This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Key Biscayne, Fla. • Roger Federer's season of resurgence took another thrilling turn Friday night when he won a seesaw semifinal against Nick Kyrgios at the Miami Open, 7-6 (9), 6-7 (9), 7-6 (5).
Federer was unable to convert two match points in the second-set tiebreaker but finished off the flashy, unpredictable Kyrgios an hour later.
When Federer smacked a service winner on the final point, Kyrgios angrily whacked his racket three times against the hard court. Federer patiently waited until the Aussie was done before triumphantly swatting a ball into the stands.
Kyrgios then gave his racket a fling as the crowd booed before sharing a warm, weary exchange with Federer at the net.
Federer advanced to Sunday's final against Rafael Nadal, 13 years after their first career encounter, also at Key Biscayne.
Nadal, who defeated unseeded Fabio Fognini 6-1, 7-5 in the other semifinal, is 0-4 in finals at the tournament.