Australian Open: Domineering Federer marches into final following Chung retirement

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Melbourne, January 26: Defending champion Roger Federer cruised into the Australian Open final when outclassed surprise package Hyeon Chung retired due to injury.

Federer dominated Chung on Rod Laver Arena, winning the first set 6-1 and breezing into a 5-2 lead in the second when the unseeded South Korean was unable to continue due to blisters on his left foot.

Second seed Federer will face Marin Cilic in the final on Sunday, a repeat of the Wimbledon decider which the 19-time grand slam champion won in straight sets last year.

Cilic on Thursday ended Kyle Edmund's dream run with an emphatic straight-sets victory. He become the first Croatian to reach the Australian Open final.

Federer, the second seed said: "In the second set I could see he was starting to get slower, fighting with the blister.

"It's bittersweet to reach the final in this way. I'm incredibly happy to be in the final, but not like this.

"I could tell something was wrong before he took the timeout [taken when Federer led 4-1]. But he has a great composure and I think we're going to see a lot more for him, top 10 for sure.

"The rest, I don't know, I don't want to put too much pressure on him. I think he's going to be a great player."

Federer beat Cilic in straight sets in the Wimbledon final last year, the Croatian reduced to tears as he also struggled with blisters, but the world number two is expecting a closer encounter at Melbourne Park.

"We saw it against Rafa [Nadal] and we saw it again last night against [Kyle] Edmund. He brings power, basically everything. He had the same problem as Chung had in the Wimbledon final," said the 36-year-old maestro.

"We will see a fresh and ready Marin this time around. He has the power, and if he's come this far he's playing well."

Source: OPTA