Brisbane International 2016: Saturday Tennis Scores, Results, Updated Schedule
Roger Federer and Milos Raonic booked their respective places in Sunday’s Brisbane International final for the second year in a row, as they both chalked up straight-sets victories in Saturday’s semis.
Fourth seed Raonic needed two tie-breaks to see off ever-improving home favourite Bernard Tomic, while Federer continued his exemplary run of having surrendered just one set all tournament with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Dominic Thiem.
Here, we break down Saturday’s results and look ahead to what’s set to be an enthralling final on Australia's east coast.
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| Fixture | Result | Sets |
| Milos Raonic vs. Bernard Tomic | 2-0 | 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) |
| Roger Federer vs. Dominic Thiem | 2-0 | 6-1, 6-4 |
| Date | Time | Fixture |
| Sunday, January 10 | 9 a.m. GMT/4 a.m. ET | Roger Federer vs. Milos Raonic |
Saturday Recap
Raonic always knew he was going to be in for a battle against Tomic, and Saturday’s semi-final proved to be exactly that despite the 2-0 scoreline.
The Australian star was raucously cheered on by the partisan Brisbane crowd, while his confidence was high after an impressive victory over second seed Kei Nishikori.
Raonic knew he needed to make a fast start, yet he found himself on the back foot in the fifth game as he was forced to save four break points to keep Tomic at bay.
Both players then started to look a little shaky on serve, but neither dropped a game as we headed for a first-set tiebreak.
There, Raonic really switched it on. The Canadian moved into a healthy 5-1 lead after two breaks of the Tomic serve before claiming the set with a 7-5 scoreline.
The Aussie definitely had chances to go 1-0 up, however, and tennis journalist Matt Cronin reflected on just how close the opener was:
Raonic’s service game really did look unbreakable, though. Aces were coming easily, while his net play was nothing short of exceptional.
The second set was a carbon copy of the first, as both players held on serve and forced yet another tiebreak—which produced the same result.
Raonic’s 7-5 victory booked him a place in the final with a 7-6, 7-6 scoreline, but he was quick to praise his opponent after their thrilling encounter—via Australian Associated Press for the Guardian:
"It was a great match, a difficult one. I’m happy with the way I’ve been able to start the year and how things are progressing. Bernie’s been playing so well and I know he’s going to do great things this year."
The result certainly wasn’t what the Australian crowd wanted to see, but the standard of tennis and level of excitement put Federer and Thiem under plenty of pressure to serve up a similar show.
However, only the Swiss star got the memo.
Federer simply came roaring out of the blocks at the start of his semi-final, barely giving the Austrian as chance as he moved into a 5-0 lead.
Thiem did manage to hold his serve to get on the board in the sixth game, but Federer wrapped the set up with consummate ease the very next game for a 6-1 triumph in just 22 minutes according to Brisbane Intl:
It looked like being the same story when Federer broke Thiem’s serve in the first game of the second set, but the talented youngster bit back immediately and got the match back on serve.
Last year’s champion just wasn’t letting up, though. His game was virtually error-free throughout, with Thiem struggling to cope with his perfectly placed groundstrokes.
The pressure eventually told in the seventh, as Federer broke to make it 4-3 and set up a straight-sets victory, which he duly delivered, 6-4.
The win sets up a repeat of 2015’s final against Raonic, and Federer said that he’s looking forward to it after putting together his best performance of the tournament—via Paul Malone of Fox Sports:
"It was my best match of the tournament. I’m excited to be back in the final and it’s special to be playing Milos again."
Federer emerged victorious in last year’s final over three sets, and he’ll be looking to do the same this time around.
Besides, if he plays the solid tennis that he did against Thiem, then Raonic will certainly have his work cut out.
Lifting the trophy again will give Federer plenty of encouragement heading into the Australian Open at the end of the month, where he’ll be looking for his 18th Grand Slam title.
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