British junior Aidan McHugh missed out on a place in the Australian Open boys’ final as he went out in three sets to Chun Hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei.

The 17-year-old trailed 3-6 4-2 when rain halted the semi-final.

Play was moved to Melbourne Park’s indoor courts, and Tseng broke serve at 4-4 in the decider before serving out a 6-3 5-7 6-4 win.

“It was literally a handful of points, that’s why it’s disappointing,” the Scot told BBC Radio 5 live.

McHugh was trying to become the first British junior to reach a major final since Katie Swan in Melbourne in 2015.

He is mentored by British number one Andy Murray and coached by Toby Smith, brother of Davis Cup captain Leon Smith.

• Federer reaches Australian Open final after Chung retires
• What next for Britain’s Kyle Edmund?
• Live scores, schedule and results
• BBC coverage times

McHugh will now focus on the Futures tour, the lowest level of the senior game, for the rest of 2018, while returning to the juniors for the other Grand Slam tournaments.

“I really enjoy playing in the Slams,” he said.

“Federer was playing tonight at the same time – it’s quite cool having the top guys around at the same tournament as you.”

Asked about his relationship with three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, he said: “He sends texts after some of my matches and tells me well done.

“He follows it really well and it’s good having him keeping an eye on me. He’s really interested in how I do, which is really nice and motivates me to do even better.

“He’s not daft, it’s just general input. He’s not trying to change anything big, it’s just general support and small details too make things easier for me.”

Britain’s Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett lost the Australian Open men’s wheelchair doubles final in straight sets to French second seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer.

The reigning US Open and Wimbledon champions were beaten 6-4 6-2 in one hour and 21 minutes at Melbourne Park.

Top seeds Reid and Hewett blamed unforced errors for defeat in what was a replay of the Wimbledon final.

“A lot of games came down to percentages,” said 26-year-old Reid.

“They played the bigger points better than us.”

Hewett, 20, added: “We wanted to get out there and go for it. Maybe at times we went for it too soon.”

The British pair were both knocked out in the opening round of their singles campaigns in Australia.

• Live scores, schedule and results
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Roger Federer made it through to a record seventh Australian Open final when South Korean Chung Hyeon retired in the second set of their semi-final.

The Swiss led 6-1 5-2 when 21-year-old Chung was forced to call it quits, three games after being treated for a blister on his left foot.

Defending champion Federer, 36, goes on to face Croatian sixth seed Marin Cilic in Sunday’s final.

The world number two is seeking a sixth Australian and 20th Grand Slam title.

• Reaction to Federer’s semi-final
• Grand Slam winner? What next for Kyle Edmund?
• Halep & Wozniacki battle for first Grand Slam

Federer was on course to take a two-set lead after just 62 minutes when the second semi-final came to an abrupt halt.

Chung’s management later said the problem had developed during the tournament, and they had tried to ease the pain with injections as it was “much worse than a regular blister”.

“I thought the first set was normal,” said Federer. “I couldn’t tell what was going on with my opponent.

“In the second set I felt he was getting slower. He’s had a problem with the blister. It hurts – a lot. At some point it’s too much and you make things worse.

“Clearly I’m happy to be in the final – but not like this. He’s had such a wonderful tournament.”

Chung had spent around 12 hours on court heading into the semi-final, including a gruelling win over Novak Djokovic in round four, and the physical effort finally took its toll.

Federer had established a commanding lead, winning the first set for the loss of one game despite only getting 32% of his first serves in.

The Swiss kept his cool after a brief disagreement with the umpire to swat away a backhand winner for a 3-1 lead in the second set, and Chung called for the trainer at the next changeover.

Heavy strapping was applied to the world number 58’s foot and he managed to hold serve on the resumption, but after Federer raced through his next service game, Chung approached the umpire and retired.

Federer extends his Open-era record to 30 Grand Slam final appearances and is one win from joining Djokovic and Roy Emerson on a record six Australian Open titles.

“I must admit, you do take the faster matches whenever you can because there’s enough wear and tear on the body,” said Federer.

“There’s enough tough matches throughout the season that when they happen, you take them.

“I’m just happy I’m in the finals, to be honest. That was the goal before the match today.”

Analysis – What chance Cilic?

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

The end came even more quickly than anticipated. Federer had been in total control, varying his length and spin, and denying a tense 21-year-old any rhythm in his first Grand Slam semi-final.

Both Chung, and Kyle Edmund on Thursday, would have had to play brilliantly even if fully fit to threaten a repeat of the Wimbledon final here in Melbourne. But their injury issues are another reminder of how difficult it is for younger bodies to withstand a full fortnight’s tennis at Grand Slam level.

Blisters undermined Cilic in July’s Wimbledon final, but the Croat could pose a significant danger to Federer’s hopes of a 20th Grand Slam title if fully fit.

Their head-to-head record doesn’t suggest much of a contest, but Cilic can draw inspiration from his one victory. He returned superbly in the US Open semi-final of 2014, won in straight sets, and went on to win the title.

Flawless Federer yet to drop a set

Federer’s record-breaking career

Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki will meet in Saturday’s Australian Open final with both women hoping to finally win a first Grand Slam title.

The top two seeds make their Melbourne final debuts at 08:30 GMT.

Also at stake is the number one ranking – and Denmark’s Wozniacki, 27, would overtake 26-year-old Romanian Halep with a victory.

