Federer aims for rare double at Halle, Dimitrov on the verge of third title of the year at Queen's

Roger Federer

Roger Federer remains on course for a record seventh singles title at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle after winning his semifinal match against Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-6(4).

Federer had lost his last two matches against the upcoming Japanese player – both in three sets – after his only win at Basel in 2012. He will face Alejandro Falla of Columbia in the final. Falla earlier downed the German hopes by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-4.

Federer further boosted his chances of leaving Halle as the champion by reaching the doubles final too. In tandem with compatriot Marco Chiudinelli, Federer reached the final by defeating another wild-card team of Dustin Brown and Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals. If he wins this final, it would just be his second doubles title, while he already possesses 78 singles titles.

This grass season could be a crucial one for Federer. He has now regained some lost form and has swept aside ill memories from 2013 with a better season so far. Regaining the Wimbledon title would not only help him get past the record of seven titles he currently shares with Sampras, but will also add a lot to his confidence to carry on his endeavour to be the best the game has ever seen.

Grigor Dimitrov

Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov reached the final at Queen’s Club when he defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals. This will be the Bulgarian’s grasscourt final. By winning this, he could win his third title of the year on a third different surface.

Standing in Dimitrov’s path will be Feliciano Lopez. The southpaw downed veteran Radek Stepanek 7-6(7), 6-4 in the other semifinal. Lopez is an accomplished grasscourter and is looking for his second title on the surface.