Federer takes Swiss into Davis Cup final

Switzerland take an unassailable 3-1 lead over Italy and will meet France in the Davis Cup final later this year.

Federer's last Davis Cup semi-final resulted in a loss at the hands of Hewitt [REUTERS]

Roger Federer has taken Switzerland to its first Davis Cup final in 22 years, beating Fabio Fognini of Italy in the opening reverse singles for a winning 3-1 lead in their semi-final.

Federer celebrated with skipping jumps across the court on completing a 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 win against the 17th-ranked Fognini.

“It’s fabulous to share in this moment,” Federer said in an on-court interview after being hoisted on the shoulders of teammate Stan Wawrinka and captain Severin Luethi for a lap of honor round the court.

Their celebrations delighted a noisy 18,000-plus crowd at Palexpo indoor arena.

Switzerland will play at France in the final on November 21-23.

The French beat two-time defending champion Czech Republic this weekend.

Switzerland has never won the 114-year-old competition, and lost its only final in 1992 against a United States team of Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.

Source: AP