BEVERLY HILLS, March 10, (THEWILL) – Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer on Wednesday marked his eagerly-awaited return to action after more than a year out in the Round of 16 clash in the ongoing Qatar Open with a best-of-three victory over British number one player Daniel Evans.
In his first match on over 13 months, or as the statistician claimed in the commentary, “in 405 days”, Federer secured a 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-5 victory over Evans.
The 39-year-old was playing competitive tennis for the first time after undergoing two right knee surgeries last year, and he was able to extend his unbeaten ATP head-to-head record against Evans to 4-0, making sure to defeat the Murray River Open champion in 11 of the 12 sets they have so far played.
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In attendance was a reduced crowd at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha due to COVID-19 restrictions. But, they were on hand to give the beloved Swiss champion a warm welcome back to Centre Court. The socially-distanced crowd were treated to a high-quality duel with Evans pushing the 20-time Grand Slam champion to the very last.
However, Federer repaid local fans for their support with a thrilling opening set, which went all the way to a tie-break. Evans proved to be tough competition for the Swiss and took the second set to convince the spectators that he was no pushover and make for a thrilling final set.
But, Federer managed to take that last one as he produced some stunning tennis from his locker to claim victory. The veteran showed great physical condition and kept his nose in front in the deciding set before pouncing in the 12th game to rifle a backhand winner down the line on his second match point.
For his next challenge, the 20-time Grand Slam champion will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
