Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia celebrates his victory over Switzerland's Roger Federer during the Qatar ExxonMobil Open at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex yesterday.???????
Nikoloz Basilashvili is having a great time in Doha. After breaking his five match losing streak in the first round at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, the Georgian claimed the biggest victory of his career – a win over Swiss great Roger Federer and that too after saving a match point to reach the semifinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
Basilashvili, World No.42, displayed a show of powerful drives from both sides to cut short the 20-time Grand Slam’s return with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 comeback win. Former World No.1 Federer – the second seed in Doha - left fatigued by his 144-minute long battle against Dan Evans on Wednesday night, failed to convert a match point at 5-4 in the decider as the Georgian walked away with a memorable victory in one hour and 50 minutes. “It feels really good, obviously.
He (Federer) was my idol. And just to play against him, even in the match, practice, whatever it is, I’m happy. He’s for me one of the greatest of all time,” Basilashvili told a video conference after the win. “To win today means a lot. I’m happy to be in the semi-final. I had terrible last eight months, so I’m happy to win match by match and point by point and I’m really happy that I managed somehow to be in this semi-final here. It is a good tournament so far,” the 29-year-old added. Federer won the first set, firing multiple forehand winners going 1-0 with an ace.
Basilashvili made a strong fightback, aided with powerful serves and solid returns to level the match. Federer saved breakpoints at 3-3 in the decider and after Basilashvili saved a match point at 4-5, 30/40, the Georgian sealed the win converting his third match point. The Swiss superstar, who was making a comeback after the 2020 Australian Open, was happy with his Doha sojourn despite the loss. “I come from so far away that I’m actually happy that I was able to play back-to-back three-set matches against top players,” Federer told reporters. “That’s an important step forward to me. Like I said, I’m not 100% yet. I can feel it. I can see it. From that standpoint, important is to be 100% by the grass-court season.
I know that. I’m still building up. So this is a stepping stone,” he added. Basilashvili, meanwhile, will now play America’s Taylor Fritz in the semi-final. Fritz stunned fourth-seeded Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 in 2 hours and 6 minutes to advance in the semi-final. The American, yesterday, battled back after losing the first set that saw Shapovalov winning 24 straight service points. The World No.11 Canadian after dominating the opening set made errors in the second, allowing the 23-year-old American to bounce in the match. In a close third set, World No.33 Fritz, secured a 3-0 lead and held his nerves in tense moments to mark a welldeserved victory. After saving two break points at 4-3, he clinched eight of the last 10 points to wrap up victory after failing to covert two match points at 5-4. “I don’t think I have ever gone a set without winning a point on someone’s serve. That was kind of crazy,” Fritz told reporters at a video conference. “Also, he (Shapovalov) was just playing really, really well in the first set. He played a pretty insane game when he broke me in the first set, so I have to just give credit. I felt like I was holding pretty easily, as well, so I just had to keep holding my serve, keep holding my serve, and I just had to trust that one of those games I’m just going to get my chance. I was lucky when the chance came I was able to take it,” the American added.
Bautista Agut to meet Rublev in semi-final
Meanwhile, the 2019 Doha champion Roberto Bautista A g u t w o n a t h r i l l i n g quarter-final - yesterday’s last clash – d i s p a t c h i n g top seed Dominic Thiem 7-6, 6-2, 6-4. The pair produced brilliant tennis, fighting for every point in a battle that lasted 2 hours 25 battle with the Spaniard reigning supreme in the end. Bautista Agut, who received an on-court treatment in the first set, will meet defending champion Andrey Rublev in the semi-final. Rublev, yesterday got second walkover in as many days after Hungary's Marton Fucsovics skipped the quarter-final with a lower back injury. The third-seeded Russian advanced on Wednesday after 2013 Doha champion Richard Gasquet withdrew from second round due to a leg injury.
