BRISBANE, Australia _ Canadian Milos Raonic is back in the men’s final at the Brisbane International, and his opponent will be a familiar face.
The 25-year-old Raonic, who is currently ranked 14th in the world, toppled Australian Bernard Tomic in semifinal action Saturday 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to earn his place in the championship match.
Raonic will face 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in the final for the second year in a row after the world No. 3 toppled 20th-ranked Austrian Dominic Thiem in the other semi.
Federer beat Raonic 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4 in the 2015 final.
Raonic, of Thornhill, Ont., needed one hour 47 minutes to beat his 23-year-old opponent and won 82 per cent of his first-serve points on the hard court, compared to 76 per cent for 18th-ranked Tomic.
Federer needed just over an hour to defeat Thiem 6-1, 6-4.
The Brisbane International is an ATP World Tour tune-up for the upcoming Australian Open.