Chung retires due to blisters, sends Federer to Aussie Open final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Hyeon Chung's agent says the Korean star was forced to retire from his match against Roger Federer due to painful blisters that had developed on top of one another during his historic run at the Australian Open.

Stuart Duguid says it was ''blister under blister under blister.'' He says Chung had shaved off the blisters and now his foot is ''red raw.'' He received injections before the match to see if it would numb the pain, but it didn't work.

Chung says the pain was so intense, ''I can't walk no more.''

Federer knows how painful blisters can be, saying during his on-court, post-match interview, ''I've played with blisters in the past a lot and it hurts a lot. And at one point, you realize it's too much and you just can't take it anymore and you realize there's no way you can come back. It's better to stop.''

Chung retired from his semifinal match against defending champion Federer while trailing 1-6, 2-5 on Friday night.

The South Korean player had taken a medical timeout earlier in the second set to receive treatment on his foot. The match was barely an hour old when he quit.

Chung received a smattering of boos after retiring, though the crowd at Rod Laver Arena applauded as he walked off court.

Federer now advances to face Marin Cilic in Sunday's final for a chance at his 20th Grand Slam title.