Four days after playing at the helipad of the Burj Ar Arab hotel, Roger Federer and Andre Agassi were the opponents in the semi-final of the ATP event in Dubai in 2005. It was their ninth duel, and Federer delivered his sixth consecutive victory.
Roger stormed over Andre in 52 minutes, earning a 6-3, 6-1 triumph and sailing into the title clash, his third in a row in Dubai. Roger arrived in Dubai after winning the title in Rotterdam, struggling to adapt to different conditions early on.
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The Swiss beat Ivo Minar and Juan Carlos Ferrero in the deciding set tie break, saving two match points against the Spaniard. Roger played better against Mikhail Youzhny in the quarter-final and found the perfect rhythm against the American veteran.
Federer dropped 15 points in eight service games and fended off all three break chances to mount the pressure on the other side. Agassi was far from those numbers, giving away half of the points in his games and suffering four breaks to propel Federer into the title match in no time.
Roger Federer defeated Andre Agassi in 52 minutes in Dubai 2005.
The Swiss had around 20 winners and forced that many mistakes from the American. Agassi barely hit a winner, struggling to find an open space and staying far behind in the shortest and mid-range exchanges.
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Federer held in the encounter’s opening game with a forehand down the line winner, and Agassi also produced an excellent opening service game to level the score at 1-1. He created a break chance in the third game following Federer’s loose forehand.
The Swiss saved it with a booming serve to avoid an early setback and fired a service winner in game five to remain 3-2 in front. Andre was there to fight in the opening six games, producing another fine hold to level the score at 3-3.
However, he would win only one of the next ten games by the end of the encounter! Roger held at love to move 4-3 up and grabbed a break at love with a backhand down the line winner in the next one. He gained a boost and secured the opener with a forehand winner in game nine for 6-3.
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A forehand down the line winner clinched an early break for the defending champion in set number two. He repelled two break chances in the second game to confirm the advantage and earned another break in game three after a lob winner behind the back from an incredible position.
Marching toward the finish line, Federer held at 15 in game four with a well-constructed attack and landed a service winner that sent him 5-1 in front. Roger sealed the deal with a break at love a few minutes later following Andre’s double fault. It was the American’s last shot played in Dubai, retiring at the US Open later that year.
