Roger Federer beat Robin Haase to qualify for the Montreal Masters final and keep his hopes alive of regaining the world No 1 spot.
Federer, currently ranked third, won 6-3 7-6 in Saturday’s first semi-final and will next play Alexander Zverev for the trophy on Sunday.
Winning the Montreal Masters would guarantee Federer at least the No 2 seed for the upcoming US Open, and would enable him to chase the ATP top spot next week in Cincinnati where current incumbent Andy Murray will be absent.
For 36-year-old Federer, it was his 59nd ATP 1000 semi-final and a 16th consecutive win – his longest since 2012, when he was the world’s top ranked player. Federer previously won the Montreal Masters in 2004 and 2006.
Victory for Federer would earn him a 94th ATP Tour title of his career – levelling Ivan Lendl in second place in the Open Era list – and sixth of a remarkable season.
“I have reached levels that I never thought I would be able to reach, winning so many titles,” Federer told the ATP’s website.
“Each title you can add is like a thrill. I am playing tennis to try to win titles.
“Lendl is a legend of tennis. He reached incredible records. He was extremely consistent. He won many titles.
“It’s fantastic and cool that I’m able to reach his level.”
German Zverev ended 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov’s stunning run with a 6-4 7-5 victory in the second semi-final.
World number 143 Shapovalov’s incredible week in his home country had seen him beat Juan Martin Del Potro and Rafael Nadal but in-form 20-year-old Zverev proved a step too far.
The fourth seed had to battle to come through in one hour and 43 minutes and remains on course for a second successive ATP title following his Citi Open success last week.
The Montreal Masters final is live on Sky Sports Action at 9pm on Sunday.
