Federer downs Mathieu to reach Basel final

Basel, Oct 28 (IANS/RIA Novosti):

World No.1 Roger Federer beat Paul-Henri Mathieu to reach the final of the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament here.

Top-seeded Federer hit 10 aces as he beat Mathieu 7-5, 6-4 on the hard court Saturday and reach a record ninth final at the event, which he has won five times.

In Sunday’s final, the Swiss star will meet second seed Juan Martin del Potro, who eased past Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2 earlier.

Federer has a 13-2 head-to-head score against the Argentine, with both losses in 2009, the most notable being the US Open final.

The prize fund for the tournament is 1.4 million.