Roger Federer may no longer lord it over the grass courts of Wimbledon quite as he once did, but his presence on the last day of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle remains as predictable as ever. A 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) victory over Ivo Karlovic, the big-serving Croatian, secured his passage to a 10th final at an event where he has lifted the trophy seven times.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Federer struggled to fashion opportunities against the serve of an opponent who earlier in the week set an ATP Tour record for a three-set match by slamming down 45 aces against the third seed, Tomas Berdych.