Federer wins Swiss Indoors, ends year as No. 1

AT THE TOP: Roger Federer with the trophy after winning the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

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New Delhi: Roger Federer will once again finish the year as world No. 1 for the fourth consecutive year after he sealed a clinical defence of his Swiss Indoors title at Basel on Sunday.

Federer beat unseeded Finn Jaarko Nieminen in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to take home his seventh trophy of the season.

He now joins Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras as the players to have ended four years as world No.1 since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973.

"It's always emotional at the end. I remember being here as a ball boy myself. I know 50 percent of the people working at the tournament," Federer said after the title triumph.

Federer lost to David Nalbandian in the Madrid Masters final last week but dropped only one set in his opening match in Basel. He won his next four matches in straight sets to make his intentions of retaining the title very clear.

The Swiss is now 7-4 in finals in 2007 and has won 52 career titles.

Meanwhile, at the St Petersburg Open on Sunday, Andy Murray had an easy outing in the final against Fernando Verdasco.

The 20-year-old Murray never let Verdasco settle as he took the first set 6-2. The script was not much different in the second set either with Murray winning the match 6-2, 6-3.

The win was Murray's third ATP title and helped him move up the rankings to 11th position.