HOUSTON, Nov 21: Top-ranked defending champion Roger Federer outlasted Marat Safin in a tie-breaker that matched the longest in singles history before taking a 6-3, 7-6 (20-18) victory here on Saturday to reach the ATP Masters Cup final.
The 23-year-old Swiss star advanced to final against Australia's third-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, who scored the final 20 points to humiliate Andy Roddick 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal here at the season-ending event.
The thrilling decider equaled the record since tie-breakers were adopted in 1970, set when Sweden's Bjorn Borg beat India's Premjit Lall 6-3, 6-4, 9-8 (20-18) in the first round at Wimbledon.
Triple Grand Slam winner Federer won his 16th match in a row and 22nd consecutive triumph over a top-10 rival, the 23-year-old Swiss star fighting off a second-set comeback bid by Safin to win in 1hr 47min.
Federer fended off six set points for Safin in the tie-breaker and finally ended the tension-packed drama after the Russian double faulted on the penultimate point and then fired a forehand beyond the baseline.
The finalists have split 14 prior matches, but Federer ousted the Aussie this year in the Australian Open fourth round, Wimbledon quarterfinals and US Open final, also winning a Hamburg semifinal and round-robin match here.
Hewitt's devastating performance humbled the second-ranked American, who had made an unbeaten run through his round-robin group, and gave him a chance at his third Masters Cup title in four years.
Roddick, who won a tour-best 74 matches this year, was obliterated without even managing a break point after not losing a set through his first three matches at the season-ending event.
