Del Potro stuns Federer to win Basel title

Reuters: Juan Martin del Potro, beaten in his six previous meetings with Roger Federer this year, turned the tables on the world number one to win a memorable Basel ATP final on Sunday.

Two of the three sets went to tiebreaks with the towering Argentine eventually winning 6-4 6-7 7-6 to claim his second title in a row following his win in Vienna one week ago and his fourth of the year.

The two were meeting for the first time since their epic Olympic Games semi-final when Federer eventually won in a 36-game final set.

There was no quarter given this time, either, in a match featuring long baseline rallies peppered with some stunning winners from both players.

Del Potro also lost to Federer in the quarter-finals of the Australian and French Opens, the Rotterdam final, the Indian Wells quarter-final and the Dubai semi-finals this year.

“My serve worked, my forehand worked. It was really close, but this time in my favour, finally, after six losses and two big losses at the Olympic Games and Roland Garros,” world number eight Del Potro told reporters.