Federer eases to Australian Open final, dark horse Chung retires hurt

Switzerland's Roger Federer made it through to his 6th Australian Open final on Friday, after a gruesome injury forced his semifinal opponent Hyeon Chung from South Korea to retire in the second set with the score 6-1, 5-2.

Chung Hyeon of South Korea waves after retiring from his semifinal match against Roger Federer of Switzerland at Australian Open 2018 in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 26, 2018. Chung retired from the match due to injury. [Photo: Xinhua]

Despite being ranked 56 in the world, Chung had an impressive run in the tournament, overcoming big names like Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.

However, tonight in his first semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam, the 21-year-old appeared to be hampered in his movement and struggled early on in the match, losing a triple break in the first set.

"Over the last few days, I've had blister, over blister, over blister," Chung explained to Xinhua.

"I had it shaved off and now it is red raw."

"We tried an injection to numb the pain but it didn't work."

"A lot of players get callus and as they go, they shave them down, but because I played so many matches in a row, I didn't know to shave them down, so that's how they started."

Chung Hyeon(L) of South Korea shakes hands with Roger Federer of Switzerland after the men's semifinal match at Australian Open 2018 in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 26, 2018. Chung retired from the match due to injury. [Photo: Xinhua]

Although Federer explained he would have preferred a "normal end" to the match in order to prepare for Sunday's final against world number six Marin Cilic, the 19-time Grand Slam winner admitted, "you take the faster matches whenever you can."

"There is enough wear and tear on the body and enough tough matches throughout the season," he said.

"There is nothing you can do about it anyway, so I'm just happy I am in the final."