter.
Federer v Zverev Head to Head
On the ATP circuit, the two players last met each other in the robin-round of 2017 ATP Finals. Back then, it was the Swiss who won the match in three sets to take a 3-2 lead in the head to head tally. Zverev has defeated Federer only on two occasions – in the final of 2017 Canada Masters and as a 19-year-old in the semifinal of 2016 ATP Halle.
The two players have also crossed paths this season in the final of the 2018 Hopman Cup. It was Federer who won that match in straight sets to help Switzerland win the tournament.
Federer’s Season so Far
The Swiss arrived at London with a win-loss record of 46-8 backed by four singles titles. He skipped the entire clay season and with the exceptions of a few shocking losses, the World No. 3 has been simply great throughout.
He started the season with back to back titles at the Australian Open and ATP Rotterdam. He then proceeded to lose in the finals of Indian Wells before lifting another trophy at the ATP Stuttgart. Thereafter, he did well to stay in the top three by reaching the penultimate rounds in several tournaments. His fourth title came in Basel where he defeated Marius Copil in the final.
As for his performance in London, he started his campaign for the 100th singles title in the worst possible way – by losing miserably to Kei Nishikori. However, he bounced back in a remarkable fashion after that loss and defeated Dominic Thiem and Kevin Anderson in straight sets to top the Group Lleyton Hewitt.
In his last five appearances at the O2 Arena, Federer has reached the final thrice, losing to Novak Djokovic on all the three occasions. Last season, he reached as far as the semifinal before losing to David Goffin in three sets.
Zverev’s Second Appearance in London
The World No. 5 qualified for the ATP Finals for the second year running. Last year, he failed to move past the robin-round but this time around, he has broken that jinx to qualify for the semifinal.
He started his run in the tournament with a straight-set win over Marin Cilic. He then moved on to face Novak Djokovic in the next match and needless to mention, he succumbed to the Serbian in straight sets. His final robin-round match against John Isner was a must-win one and the German managed to meet the expectations here by defeating the American 7-6(5), 6-3.
His season so far is marked by three singles titles – ATP Washington, ATP Munich, and the Madrid Masters. At the same time, Sascha also had a superb run at the Rome Masters and Miami Masters, where he lost in the final match. In addition to these feats, he has been highly consistent throughout the season – his win-loss record as of Paris Masters was 54-18.
The German’s service game has been quite incredible in this tournament. In his match against Isner on Friday, he doled out 18 aces and kept his first service win rate at 85%. This is one thing that Federer will need to keep an eye out for.
Federer v Zverev – Who will win here?
The stakes are high here and it goes without saying that this game will be a close one. The two players have a strong service game. Federer, who is playing in his 16th ATP Finals, is aware of the danger that the German poses. The Swiss is set to start this game as the favorite to win.
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