GSTAAD, Switzerland, 13 July 2003 — Newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Roger Federer clinched his place in the final of the Swiss Open for the first time yesterday when he overcame tough second set resistance by fourth-seeded Argentine Gaston Gaudio to win 6-1, 7-6 (8-6).
Federer, Switzerland’s hero after his Wimbledon win, will meet third seed Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, the 2001 Swiss champion, in today’s final.
Federer, 21, whose Wimbledon triumph took him to the top of the ATP Champions Race, cruised through the first set with some excellent serving on the outdoor clay court, but struggled in the second when Gaudio fought boldly to survive. Federer completed his 16th straight win since April 4.
Novak clinched his place in the final when he beat compatriot Radek Stepanek, the eighth seed, 7-5, 6-1 earlier in the day.
Zabaleta Upsets
Top Seed Moya
In Bastad, Sweden, Argentine fifth seed Mariano Zabaleta reached the Swedish Open final with a surprise 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Spanish top seed and defending champion Carlos Moya yesterday.
Zabaleta will meet sixth seed Nicolas Lapentti in the final after the Ecuadorian defeated second seed Tommy Robredo, another Spaniard, 6-4, 6-2.
Zabaleta and Moya both struggled in windy conditions, but the Argentine proved stronger in the deciding set when he broke to lead 2-1 and held serve to clinch the match. Moya had several chances to break back but Zabaleta kept his cool, causing the normally mild-mannered Spaniard to throw his racket in anger during the eighth game.
Lapentti looked surprisingly fresh despite taking nearly three hours to overcome Spanish youngster Rafael Nadal on Friday.
