Mayer to play Federer in Stockholm final

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- World No. 2 Roger Federer overcame an early service break and won in straight sets Saturday, earning a finals berth at the Stockholm Open in Sweden.

Federer, who was down a set and a break in his quarterfinal match, trailed briefly in the semifinals before moving on with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 win over Ivan Ljubicic.

The early first-set break was the only one suffered by Federer on the day. He cruised through the second set with a pair of breaks against Ljubicic and lost only seven points over four service games.

Federer will go against Florian Mayer in Sunday's title match. Mayer won a third-set tie-breaker in getting past Jarkko Nieminen 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). Mayer saved three break-point situations in the third set before grabbing an early edge in the tie-breaker.

Mayer is looking for the first ATP title of his 10-year professional career; Federer, a pro since 1998, will be trying to win his 64th. Federer won both previous matches against Mayer but they haven't played since 2006.

The first-place check for the Stockholm Open is worth about $133,000 with the runner-up earning $70,000. The losers in the semifinal round took home $38,000.