Ninth seed Roger Federer takes on 17th seed Jack Sock in the Men's singles semi-final of 2017 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Saturday evening.
Federer did not break a sweat to get past the quarter-final berth as his opponent Nick Kyrgios withdrew well ahead of the match with illness yesterday. On the other hand, Sock outclassed fifth seed Kei Nishikori in a three-setter (6-3, 2-6, 6-2) in his quarter-final clash.
Federer has been playing remarkably well since he came back in Melbourne after his long injury-layoff last season. The world number nine battled against odds to set up a high-octane final against his familiar foe Rafael Nadal in the title match of Australian Open and then go on to win it at the end of a thrilling five-set battle.
However, the 34-year-old suffered an early setback when he was ousted from Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the second round by unseeded Evgeny Donskoy last month but the Swiss has switched on and has been in top form in the ongoing tournament. Federer showed glimpses of his vintage self when he decimated Nadal for the second time this season in straight sets in his Round of 16 clash earlier this week.
Having beaten Sock twice last year and not having dropped a set yet in the ongoing tournament, Federer is favourite to reach his seventh final at Indian Wells. However, his 24-year-old opponent has been in good form as well having won two titles already (Delray Beach and Auckland) and has broken into the top-20 of ATP Rankings for the first time in his career.
Having had an easy passage to the last-four match, Sock, who will be raring to go and make it to the next level with a big win, will have to be at his best if he has to produce the goods against Federer.
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