Roger Federer Advances to Swiss Indoors Final Against Juan Martin del Potro
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) Roger Federer cruised past David Goffin 6-1, 6-2 in the Swiss Indoors semifinals on Saturday to reach an 11th straight final when playing at his hometown event.
The top-seeded Swiss will face Juan Martin del Potro on Sunday, after the fourth-seeded Argentine beat Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4.
The final is a rematch of del Potro's back-to-back Basel title wins over Federer in 2012 and '13. The 19th-ranked del Potro also beat Federer in the U.S Open quarterfinals last month.
Federer clinched victory over third-seeded Goffin on his first match point when the Belgian sent a forehand service return long.
Del Potro fired an ace to seal his seventh straight victory over the second-seeded Cilic, who won at Basel last year when Federer was injured.
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Federer is a seven-time champion at Basel and victory on Sunday will lift him into clear second place on the all-time title list in the 50-year professional era. The 36-year-old Swiss is tied on 94 with Ivan Lendl, behind Jimmy Connors who has 109.
Federer and del Potro are seeking to win a second straight tournament.
Federer also won the Shanghai Masters two weeks ago, where he beat del Potro in the semifinals.
Del Potro came to Basel direct from winning the Stockholm Open. With victory on Sunday, he will seal his place in the eight-player ATP World Tour Finals lineup in London next month.
