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 The Swiss 17-times grand slam singles champion triumphed 7-6(6)
7-6(2) to register his 23rd Masters Series title and first in China,
where strong winds caused the roof on the Stadium Court to be
closed.
The 33-year-old Federer let off a huge roar and threw both fists
into the air after a battling Simon netted a return to hand the
Swiss his fourth title of the year and the 81st of his career.
"Well, it just makes me very happy winning here because this
tournament means a lot to me," Federer told reporters.
"I've always enjoyed coming here. I've come close a couple of times,
but I've always wanted to win it as a Masters 1000.
"I feel unbelievable prestige to win this event. Especially putting
my hands on the trophy for the first time is a good feeling, I must
say. I'm very happy with the way I'm playing."
It had all begun so well for the unseeded Simon, who broke a sloppy,
error-strewn Federer in the opening game and comfortably held firm
until he felt the pressure of serving for the set at 5-4 and began
to creak.
With his first serve and accurate groundstrokes deserting him,
Federer had two break points but wasted the first with an alarmingly
high 14th unforced error only for Simon to hand him the game on the
next point after netting a backhand.
A wobbling Simon fought off two set points on his next service game
after finding his range with his first serve again to force a
tiebreak with a booming ace as he refused to buckle in search of his
first Masters Series title.
The world number 29 then had a set point of his own in the tiebreak
but Federer came up with an unreturnable first serve to snuff out
the danger before producing a near-perfect backhand winner down the
line to take the breaker 8-6.
GROIN PROBLEM
Simon, who had knocked out Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka and
sixth seed Tomas Berdych en route to the final, took a medical time
out for treatment on a suspected groin problem at the end of the set
and looked uncomfortable upon his return.
However, the Frenchman fought on admirably, digging himself out of
some early holes to hold his six service games before threatening an
unlikely break in the 11th game of the set.
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Having struggled to make an impact on the Federer serve throughout
the set he fashioned two set points out of nowhere, only to waste
both with groundstroke errors as Federer held on.
The Swiss then stepped it up in the breaker, firing some big serves
and stunning winners to fashion four championship points with Simon
folding on the first.
"He was just more opportunistic," Simon said. "We had a close match.
I had a set point in the first, two in the second.
"It's just a few points deciding it, and he was always really good
on these points. He played some great shots.
"He's putting a lot of pressure. He's always showing you that he is
ready to be really aggressive on every shot. So he keeps you under
pressure."
Federer, who will move above Rafa Nadal into second spot in the
world rankings when they are updated on Monday, has now won seven of
the nine different Masters Series events with only the clay court
Monte Carlo and Rome tournaments eluding him.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore and Sudipto Ganguly in
Mumbai; Editing by Ed Osmond)
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