Federer downs Hewitt

Federer was in inspired form against Hewitt Keystone

Rising Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has pulled off one of the greatest wins of his career, beating world number one Lleyton Hewitt in the semi-finals at Key Biscayne.

Federer, who is seeded 12th at the prestigious Miami tournament, had surprisingly little difficulty in Friday’s semi-final encounter, seeing off the Australian in straight sets (6-3, 6-4).

The Swiss, who has yet to lose his serve or a set in the tournament, hit 29 winners during the match. He also mixed his game up, attacking the net and generally playing the big points well.

“I’ve never been beaten the number one player before,” he said. “It’s quite a special moment for me, obviously.”

The victory sees Federer through to his first ever Masters Series final where he will come up against another well-known opponent, American ninth seed Andre Agassi.

Agassi, a four-time winner of the tournament, made it through to his seventh Key Biscayne final after Chile’s Marcelo Rios abandoned the match because of recurrent knee tendinitis, with the semi-final tied after two sets.

Federer has failed to win either of his two previous encounters with the American, most recently losing in straight sets in last year’s US Open. However, the 20-year-old said he was feeling confident and looking forward to Sunday’s final.

“My serve’s going well, I’m mixing up my shots and I’ve played good tactical matches against different opponents,” he said. “But I’m going to have to come up with something special against Andre, otherwise it’s going to be very difficult.”

The Key Biscayne tournament is regarded as the most important tennis tournament on the world tour outside of the four Grand Slam events.

swissinfo