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BERLIN: World No. 1 Roger Federer extended his grasscourt winning
streak to 57 matches on Friday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Cypriot
Marcos Baghdatis to reach the semifinals of the Gerry Weber Open.
Federer, who is warming up for the defense of
his Wimbledon title, will now face Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer for a
place in the final.
“I have reached the semifinals without losing
a set and everything is going well,” said five-time Wimbledon
winner Federer who is also trying to erase the misery of his latest
French Open thrashing at the hands of Rafael Nadal in Paris last
weekend.
Federer broke Baghdatis in the first game of the
match and in the fifth game of the second set to set up victory.
The Swiss top seed will take a 10-3 lifetime
record against unseeded Kiefer into the semifinals.
The veteran German was the last player to beat
Federer here in the semifinals six years ago. Since then, he has won
23 consecutive matches and boasts a 30-3 career mark in Halle.
Kiefer, the 1999 champion, reached the
semifinals when Frenchman Michael Llodra retired with a left arm
injury when he trailed 4-0 in the first set.
-- AFP
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