Top seed Roger Federer takes on third seed David Goffin in the men's singles semi-final of Basel Open, also known as Swiss Indoors, on Saturday, October 28.

Seven-time champion Federer is eyeing a spot in his 13th final in Basel. The 36-year-old proved his hunger when he came back from a set down to overcome a tricky threat from Adrian Mannarino 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in an hour and 43 minute-long quarter-final on Friday (October 27).

Federer, who eased past Frances Tiafoe and Benoit Paire, was rolled over in the first set, but the Swiss legend, backed by the home crowd, made a strong comeback in the second set. The 19-time Grand Slam champion even saved a couple of break points in the decider to book a spot in the semi-final.

Federer revealed he was happy with the way he fought back against the aggressive left-hander in Mannarino yesterday. What looked easy on paper proved tricky but the veteran was upto the challenge.

"Today [Friday] was a battle. I had to somehow dig in and fight and sometimes these wins are more rewarding than just leading from the get-go and dominating throughout and bringing it home," Federer said after his quarter-final win.

He added: "These are better matches to win sometimes, actually. I just had a tough time really getting into it and he was rock solid, so he deserved that first set, but the reaction from me was really important."

Roger Federer
Federer will have the backing of the home crowd on SaturdayFABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Federer has more reasons to be confident ahead of his semi-final clash as he has beaten Goffin in all their five meetings in the past, three of them coming on hard court.

Goffin, the world number 10, was in good form in the run-up to the ongoing Masters 500 tournament with titles in Shenzhen and Tokyo. However, the 27-year-old faces a tough challenge against Federer, who has lost only four matches in what has been a dream season for him.

When does the semi-final start and how to watch it live

The semi-final between Roger Federer and David Goffin will start at 7:30pm IST, 2pm GMT.

Live streaming and TV coverage

India: TV: SONY ESPN. Live streaming: Sony LIV

UK: TV: Sky Sports Action. Live streaming: Sky Go

USA: TV: Tennis Channel. Live streaming: Tennis Channel

Australia: TV: ESPN. Live streaming: Watch ESPN

Also Read