Halle Open: Federer faces Australia's Ebden for semi berth

World number one Roger Federer will aim to book his place in the semi-finals of the ongoing Halle Open, when he crosses swords with Matthew Ebden of Australia in their last-eight clash of the tournament here on Friday.

Yesterday, the Swiss maestro produced a spirited performance as he bounced back from a second-set down to clinch a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 win over his French rival Benoit Paire in a thrilling round-of-16 that lasted one hour and 57 minutes.

With the win, Federer also extended his winning streak on the grass-court to 18 matches.

The 36-year-old will now look to continue his momentum when he heads into his quarter-final clash against Ebden later today.

Federer, who recently won his 98th title by defeating his Canadian opponent Milos Raonic in straight sets in the finals of Stuttgart Open, is spending his second consecutive week on the grass court in the build-up to the third major of the season, that is, Wimbledon.

The nine-time Halle Open champion, who recently climbed up to the top ranking for the sixth time in his career, will have to defend the Halle title if he wants to retain the top position.

-ANI