GSTAAD, Switzerland, 11 July 2004 — Igor Andreev of Russia secured his first appearance in a final by beating German Rainer Schuettler at the 544,750-euro Swiss Open yesterday.

Andreev will meet top seed, double Wimbledon champion and world No. 1 Roger Federer in today’s final on the clay court at the Roy Emerson Arena.

Federer overcame fatigue, a rain break and spirited resistance from Italian qualifier Potito Starace to win his semifinal 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

The unseeded Andreev, who will turn 21 on Wednesday, had to battle to beat Schuettler 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, his powerful forehand and double-handed backhand finally beating the all-court game of the German.

Federer’s win was his 50th match victory of the season, making him the fastest man to 50 wins since Czech Ivan Lendl in 1989. The Swiss has won 24 of his last 25 matches.

Having played six sets in three hours and 32 minutes to progress on Friday, less than five days after beating American Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final, the 22-year-old Federer admitted he was tired.

He said last year’s final, in which he lost to Czech Jiri Novak in five sets, “nearly killed me. So I don’t want that again.

Federer, who broke Starace, also 22, in the eighth game of the first set and the second game of the third, was made to wait to complete his win when, with him leading 4-1 in the third, heavy rain fell.

After a delay of 50 minutes, Starace found it impossible to repeat his feats of the second set when he had broken the world No. 1 in the eighth game and then won the set at the fifth time of asking.

Starace had eliminated defending champion Novak in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Unseeded Rusedski Advances to Semis at Newport Tennis

Britain’s Greg Rusedski, the only former champion in the field, advanced to the semifinals Friday with a 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 victory over American Jeff Morrison at the ATP Hall of Fame Tennis Championship.

“That was the best tennis I’ve played all week,” Rusedski said. “He let me back in during the second set. It was very satisfying.”

Rusedski, who leads all active players in grasscourt wins with 76, captured the first of his 13 ATP Tour titles here in 1993.

He also won on grass at Nottingham in 1997 and 2003.

In the semifinals, Rusedski will face No. 8 seed Antony Dupuis of France, who ousted American Alex Bogomolov 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Dupuis won his first career title earlier this year at Milan.

Rusedski reached his first semifinal since his win at Nottingham last year.

Spadea, who earned his first career title earlier this year at Scottsdale, was bounced by No. 7 seed Alexander Popp of Germany, 6-2, 6-2. Melzer, last year’s runner-up, fared no better, falling to No. 5 Cyril Saulnier of France 6-1, 7-5.

Rain Washes Out Swedish Open Semifinals

In Bastad, Sweden, the semifinals of the $461,303 Swedish Open ATP tournament were washed out yesterday and will be played today instead, organizers said.

Sweden’s Robin Soderling was to have played against French Open champion and number two seed Gaston Gaudio of Argentina with eighth seed Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina facing Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.

The two semifinal matches and the final will all be played today.