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Federer topples Tipsarevic to reach Madrid final

Roger Federer of Switzerland throws his head band to fans after his victory over Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia at the end of their men's semi-final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament May 12, 2012. REUTERS/Susana Vera

(Reuters) – Roger Federer moved a step closer to a record-equaling 20th Masters

title when he thumped Janko Tipsarevic 6-2 6-3 at the Madrid Open on Saturday to set up a final

showdown with Tomas Berdych.

The Swiss maestro, whose 19 Masters titles put him one behind

record holder Rafa Nadal, stroked 25 winners on the blue clay of the Manolo Santana show court as he

chases a fourth title of the year that would lift him above Nadal to number two in the world.

In

breezy conditions, seventh seed Tipsarevic could not reproduce the form that helped him to a shock

quarter-final win against top seed and Serbian compatriot Novak Djokovic and has now lost all five of

his meetings with Federer.

Federer came into the tournament following a month-long rest and the

30-year-old is looking in ominous form as the world’s top players prepare for the French Open starting

in Paris later this month.

The 2009 Roland Garros and Madrid winner has won titles this year in

Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells and has only lost three times since falling to Djokovic in the U.S.

Open semi finals last September.

“I didn’t even know actually about the number two ranking,”

the 16-times grand slam singles champion, whose match was watched by Real Madrid forward Cristiano

Ronaldo, told a news conference.

“I’m focused on what I am doing here this week, trying to play

well and get on a bit of a roll and I have played better and better as the tournament went on,” he

added.

GRIPPING SLUGFEST

Berdych reached a Masters final for only the third time when he

edged out Juan Martin Del Potro 7-6 7-6 in a gripping clay court slugfest earlier on

Saturday.

The Czech sixth seed, who won the Paris Masters in 2005 and was runner-up in Miami two

years ago, produced when it counted in the tiebreaks as the powerfully-built pair, who are both just

under two meters tall, sent the ball fizzing back and forth.

Del Potro, the 10th seed, looked to

be struggling more than his opponent with the slippery surface and also clashed with the umpire over a

couple of line calls, refusing to shake his hand at the end of the match.

It was a desperately

close contest, in which both players won a total of 79 points and broke each other’s serve twice, but

Berdych managed to club 41 winners to Del Potro’s 30 and smashed down 15 aces to the Argentine’s

six.

Berdych has lost 10 of his 14 meetings with Federer, but ended his dream of Olympic singles

gold in Athens in 2004 and also knocked him out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals two years

ago.

Federer won both their matches on clay, however, at the Hamburg Masters in 2005 and the

2006 French Open.

“It’s going to be a tough match, Berdych is playing well himself and it’s

quick conditions so he can be a big threat,” Federer said.

“I hope I can play a clean match on

my serve and take it from there but he can really impose his game and that makes him a tough player to

play against.

“He got me in two very big matches in my career and I remember those losses

vividly and I always think we match up pretty well against each other because of the shot

making.”

SLICK SURFACE

Djokovic and Nadal have slammed organizers over the introduction

of blue clay for this year’s Madrid tournament, which they say creates a dangerously slick surface,

and both have threatened not to return next year unless the traditional red dirt is

reinstated.

Organizers argue that the blue courts make it easier for television viewers to

follow the yellow balls but the players’ complaints may prompt the ATP, the governing body of men’s

tennis, to switch back to red clay next year.

Nadal was beaten in the third round by Fernando

Verdasco, his first loss to his Spanish compatriot in 14 meetings and his first defeat on clay in 23

matches.

“I always say that the conditions are the same for everyone but it’s there for all to

see that’s it very difficult here,” Del Potro told a news conference.

“Afterwards the people in

charge of the tournament will decide what they are going to do next year.”

(Reporting by Iain

Rogers, editing by Alison Wildey)

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