Defending champion Roger Federer will play 21-year-old Borna Coric in the Gerry Weber Open final as he chases his 99th career singles title on Sunday.
Federer reached his 12th final in Halle after beating qualifier Denis Kudla 7-6(1) 7-5 on Saturday.
“I’m very happy,” Federer told atpworldtour.com.
“I’ve never played back-to-back finals on grass like this in events before Wimbledon. So, this is a first for me. I’m very happy having won Stuttgart [last Sunday] and, now, making another final here in Halle is great.
“I would have taken that any day a month ago.”
Coric advanced after fourth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut retired in their semifinal. The Spaniard was leading 3-2 in the first set before slipping awkwardly and sustaining an injury.
Borna Coric was 2-9 lifetime on grass before arriving in Halle. Now in the final.
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) June 23, 2018
Federer fired 12 aces and saved six of the seven break points he faced to end Kudla’s 10-set winning streak in Halle. The American had three break points when he was leading 4-3 in the second set, but Federer fought back and finished the set with two successive aces.
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The 25-year-old Kudla had saved 20 of 21 break points on his way to the semifinals at the grass-court tournament.
Federer, who saved two match points against Benoit Paire in the second round on Thursday, is going for a record-extending 10th title in Halle. It will be his second final in as many weeks.
20. Straight. On ????????????@rogerfederer is into his 12th Halle final with a 7-6(1) 7-5 triumph over Denis Kudla. ????#GerryWeberOpen pic.twitter.com/SIluS7reDN
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 23, 2018
The Swiss great, who won his 18th grass-court title in Stuttgart on Sunday, is just two match wins away from matching Jimmy Connors’ all-time record of 174 victories on grass.
After skipping the entire clay-court season for the second year in a row, Federer extended his grass-court winning streak to 20 matches, including Stuttgart and last year’s titles in Halle and Wimbledon.
The revitalised 36-year-old only had a longer streak on the surface once before, when he won 65 consecutive matches on grass between 2003 and 2008.
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