Federer v Dimitrov in dream Rotterdam final

World No1. Roger Federer delivered another polished performance to beat Andreas Seppi in straight sets in the semifinal of the ATP World Tour event in Rotterdam.

The Swiss will play world No.5 Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday’s final, bidding to win a 97th career tournament.

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“I felt OK today, maybe a bit heavy on court but I was aggressive,” Federer said. “I started finding energy midway through the first set, but the start was tough.”

Dimitrov advanced when David Goffin was forced to retire against after suffering a freak eye injury.

The 27-year-old Belgian dropped the first set 6-3 but was 1-0 up in the second when he framed an attempted volley directly into his left eye and was unable to continue.

Dimitrov immediately ran around the net to check on him.

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Goffin left the court for treatment and five minutes later the umpire informed Dimitrov that he had won through retirement. It was not clear how serious the injury was.

“I saw him right after, it was a little bit of a shock how he felt It was not pretty, what I saw,” Dimitrov said.

“There are no guarantees on court, anything can happen. It was a shock to us. There is no insurance out there, but we are professionals and we know the risks.”

Federer, who has won the title twice before, was not at his fluent best but was seldom troubled after breaking the Italian early in the first set and proved too good on all the big points to coast to a 6-3 7-6(3) victory.

The 36-year-old guaranteed his return to the top of the world rankings on Friday after more than five years, becoming the oldest man to reach the summit.

Federer and Dimitrov have clashed six times previously, with Federer winning on all six occasions. Dimitrov has managed to win just two sets off the Swiss in their series.

“I know Grigor well, he had an incredible year last season; winning London and Cincinnati is next-level,” Federer said.

“This has to be a week where he wants to win this tournament. I’ll try my best and hope it’s enough.”