Federer eases into Australian Open final after Chung retires

36-year-old was all over the world number 58 throughout one-sided contest

MELBOURNE: Ruthless Roger Federer handed Chung Hyeon an old-fashioned schooling before the South Korean quit trailing 6-1 5-2 in a damp squib of an Australian Open semi-final on Friday.

The 36-year-old was all over the world number 58 throughout a one-sided contest under the Rod Laver Arena roof, breaking three times to win the opening set in 33 minutes.

When Chung held serve to make it 1-1 in the second set a huge cheer went up from the Australia Day crowd who had hoped to witness a classic battle of the generations.

But the bespectacled 21-year-old, nicknamed 'the professor', simply had no answer to Federer's masterclass. Federer broke for 3-1 with a dipping backhand pass and when Chung needed treatment on his foot blisters at 1-4 his hopes of becoming the first South Korean to reach a grand slam final looked completely hopeless. Chung managed to win one more game but threw in the towel.