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It’ll be the past and present vs. the future in the second semifinal at the 2017 Miami Masters on Friday night, as Roger Federer takes on Nick Kyrgios.
Fed-Ex was pushed to the brink in the quarters by Tomas Berdych but ultimately saved a pair of match points in the final-set tiebreaker, coming back to improve his 2017 record to an astounding 17-1. Kyrgios, meanwhile, made his usual array of jaw-dropping shots and tweeners en route to beating fellow young star Alexander Zverev in a thrilling three-set battle.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch the anticipated semi:
Federer vs. Kyrgios, 2017 Miami Open Semifinal
Date: Friday, March 31, 2017
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET (complete order of play for Friday here)
TV Channel: ESPN News
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Head-to-Head History & Preview
Federer and Kyrgios were scheduled to face each other at Indian Wells last week, but a bout of food poisoning for the Australian gave Federer the walkover. That leaves their 2015 Madrid Masters instant classic as their only head-to-head meeting, as Kyrgios earned the entertaining 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(12) victory in that one.
Even before he knew who his opponent would be, Federer knew this semifinal was going to be must-watch action.
“Kyrgios and Zverev are very exciting players, two of the most exciting players we have on tour now,” he said. “You all should tune in if you’re not in the stadium.”
A win on Friday night would advance Federer to his first Miami final since 2006, while Kyrgios has a chance to reach his first-ever Masters 1000 final.
Still, despite the polar opposite resumes, the way each is playing right now makes this easily one of the most compelling matchups of the tournament.