federer
Reuters

American tennis pro Jack Sock stands in the path of Australian Open 2017 champion Roger Federer as the Swiss legend eyes the final of the BNP Paribas Open men's singles final. On Saturday, Federer and Sock clash swords in the semi-finals of the competition at the Indian Wells.

Federer, 35, didn't even have to break a sweat as his match against Nick Kyrgios in the previous round never really saw the light of the day as the Aussie tennis star had to pull out owing to illness caused by food poisoning.

Getting a walkover is something Federer has never liked, but with the circumstances being this way, the Swiss superstar got luck on his side nevertheless. All eyes towards the semi-final match, however, for now.

Jack Sock, 24, ranked #17 in the world in comparison to FedEx's #9 ranking, is the man to stop at the BNP Pairbas Open 2017. The American is entering the match against the legend at the back of a huge 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 win against Kei Nishikori.

Playing with the GOAT yet again, however, is a fresh new challenge for Sock. "In my opinion, he [Federer] is the best to ever play," Sock said.

"It will definitely be a challenge. It's a testament to him and his ability and skill and taking that much time off and coming back and winning the first major of the year and playing the tennis he's been playing this year."

"He's playing incredible tennis not only this year but this week. On the flip side of that, I'm playing confident tennis as well. And I think if I go out there and play the right tennis and play the right strategy, I think I can give myself a shot," he added.

Federer vs Sock: Head to head

Total meetings: 2; Federer with a straight sets win on both occasions

Match schedule

Date: March 18

Time: 1 pm local time onwards (4 pm EST, 8 pm GMT, 1:30 am IST [Sunday])

Venue: Indian Wells, California

Where to watch live

India: TV: Sony ESPN HD. Live Streaming: Sony Liv

US: TV: Tennis Channel: Live Streaming: Tennis Channel Live

UK: TV: Sky Sports 1: Live Streaming: Sky Go

International live streaming: ATP official website

Live score: BNP Paribas Open website.