Roger Federer's run at the Miami Open was one point from ending. Down 6-4 in a third-set tiebreaker to Tomas Berdych, the situation was officially dire.
Yet even in that moment, Federer still felt some hope. "I had belief I could turn it around, even then," he said.
Somehow, he was right, and his stellar start to 2017 continued. The fourth-seeded Federer fought off those two match points and beat the 10th-seeded Berdych 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarterfinals yesterday - avenging a third-set tiebreak loss to Berdych at Key Biscayne seven years ago in a match he still thinks he should have won.
"I got incredibly lucky," Federer said. "Could have gone either way. Felt like maybe this one I should have lost."
Federer feels right at home at Key Biscayne, and so does Caroline Wozniacki - with good reason, since she sometimes practices at the facility. The 12th-seeded Wozniacki, a part-time South Florida resident, made the women's final for the first time in 10 tries by topping second-seeded Karolina Pliskova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
"This is one of the few tournaments where I've never made a finals," Wozniacki said. "I think my best result here was semifinals five years ago. It's always been a tournament where I wouldn't say I struggle, but I've just not had the results I wanted."
Federer improved to 17-1 this year and will face No. 12 Nick Kyrgios in the semifinals today.
Kyrgios defeated 16th-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-7 (9), 6-3 in the last of the men's quarters, a match that lasted 2 1/2 hours. Kyrgios had 16 aces, no double faults and never faced a break point, though his 19-year-old opponent saved five match points before falling.
Zverev fought off three match points in the second-set tiebreaker, and won the set when Kyrgios -- who pulled off two between-the-legs shots on the same point in the first set - tried another that didn't work.
"I don't know what I was thinking," Kyrgios said.
He recovered and gets to face Federer, whom he called "the greatest of all time ... My favorite tennis player." Federer-Kyrgios is a rematch - sort of - from this year's quarterfinals at Indian Wells, a match where Kyrgios withdrew beforehand with an illness.
Rafael Nadal and Fabio Fognini are the other men's semifinalists, meaning there's still a chance for Federer-Nadal on Sunday for the men's crown.
"I would love it," Federer said.
Federer is now 4-0 in tiebreakers this year at Key Biscayne, none of the first three as pressure-packed as the one he needed in the quarters. He was serving for the match at 5-3 in the third and got broken, had a match point in the next game and couldn't convert, then was down 6-4 in the breaker before winning the final four points.
Berdych actually won 91 points to Federer's 89. He needed 92 - and after coming up with big shot after big shot in the final two sets, he wound up going out on a double-fault.
"I just lost by one point. That's what happened. Very simple, very straightforward," Berdych said. "He was the one serving out the match, didn't make it. I had a match point, didn't make it. I had two, didn't make it.
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