By Rory Carroll(Reuters) - Roger Federer reached the Rogers Cup semi-finals on Friday after coming to the net early and often in a straight sets victory over Roberto Bautista Agut on a windy day in Montreal. World number three Federer, who faces Dutchman Robin Haase in the lsat four, was never seriously pushed by Spains Bautista Agut, who is winless in seven matches against the Swiss maestro. "I think it pays off playing aggressive here in Montreal," Federer said in a courtside interview after his 6-4 6-4 win over the 12th seed. Federer opened the second set with a break and cruised through the rest of the match, which lasted just over an hour. With world number two Rafael Nadal eliminated on Thursday by 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov and world number one Andy Murray sidelined by a rib injury, Federer has an opportunity to regain his world number one ranking.

Source: Economic Times August 11, 2017 21:56 UTC