Federer primed for Wimbledon charge after sealing 10th Halle crown
Tennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates winning the final against Belgium's David Goffin with the trophy REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
(Reuters) - Roger Federer warmed up for next month's Wimbledon championships by swatting aside David Goffin 7-6(2) 6-1 to win the Halle Open title for the 10th time on Sunday.
The Swiss fired seven aces and broke Goffin's serve three times to down his Belgian opponent in 83 minutes for his 102nd tour-level title that moved him to within seven of Jimmy Connors' record.
It was also the 19th tour-level title on grass for the 37-year-old, who will be among the top contenders at Wimbledon as he looks to increase his Grand Slam haul of 20 trophies.
Tennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Switzerland's Roger Federer poses as he celebrates winning the final against Belgium's David Goffin with the trophy REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
"It's unbelievable. I never thought when I first played here that I would win 10 titles," Federer said.
After being dragged to three sets in two of his first three rounds in Germany, Federer looked set for another tough fight when world number 33 Goffin earned three consecutive break points at 2-2 in the opening set.
However, Goffin failed to capitalise on those chances as his opponent took the set to a tiebreak where he switched gears to take the early lead in the contest.
Tennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates winning the final against Belgium's David Goffin with the trophy REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
Federer broke quickly in the second set and did not allow Goffin back into the match, becoming become the oldest tour-level champion since a 43-year-old Ken Rosewall prevailed in Hong Kong in 1977.
Wimbledon begins on July 1 with Federer seeking a ninth title at the tournament.
Tennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates with his trophy after winning the final alongside runner up Belgium's David Goffin REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Tennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Switzerland's Roger Federer in action during the final against Belgium's David Goffin REUTERS/Leon KuegelerTennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Belgium's David Goffin in action during the final against Switzerland's Roger Federer REUTERS/Leon KuegelerTennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Switzerland's Roger Federer celebrates winning the final against Belgium's David Goffin REUTERS/Leon KuegelerTennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Belgium's David Goffin in action during the final against Switzerland's Roger Federer REUTERS/Leon KuegelerTennis - ATP 500 - Halle Open - Gerry Weber Stadion, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2019 Switzerland's Roger Federer in action during the final against Belgium's David Goffin REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
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