Nalbandian surprises Federer to reach final
Sixth seed David Nalbandian sprung a surprise when he beat local favourite Roger Federer 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 to set up an all-Latin American final with Fernando Gonzalez at the Swiss Indoors on Saturday.
Playing muscular and aggressive tennis, the Argentine disappointed the Swiss public by forcing his way through to meet seventh seed Gonzalez of Chile, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 winner over second seed Juan Carlos Ferrero in the opening semi-final.
The 22-year-old Gonzalez, mixing hard hitting with subtlety at the net, reached the first indoor final of his career.
Nalbandian's run to the final ended a poor run of results since he became a surprise runner-up to world number one Australian Lleyton Hewitt at Wimbledon in July.
"It was tough and very close today but I played well and I returned well," said Nalbandian, who beat top seed and defending champion Tim Henman in the previous round.
"In the second set, I was a set down and a break down but I was able to play my way back. When I broke again, from then on, I played well.
"There was not one key moment or period in this match for anyone and I think it was a great match by both players. My game was strong and I was able to volley well and play well from the baseline and also get to the net."
Nalbandian, who has risen from 70th in the 2001 ATP Champions Race to 15th this year, added that he was looking forward to meeting Gonzalez in the final because it would be "a real South American affair."
But Nalbandian's success was not what the Swiss public came to see.
They packed in to cheer Basel-born Federer's bid to reach his third successive final in the hope that this time it would be third time lucky and he would lift his first Swiss Indoors final. Last year he was beaten by Henman and in 2000 he lost to Thomas Enqvist of Sweden.
MEDICAL ATTENTION
But Federer's form deserted him and, upset by a blister on the second toe of his right foot that required medical attention twice during the match, he slipped to defeat.
The first set produced one break of serve by each player before it went to a tiebreak in which Federer ran out victorious 7-2.
He began the second set crisply, breaking in the second game when Nalbandian netted after a long rally at 30-40, but could not maintain his momentum.
The Swiss was rolled over by the Argentine's beefy strength in the sixth game, a cross-court forehand on break point at 30-40 bringing Nalbandian the break he sought.
Federer broken again in the 12th game by a crashing backhand cross-court volley that levelled the match at 1-1.
With Federer troubled by his toe, Nalbandian managed to gain the advantage in the decider and clinched the match on his first match point when the Swiss sailed a return long.
Nalbandian became the first Argentine to reach the Basel final since Guillermo Vilas won it in 1978.
Gonzalez, one of the most improved players of the last year, produced big shots when they mattered to wear down Ferrero in the other semi.
"He was very aggressive and he returned (serve) very well. I have played him a lot since we were juniors and I don't know of any other player who hits the ball harder," said Ferrero.
Ferrero, fourth in the Champions Race at the start of the week, will need to avoid defeat in the opening round of next week's Paris Masters tournament to consolidate his claims for an automatic qualifying place for the end-of-season showpiece Masters Cup tournament in Shanghai.
