Georgia’s No. 1 tennis player Basilashvili defeats Swiss legend Federer
Nikoloz Basilashvili, 29, played with consistent aggression from the baseline to rush Roger Federer and earn a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory. Photo: David Gray/ATP Tour Agenda.ge, 11 Mar 2021 - 22:03, Tbilisi,Georgia
Georgia’s top tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili has made history by defeating the 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha today.
Basilashvili, 29, played with consistent aggression from the baseline to rush Federer and earn a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory.
???????? Nikoloz Basilashvili is semi-final bound in Doha.
He saves a match point & defeats Roger Federer 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. pic.twitter.com/M6xqHVeKnV
Swiss discusses three-set win against Evans
When Roger Federer stepped onto Centre Court on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, the Swiss ended his 405-day absence from professional tennis.
During those 405 days, the sport has had to adapt to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and Federer himself has been forced to recover from two right knee surgeries. Despite all the changes, one thing remained the same in Federer’s three-set win against Daniel Evans. Under pressure, he found his best tennis.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion saved a set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break and escaped two break points at 3-3 in the decider. According to his opponent, Federer found his best level in the final games of the match to improve to 27-3 in Doha.
Roger Federer s Return Ended As Nikoloz Basilashvili Saves MP In Doha | ATP Tour atptour.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from atptour.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Harris stuns Wawrinka as Evans looks to ‘trouble’ Federer in Doha
10 Mar 2021 - 9:36
Lloyd Harris of South Africa celebrates a match point during his round one match against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland on Day 2 of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2021 at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, yesterday.
Fawad Hussain/ The Peninsula
South African qualifier Lloyd Harris yesterday pulled off the first big upset at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, shocking seventh seeded Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (3), 6-7 (6), 7-5, yesterday.
The two battled out for two hours and 41 minutes at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex last night before the 24-year-old emerged victorious against the World No.20.