DUBAI: World number one Roger Federer scored his 15th win in 16 matches this year and moved to within one victory of becoming the first man to retain the title when he overcame Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets in the Dubai Open on Saturday.
But the 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 scoreline was misleading. Federer, who faces Spain's Feliciano Lopez in the final, had all sorts of problems with the left-handed Finn in the first set, losing his early break of serve, needing to serve to save the set, and eventually having to save three set points in the tie-break.
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