It is the first time in the Open era both Grand Slam finalists have saved match points en route to the final.

Halep saw off three against Lauren Davis in the third round – eventually winning 15-13 in the final set – and then saved another two against Angelique Kerber as she won the semi-final 9-7 in the decider.

“I was not afraid of losing, so maybe that’s why I won those [points],” said Halep, the first player in the open era to save match points in multiple matches on the way to a Slam final.

“Then I got the confidence back that I’m still alive and I can do it.”

Halep rolled her ankle in her opening match and it continues to cause some discomfort.

“I don’t want to think about that, to be honest,” she said. “I just want to give again everything Saturday, and after that I will have a good holiday.”

Wozniacki was on the verge of a second-round exit when she trailed Jana Fett 5-1 and faced two match points in the final set, but the Dane fought back magnificently.

‘I’m really happy and proud of how I’ve managed to turn things around when things weren’t going my way, and keep it up whenever it was going my way,” she said.

“I’m just excited. It’s another finals.”

• Live scores, schedule and results
• BBC coverage times

The top seeds with no Slam titles

The final pits two of the best players never to have won a Grand Slam against each other, with a major title on the line.

Both women have endured the questions that surround players who top the rankings without winning one of the sport’s four biggest titles.

Halep, who became number one last October, has twice finished runner-up at the French Open, most painfully when she led the unseeded Jelena Ostapenko by a set and 3-0 in last year’s final.

“I was in this position at the French Open, so maybe I can make a better match,” said Halep.

“I can just make it more relaxed and take it like a normal match.”

Wozniacki was the year-end number one in both 2010 and 2011, but finished runner-up at the US Open to Kim Clijsters in 2009 and Serena Williams in 2014.

Perhaps her toughest defeat to take, however, was the Australian Open semi-final in 2011, when she held match points but eventually lost to China’s Li Na.

“That’s the one that’s been most disappointing to me throughout my career,” she said.

“I’ve had many bad losses, many great wins. That’s one of the ones that hurt extra because it was going into the final of a Grand Slam.

“I felt like I was playing better on the day. I felt like it was my time to get there. I feel I’m more aggressive.”

Head-to-head

Halep might be the number one but second seed Wozniacki has had the better of their previous meetings, leading the head-to-head 4-2.

The Dane won both their matches in 2017, on grass in Eastbourne followed by a 6-0 6-2 hard-court thrashing in Singapore on her way to the WTA Finals title in October.

Both finalists have added attacking punch to their already brilliant defences, with Wozniacki hitting both serve and forehand harder than in 2017, while Halep is trying to stay on the offensive.

The Romanian’s forehand is the most potent groundstroke between the pair with 81 winners, and Halep has hit 24 more winners in total than Wozniacki during this tournament, but 50 more unforced errors.

“I feel more experienced. Also stronger mentally,” said Halep.

“And the way I play, it’s different. I feel I’m more aggressive. I did 50 winners [in the semi-final]. Eight aces, if you can imagine?”

Halep has also been on court for 11 hours and 30 minutes, compared to nine hours and 59 minutes for Wozniacki.

However, this final more than most will be a test of nerve as one of the sport’s leading names will finally land a major title – and for the loser, the wait will go on.

“I’m just going to go out there and have fun, enjoy the moment,” said Wozniacki.

“It’s been a great two weeks. I’m really happy to be there. As I said early on in the week, I could have been home already.”

Britain’s Kyle Edmund exceeded expectations by reaching a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in his career at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Was it a one-off or are we likely to see the 23-year-old lift a trophy in the future, like his compatriot Andy Murray?

BBC Sport pundits Andrew Castle, John Lloyd and Pat Cash assess what we can expect from Edmund in 2018 and beyond.

• Edmund has ‘caught the bug’ for Grand Slam glory
• The making of Kyle Edmund
• BBC TV and radio coverage times

‘Nobody wants to play Edmund now’

On his way to the last four, Edmund overcame seeds Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov which earned him career-best victories at Tour level.

The Yorkshire-born player eventually came unstuck against sixth seed Marin Cilic on Thursday – who prevailed 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.

Edmund had to call a trainer after the first set for a hip problem and former British number one Castle said: “I think the injury cost him a shot at winning it.

“He’s definitely not right physically but I thought he handled the occasion. If you beat Anderson, Dimitrov and others then you’re capable and ready.

“Nobody wants to play Edmund now. That’s a reputation that goes round. We knew he had a forehand that could put a hole in you but now people have seen other things: defence, attitude, results at a different level.

“He’s going to have to recalibrate his own mind now.”

Former Wimbledon champion Cash told BBC Radio 5 live: “Mentally he’s very focused. We’re used to seeing Murray grumpy and miserable for hours on end if he misses a shot. Kyle is the opposite.”

Can Edmund win a Grand Slam?

Prior to his exploits in Melbourne, the furthest Edmund had progressed at a major was the fourth round of the US Open in 2016.

He will move from world number 49 up into the top 30 when the rankings are released next week and his next Grand Slam test will come in France in May – on his favoured clay surface.

“He’s got to figure now that he’s got to be in the second week of all the Grand Slams,” said John Lloyd, one of six British men to make a major semi-final in the professional era.

“That should be a minimum. Realistically I don’t see why he couldn’t get to a quarter or a semi-final at the French.

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