Much Left to Learn for Younger Version of Federer Sports thrive on a good master-apprentice tale, and the story gets even better when the apprentice finds a way to snatch the stone from the master's hand and finishes off the upset. But even against a diminished Roger Federer, Grigor Dimitrov - long called Baby Fed - was not ready to deliver a changing of the guard or even a third set on Friday. In their first, much-anticipated meeting, Federer won, 6-3, 7-6 (2), in the quarterfinals of his hometown tournament in Basel, Switzerland. That put a smile on Federer's face near the end of a most unamusing season in which he has slipped out of the Big Four to No. 6 in this week's rankings. But this choppy match - as the 32-year-old Federer has played more than long enough to know - was also one that Dimitrov squandered. Fresh off his first ATP tournament victory but perhaps not so fresh in general, Dimitrov, a 22-year-old Bulgarian, had Federer at 0-40 in his first service game but failed to capitalize. Dimitrov had a 5-3 lead in the second set and again failed to convert with a 0-40 lead on Federer's serve before blowing a retreating overhead to lose his own serve at 5-4. In all, Dimitrov converted on just one of 10 break points, which was, come to think of it, yet another parallel with Federer, considering the rate at which he has been squandering opportunities in 2013. Neither Dimitrov nor Federer seems fond of the Baby Fed label, which is a tribute to the stylistic similarities - flowing one-handed backhand and airborne forehand included - but also a reflection of the anticipation that has long enveloped Dimitrov, who turned professional in 2008. His romantic relationship with Maria Sharapova has hardly lowered his profile, and she has been traveling with him in Europe this fall as she recovers from her latest shoulder problem. Earlier this year, the French sports newspaper L"Équipe projected its top 5 in the rankings for May 2018 and had Dimitrov at No. For now, he will have to settle for No. 22, with one tournament victory to Federer's 77. He remains well off Federer's early-career pace in a top-heavy era in which maturity, particularly physical maturity, has repeatedly trumped precocious talent. At age 22, Federer already had won 3 of his 17 Grand Slam singles titles and reached No. 1 in the real rankings. Dimitrov, who turned 22 in May, has yet to get past the third round in a Grand Slam tournament, which partly explains why he keeps shuffling his coaching arrangements, hiring the veteran Australian Roger Rasheed - for whom fitness is a forte - on a three-tournament trial basis this fall. So far, so promising, after Dimitrov's victory in Stockholm, which included a victory over David Ferrer on a quick court in the final. And yet so far to go for a man with a nickname that is part compliment, part lead weight. "I hope people don't call him Baby Fed so often anymore," Federer told Swiss reporters after his victory on Friday. At first it's funny, but it gets annoying. Darren Cahill, the veteran coach and analyst, did what he could to freshen up the inevitable comparisons on his Twitter feed Friday. "I've been waiting for you Federer," Cahill wrote. We meet at last. The circle is now complete. When I left I was but the learner. Now I am the Challenger. He stuck with the "Star Wars" theme later: "No Grigor ... I am your Father. Cahill's conclusion? You underestimate the power of the RF side. Cahill was still chuckling in a telephone interview shortly after the match. "I'm sure Grigor doesn't like it that much, and I'm sure Fed has a bit of a wry smile about it, but the comparisons are there," Cahill said, emphasizing the stroke mechanics. So I don't think it's bad for the public to make those comparisons. In the end, it's going to be up to Grigor to step out of those shoes and step into his own shoes, and I think he's on the way to doing that. He's a good kid, a really down-to-earth kid. He's got the right intentions. He's working extremely hard. He knows physically he has to get a lot stronger and a lot better because the wear and tear of the circuit can get to him, and he has trouble playing over five sets. Cahill, a friend and countryman of Rasheed, likes that hire, but he said it could take two to three years for Dimitrov to lay the physical foundation necessary to produce consistent excellence. "That will take time," Cahill said. And as time goes along and he starts putting himself into the second week of major tournaments, I think you'll find those comparisons will go away, and he'll start to become his own man. But we were just having a little fun today. Federer had some fun of his own. Although he was still not back to playing with the consistency, confidence and seemingly sweat-free grace that was once his hallmark, he was smooth enough under pressure to remain the master on Friday.