David Goffin became the first Belgian player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals final by defeating world number two Roger Federer for the first time in his career in seven games, 2-6, 6-3 and 6-4.
Goffin, surprising finalist, winner already in the first day of the world number one, the Spanish Rafael Nadal, won in one hour and 45 minutes. He will face the winner of the other semifinal between the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, with whom he has an unfavorable balance of 4-1, and the American Jack Sock, with a positive 3-0.
Placed in seventh place in the world rankings earlier this week, if Dimitrov then loses to Sock in the other semi-final, and Goffin ends up winning the title, the Belgian would finish the season fourth in the world.
Goffin, with four titles to his name and two this year in Shenzhen and Tokyo, and after sustaining a serious injury at Roland Garros after tripping and getting entangled in the protective tarpaulins at the bottom of the track, chose the best place to finish off the six-game losing streak against Federer, who had only managed to snatch two sets from him until this Saturday.
The Belgian still remembered the last antecedent in the Basel semifinals almost three weeks ago with the Swiss victory 6-1 and 6-2.
Federer opted to contest the final of the Masters for the eleventh time, although he has only fought in it ten times, since in 2014 he also achieved that last instance, but his back problems, with the final of the Davis Cup the following week , they forced him to renounce her, against the Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Not even the day of rest on Friday that the Swiss enjoyed saved him from defeat. Goffin played on Wednesday, when he conceded a resounding defeat against Dimitrov (6-0, 6-2) and then on Friday, when he beat Austrian Dominic Thiem (6-4, 6-1). Federer had not played since Thursday, when he beat German Alexander Zverev (6-7, 6-4 and 6-1)
The six-time winner of the ATP Finals from Basel came within two victories to win the Masters for the seventh time. His last loss in this tournament was in the final two years ago against Djokovic.
The defeat this Saturday means that Nadal will finish the season with a cushion of 1,040 points of advantage over Federer, in second place.
With the British actor Ian McKellen, the famous Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings, in one of the boxes at the O2, and the Canadian player Denis Shapovalov, who on Sunday will receive the ATP award for progress of the year, Goffin played his best match of the year, and perhaps his career.
And that he lost the first set in 33 minutes when he gave up his serve in the first and fifth games. Federer played calm and without nerves and his blows seemed to undermine the morale of the Belgian.
But starting in the second set, Goffin began to grease his guns. His serve did not fail more throughout the game, and ended up breaking Federer twice, and relying on himself. Especially in the last game, when his pulse could have trembled, and yet he scored two direct aces (7 in total) and a winning serve with which he raised his arms.
Federer finished with three double faults, and a low first serve percentage of 61 percent. He made only two breaks out of 11 possible, and made 36 unforced errors, too many against the new teacher Goffin, a rookie in the ATP Finals who this Sunday will fight for the most important title of his career. EFE.