ATP Doha: Roger Federer wins comeback match against Dan Evans
Roger Federer won in the round of 16 of the ATP 250 event against Dan Evans in three hard-fought sets and thus made a successful comeback. The Swiss will now face the Georgian Nikoloz Bashiashvili . Here you can read the match in the live ticker!
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Mar 10, 2021, 06:49 pm
405. A number that many tennis fans will remember very painfully. It has been just as many days since Roger Federer played his last match on the ATP tour. The world number six had not played an official match after the Australian Open 2020, had skipped the first three Grand Slams after the restart of the tour after his knee surgery last year - and has now chosen Doha as the place to return.
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For the Swiss there was a very tricky opening hurdle to overcome, as he had to deal with the Briton Dan Evans, who was only able to celebrate his first title on the ATP tour at the start of the year. However, Federer started well and was as strong as a bear, especially when serving on his own. With the forehand, however, the sixth in the world ranked very often made mistakes.
Federer gets set one in the tiebreak
Accordingly, there were few chances for the setbacks to report in this first round. The logical consequence: a tie-break had to bring the decision. In this, Federer managed the first mini-break, but Dan Evans stepped to change sides with a 4-2 lead in the back. However, Federer showed his whole routine, managed the re-mini-break and even fended off a set ball with a wonderful inside-out forehand winner with a score of 5: 6.
In this lively back and forth it was finally the 20-time Grand Slam champion who had a sensational backhand pass ball ready at 9: 8 and thus secured the first round. The world number six took all the momentum into the second set, had the opportunity to break the game's first break in the first game, but missed his chance.
In the quarterfinals against Bashiashvili
That should lead to a small break in this game. Dan Evans found his way into the match better, grabbed the first break of the match and after a number of successful debut games, he equalized 6: 3. There was still a game on the knife edge. Almost every game had to be decided about the debut, time and again the servers had to withstand a lot of pressure.
It was particularly nerve-wracking with the score of 4: 5 from Dan Evans' point of view: Roger Federer really increased the pace in this game and benefited at 0:30 from an extremely unlucky net-off ball from the Briton. A highly exciting game developed in which Evans was able to fend off a match point with serve-and-volley and finally set it to 5: 5.
When the score was 5: 6, Evans had to serve again against the loss of the match. A pressure that the Briton should not live up to again. The 30-year-old made too many mistakes and had to accept the break - and with it the loss of the match. Roger Federer has successfully returned to the ATP tour. In the quarter-finals, Federer will now face Georgian Nikoloz Bashiashvili, who won against Tunisian Malek Jaziri in two sets. The number one of the tournament, Dominic Thiem, had already bought his quarter-final ticket earlier on Wednesday.
Here you can read the match in the live ticker!