Roger Federer (AFP Photo / Adrian Dennis)
Federer breaks big serving Croat giant to reach semis
Published 01 July, 2009, 20:24
Roger Federer remains on course for what would be a record-breaking 15th grand slam title after he beat 2.08 metre tall Croat Ivo Karlovic in Wednesday's quarter-finals.
Twenty-second seed Ivo Carlovic hadn’t lost a game on his serve at this year’s Wimbledon. However, Federer's brilliant returns were good enough to break the big serving Croat in the first two sets. And he then took advantage of Carlovic’s poor net play in the decisive tie-breaker.
So the Fed express has wrapped up a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 victory to join the last four.
The Swiss is looking for his sixth Wimbledon championship and record 15th Grand Slam title.
Federer will next play Tommy Haas. The German has reached his first Wimbledon semifinal by upsetting fourth seed Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. The 31-year-old Haas was the oldest player to reach the quarter finals, while the 22-year-old Djokovic was the youngest.
Haas saved three straight set points in the tie breaker before converting his first with a volley for a 2-0 lead. And he sealed the win in the fourth set when Djokovic netted a forehand return on the first match point.
Meanwhile, UK’s hope Andy Murray has reached his first Wimbledon semifinal after overplaying Spanish veteran Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.
Murray was too good for the Spaniard as it took him just 1 hour and 41 minutes to seal the victory.
Murray is the first Briton since Tim Henman in 2002 to go that far at the annual event. And he may become the first British since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the grass-court Grand Slam.
In order to do that he needs to beat Andy Roddick, who was victorious is his quarterfinal five-set clash against Lleyton Hewitt also on Wednesday.
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