Roger Federer moved just two wins away from a fifth successive Wimbledon title after a 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero on Friday.
The world number one will take on America’s Andy Roddick or Richard Gasquet of France for a place in the final as he continues his campaign to win a fifth successive Wimbledon crown and the 11th Major of his career.
A victory on Sunday would put him just three short of Pete Sampras’s all-time record of 14 Grand Slams, which included seven All England Club triumphs.
”I’m delighted to be in another semifinal,” said Federer.
”It was hard because I had so many days off. That can be an advantage and a disadvantage, so I’m happy to be back in the rhythm.
”The windy conditions were difficult. Now, if I want to win, I will have to play back-to-back every day.”
This quarterfinal match-up had been suspended on Thursday because of rain with the first set locked at 5-5, but the Swiss top seed secured the opener with an ace in a lob-sided tiebreak.
But Ferrero, a former world number one and French Open champion, hit back to level at a set apiece, breaking in the eighth game of the second set and wrapping it up with a big second-service winner.
But Federer, despite his growing frustration with the wind, stepped up a gear in the third set.
He defied the windy conditions inside Centre Court to break twice in the third set in the fourth and sixth games as his silky touch around the court began to pay dividends against the 20th seed.
Federer broke again to lead 2-1 in the fourth set and clinched the tie on his first match point after 2hr 16min with an elegant crosscourt forehand.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic dug into his vast reserves of willpower to outlast Marcos Baghdatis and reach his first Wimbledon semifinal on Friday.
The Serbian fourth seed won 7-6 7-6 6-7 4-6 7-5 after five hours of riveting action on Court One.
Baghdatis produced a remarkable comeback after losing the first two sets on tiebreaks and then trailing 3-0 in the third.
Djokovic looked exhausted in the fifth but stayed neck and neck with his Cypriot opponent and made the vital breakthrough at 5-5.
He then summoned all his energy to serve out the match and set up a reprise of his French Open semifinal against Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal, a match Nadal won on his way to the title. — AFP, Reuters