Roger Federer holds off Jeremy Chardy in three sets on Saturday in Brisbane. A blockbuster final showdown between veterans is in the cards, as Lleyton Hewitt also advances with a three-set win over Kei Nishikori.
(1) Roger Federer d. Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3
Federer fired 20 aces and saved the only break point he faced to beat Chardy in one hour and 56 minutes during semifinal action at the Brisbane International on Saturday. The top seed dropped his first set of the week in the middle frame of play, but he cracked eight aces in the third and served at 65 percent in the decider while Chardy put in a horrendous 36 percent of his first deliveries over the final nine games.
“It’s been a good week so far, and I hope can play a good finals tomorrow,” Federer noted. “I look forward to that final with Lleyton (Hewitt). We know each other very well, so both of us will find our groove and know what to expect from one another.”
Lleyton Hewitt d. (2) Kei Nishikori 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Hewitt battled back from a set deficit and treated the home Australian crowd to a hard-fought victory after two hours and 30 minutes. Nishikori led by a set and had multiple break points at 4-4 in the second, but it went downhill from there for the No. 2 seed when he could not convert. Hewitt broke for the set at 5-4 and broke again at 1-0 in the third to seize complete control.
“Obviously you come off a couple months not playing any matches, so it’s good just to get that self-belief and match toughness back and to beat quality players match after match,” said Hewitt. “The last three days I’ve had to do it back-to-back as well.”
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