Saturday 20 June 2015 16:26, UK
Roger Federer won through to his 10th final at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle after beating Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) and will play Italy's Andreas Seppi in Sunday's final.
The Swiss, who has won the German title seven times, needed two tie-breaks to claim a 13th win in 14 meetings with Karlovic.
Federer will face Seppi in the final after second-seeded Japanese Kei Nishikori was forced to retire injured 4-1 down in the opening set of the second last-four clash of the day.
Croat Karlovic, who stands 6ft 11in tall, had battered down 45 aces in his quarter-final victory against Czech Tomas Berdych on Friday - eclipsing the previous ATP three-set record - but here he managed a mere 21.
"It is always difficult to play against Ivo but the important thing was that I remained calm," Federer said.
"I was very lucky in the first set and so I'm all the more delighted to be in the final again."
Both players held serve until Federer made a mini-break to go 4-3 up in the first tie-breaker; the world No 2 did not waste the opening, taking the first set on Karlovic's double-fault.
Federer saved the only break point he faced at 2-1 in the second before - after another attritional set a mini-break put Federer 3-2 up in the second tie-break, but Karlovic responded for 3-3.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion correctly challenged a call that would have put the eighth-seeded Croat in front and secured another mini-break when Karlovic hit a return to the net; Federer wrapped it up in 88 minutes.
Federer is chasing a 15th title on grass as he warms up for Wimbledon, which begins on June 29.
Seppi, the world No 45 who last won a title in 2012, was in control of the first set of his match against Nishikori when the Japanese succumbed to an apparent calf problem.
