Juan Martin del Potro beat Marin Cilic for the seventh straight time to move into a third career final at the Swiss Indoors 6-4 6-4.
The Argentine, who won in 2012 and 2013 as he beat home hero Roger Federer twice in the finals, is hoping to complete a Basel hat-trick on Sunday – with Federer again in his way.
“Not many players can beat Roger, the greatest in history,” del Potro said.
“It’s always a pleasure to play him, and to do it in his hometown is amazing.
“I’d love to play Roger again at his tournament, I know the crowd wants him in the final
“I’m happy to be in the final, I hope to play good tennis for the fans and for myself.”
Del Potro admits he is feeling the weight of three straight weeks of tennis – with a fourth on the way as he plays next week in the Paris Masters, the final event of the ATP regular season.
Federer cruised into the final, routing Belgium’s David Goffin 6-1 6-2 for his 11th trip to the final at the event.