Federer captures Halle crown

MANILA, Philippines – Roger Federer clinched his first title of the season before the start of his Wimbledon defense. Federer battled back from a set down to beat Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny and win the Halle Open on Sunday. The world number three, who has now won the Wimbledon warm-up event on grass six times, needed to dig deep for his 77th career title and extend his head-to-head with Youzhny to an impressive 15-0. Federer has now beaten Youzhny five times at Halle since 2002. -- Mornings @ ANC, June 17, 2013