Roger Federer dominates Alex De Minaur to win 10th Swiss Indoors title
Switzerland’s Roger Federer cheers after winning his tenth title at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday Oct. 27, 2019. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP)
BASEL, Switzerland — Roger Federer won his hometown Swiss Indoors title for the 10th time by dominating Alex de Minaur in a 6-2, 6-2 victory on Sunday.
The 38-year-old Federer put on a tennis clinic in his first match against the 20-year-old Australian, who was not born when the Swiss great turned professional and first played at Basel in 1998.
Mixing speeds and angles with powerful ground strokes, Federer clinched on his first match point when De Minaur sent a forehand wide.
Federer’s 10th Basel title was one of his most efficient. He did not drop a set in four matches played, and was never pushed to a tiebreaker.
“I was really hoping that Roger was going to get sick of winning here and give someone else a chance,” De Minaur said during the trophy ceremony. “Too good again, that was amazing.”
Sunday’s final took just 68 minutes, and Federer’s longest match all week lasted 79 minutes.
“It was fast but very nice. I think I played a great match,” Federer said. “I was great on the offense, made very few unforced errors and came up with the big shots and served well when I had to.”
Federer’s fourth title in 2019 is the 103rd of his career. De Minaur has 100 fewer titles and won all three previous finals he played this season.
Praising his 28th-ranked opponent, Federer predicted “so many more things to come for you. You are going up from here.”
Federer forced the first break of service leading 2-1 in the first set, though only after De Minaur saved one chance in a 39-shot rally. It ended when Federer pushed a backhand wide.
Federer clinched the break by finishing the next point with a clinical overhead crosscourt volley for a winner.
He forced two set points on his opponent’s serve and took the second when De Minaur netted a forehand.
Federer also broke De Minaur’s next service game in the second set, taking his third break chance. A forehand passing shot from behind the baseline left De Minaur at the net.
De Minaur earned some respite saving another break chance at 4-1, and even put rare pressure on Federer’s serve at 0-30 in the next game. Federer quickly took back control with a backhand half-volley passing shot.
Federer extended his winning streak to 24 matches on Basel’s center court at St. Jakobhalle, where he has not lost since the 2013 final against Juan Martin del Potro.
Federer is also a 10-time winner at the grass-court event at Halle, Germany.
