Roger Federer saw off Serbia’s Novak Djokovic to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.
Federer, 32, took advantage of a rain delay to fight back and claim an impressive 3-6 6-3 6-2 victory in one hour and 45 minutes.
He turned a rather dull opening set around with the consistency of his aggressive play on his way to clinching a rare win.
“I think I was able to play a bit more aggressively as the match went on,” Federer is quoted as saying on the ATP Tour’s official website.
“I knew I was in a bit of trouble (after the first set) and not looking good at all, because he has a tendency to really run with it and play more freely on your serve. He plays very dangerous.
“It was just a matter of trying to play consistent but remain aggressive – sometimes being overly aggressive to see if it works.
“Then I started to serve very well, something I haven’t been able to do really this week yet. I knew to have a chance (against Djokovic), I needed to serve well, so I’m just very happy I was able to deliver that.”
The win was the Swiss’ first over the world number two since 2012, extending his career head-to-head advantage against Djokovic to 17-15.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion will meet Argentina’s Tomas Berdych, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5 7-5, in the final. Both pair met in last year’s final, in which Federer emerged victorious.
