Federer beats South Korea's Chung to reach Indian Wells semis

Swiss tennis great Roger Federer beat South Korea's Hyeon Chung 7-5, 6-1 in one hour and 23 minutes to reach the semi-finals of the Indian Wells tournament in the US, the first Masters 1000 competition of the season.

He will meet Croatia's 21-year-old Borna Coric, the world no. 49, who upset South Africa's Kevin Anderson 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) earlier on Thursday in two hours and 23 minutes to make his first Masters 1000 semi-final, reports Efe.

Chung put up a good fight in the first set despite Federer taking an early 3-0 lead, a feat the Swiss repeated in the second set, meeting with less resistance from Chung this time.

Tennis legends Pete Sampras and Rod Laver were present in the stands to watch the match.

This was the second official match between Federer and Chung, who had met in the Australian Open in January, where the South Korean retired due to foot blisters when Federer was leading 6-1, 5-2.

Federer has had an immaculate record this season and Thursday's win helped him equal his own best start to the season -- 16-0 -- achieved in 2016.

Chung is set to become the highest-ranked Asian tennis player in Monday's ATP rankings, overtaking Kei Nishikori.

--IANS

tri/bg