20 major grand slam winner Roger Federer kept his hope of winning his 100th ATP tour tittles alive in the Dubai duty free championship

He beat Marton Fucsovics to reach the Dubai Tennis Championships semi-finals and close in on his 100th ATP singles title.

The Swiss was pushed by the Hungarian world number 35 but came through 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 in one hour 57 minutes.

If Federer wins an eighth title in Dubai he will become just the second player to win 100 singles titles after American Jimmy Connors, who won 109.

Federer will play sixth seed Borna Coric of Croatia in the last four.

Coric needed two hours and 27 minutes to see off Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7-1)

Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Federer, currently seventh in the world, is the highest ranked player remaining in the draw with Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas meeting Frenchman Gael Monfils in the other semi-final, although already 37 years of age, the Switzerland international still believes he has what it takes to win tittles.

World number 11 Tsitsipas, who beat Federer at the australian open in january, beat Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (1-7) 6-1.

The 20-year-old could break into the world’s top 10 for the first time by progressing in Dubai.

Monfils also needed three sets to beat qualifier Ricardas Berankis, winning 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-2.

The Dubai Tennis Championships debuted at the Aviation Club in 1993 as an ATP 250 tournament. At the time there was no formal stadium and the tournament was hosted on hard courts surrounded by temporary scaffold seating to host a total of 3000 viewers across all courts.