Roger Federer eased into the final of the Gerry Weber Open on Saturday as he brushed aside Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-1 6-4.
Swiss master outclasses Youzhny in Gerry Weber semi-final
Five-time champion Roger Federer eased into the final of the Gerry Weber Open on Saturday as he brushed aside Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-1 6-4.
Federer was utterly untroubled in the first set and raced through it in just 21 minutes as he twice broke his opponent.
The 16-time grand slam winner looked on course to record a similar scoreline in the second as two more breaks saw him serving for the match at 5-2.
However, Youzhny mustered some late resistence and broke back to delay the inevitable.
Federer missed match points in the next as the Russian held on to his serve grimly, but it proved only temporary respite as the Swiss master got over the line on his own delivery with ace.
He claimed that saving three break points in the fifth game of the opening set was vital to his ultimately comfortable win.
"The key for me was coming back from 0-40 then holding that and going 4-1," said the 30-year-old.
"That was a big 10 minutes for me and then, once in the lead, I played a bit more aggressive and he was missing quite a few shots, making it easier for me.
"Overall, I think I played a good tough solid match, especially after yesterday's shoot-out (against Milos Raonic)".
Federer will now face veteran Tommy Haas, who defeated fellow German and defending champion Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 7-5.
Haas, victorious here in 2009 but appearing as a wildcard this year, took the first set 7-5 in the tie-break and then gained a crucial break in the 11th game of the second to go through in an hour and 34 minutes.
