Swiss maestro Roger Federer reached his third successive Brisbane International final Saturday when he crushed Dominic Thiem in a lopsided semi-final. Federer took just 60 minutes to down the eighth-seeded Austrian 6-1, 6-4 and said afterwards it was the best he had played all week. "I'm getting used to conditions, which is usually the case after a couple of matches," he said. "You understand the speeds more and you're more comfortable. Plus I'm definitely also feeling a bit better now.
"I was very pleased with how I played. I think it was the best match of the week so far, or most consistent maybe." The first set lasted just 22 minutes as a shell-shocked Thiem struggled to match the 17-time Grand Slam champion on Pat Rafter Arena. Sunday's final will be a rematch of 2015 after the huge-serving Raonic edged local hero Bernard Tomic in two close sets.