Top seed Roger Federer takes on fourth seed Nick Kyrgios of Australia in the men's singles semi-final of Mercedes Cup, a grass-court tournament in Stuttgart on Saturday, June 16.
When is the Federer semi-final starting and how to watch it live
The second semi-final of Stuttgart Open will start at 4 pm local time, 7:30 pm IST and 3 pm BST.
There is no television coverage of the match in India.
- Live stream will be available on Tennis TV and ATP's official website.
- In the United States, Tennis Channel will provide live coverage.
Is Federer the favourite to progress to the final
20-time Grand Slam champion Federer is a win away from dethroning Rafael Nadal from the top of ATP rankings. However, he is expected to face a tough test against mercurial Kyrgios, who has the ammunition to challenge the best in business.
Federer had headed into in the Mercedes Cup after skipping the clay-court season for the second successive year. He failed to defend his Sunshine Double as well and faced a shock early exit in Miami.
However, the 36-year-old, unlike last year where he was beaten in the first round, was able to shake off rustiness in the second-round outing against Mischa Zverev. He came back well after going down in the first set to pip the German in three sets.
Federer continued his good run beating Guido Pella of Argentina in straight sets on Friday to set up his fourth career meeting with the 24th-ranked Australian.
Another marathon on cards?
On the other hand, Kyrgios, who has overcome some long-standing elbow injuries, will be hoping to clinch his second win against Federer. The Australian had won their first meeting — Madrid Open R32 in 2015, which turned out to be a three-set marathon.
Their latest meeting, another marathon in Miami last year, ended in Federer's favour. The two will be facing each for the first time on the grass on Saturday.
The Swiss ace starts as the favourite, given his dominance on grass over the years. While both Federer and Kyrgios impeccable serving and returning abilities, the former might have the upper-hand when it comes to forecourt play on one of his favourite surfaces.
The winner will take on the winner of the first semi-final between second seed Lucas Pouille and seventh seed Milos Raonic on Sunday.
