• ATP Swiss Indoors

Federer scrapes into semi-finals in Basel

ESPN staff
October 25, 2013
Federer is smiling again © Getty Images
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It was by no means routine, but Roger Federer sent the home crowd wild in Basel with a 6-3 7-6(2) victory over Grigor Dimitrov to book a spot in the semi-finals of the ATP Swiss Indoors.

The 32-year-old found the kind of form that has often eluded him in a difficult season and saved three straight set points against the 22-year-old Dimitrov when trailing 5-3 in the second set.

Federer, ranked sixth, was never threatened in the tie-breaker against No. 22 Dimitrov, who won his first career title last week in Stockholm.

Earlier, top-seed and defending champion Juan Martin Del Potro used his dominating serve to join Federer in the final four with a 6-4 6-4 victory over qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu.

The Argentinean had 11 aces and never faced a break point against the 101st-ranked Frenchman.

Del Potro will now face world No. 65 Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who needed three sets to get past Germany's Daniel Brands, ranked 58th, 6-3 4-6 6-3.

Vasek Pospisil edged world No. 29 Ivan Dodig 7-6(11) 6-4 in an epic tussle that lasted almost two hours. The Canadian, ranked 40th, will face Federer / Dimitrov next.

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