Muguruza defeated the fifth-seeded Frenchwoman in their second quarterfinal in two weeks, with the Spaniard also winning after being a set down in Doha.
Kerber did not face any break points during the clash of former world No. 1s that lasted one hour and 14 minutes.
Lawyers for Bouchard, once ranked No. 5 in the world and a Wimbledon finalist in 2014, claim the fall and the injury in the locker room have hurt her career.
Paes had earlier made the third round of the Australian Open and also reached the finals of two back-to-back Challengers, winning one.
Fognini, seeded fifth, was serving for the second set against Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil when the racket slipped from his hand after serving.
It's been more than five years since Federer held the No. 1 ranking, and 14 years since he first reached the top spot.
Roger Federer revealed that though his goal was to make it to the semi-finals as he wanted to become the oldest man to seal a numero-uno spot, he somehow managed to lift the title.
Federer's third title at the Rotterdam tournament comes a day before he officially returns to the top of the player rankings, more than five years after he was last world number one.
In Sunday's final, the 36-year-old Federer will win his 97th career title if he beats Grigor Dimitrov, dubbed "Baby Fed" early in his career for his style similarities with the Swiss great.
With a win over Robin Haase, the 36-year-old Federer becomes the oldest man to top the ATP world rankings, surpassing Andre Agassi, who held the record at the age of 33.
Bhambri booked his place in the semi-finals after defeating Japan's Yasutaka Uchiyama 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
The 36-year-old Swiss great already has the record for most weeks as the ATP World Tour's No. 1 player (302) but he has not held the top spot since late 2012.
The 30-year-old had earlier accepted a wildcard entry to make her first appearance at the tournament since 2006.
It was the first win in an ATP tournament for the 21-year-old Dutchman, who dominated the second and third sets against a lacklustre Wawrinka.
With the win, the 25-year-old Indian has now set up a clash against Lee Duck-hee of South Korea for a place in the summit showdown.
Federer began his campaign at the ABN AMRO tournament on Wednesday with a flawless performance, defeating Ruben Bemelmans 6-1, 6-2 in just 46 minutes.
On being asked about who has the potential to be the next Sania, the 31-year-old said that she should not be the benchmark for the upcoming talent.
Federer, 20-time Grand Slam champion, closed to within 155 points of Nadal after his win last month at the Australian Open against world No.3 Marin Cilic of Croatia.
In Serena's first competition since giving birth five months ago, she and sister Venus lost 6-2, 6-3 to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands in a Fed Cup doubles match.
The 112-ranked Bhambri, who qualified for the Australian Open, will be looking for some momentum ahead of the long season, which also includes a Davis Cup tie against China.
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