Murray to meet Federer in semis
Print Edition
SEVEN-TIME champion Roger Federer reached his 10th Wimbledon semifinal yesterday with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 win over French 12th seed Gilles Simon.
The second seed will face either Andy Murray in what will be his 37th grand slam semifinal, for a place in Sunday’s title match.
Murray, the world No. 3, eased to a 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over unseeded Canadian Vasek Pospisil on Center Court.
Murray illuminated a rainy day at the All England Club in southwest London with a ruthlessly efficient display, collecting his 150th grand slam match victory to move a step closer to his second Wimbledon title.
The 28-year-old Scot will make his 17th grand slam semifinal appearance, and his sixth at the All England Club, against seven-time champion Federer tomorrow.
The 33-year-old Swiss, bidding to become the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era, shrugged off two rain delays as well as being broken for the first time at the tournament to complete victory in just 94 minutes.
Federer fired 11 aces and 36 winners as he secured a sixth win in eight meetings with Simon, who was attempting to reach the last-four of a major for the first time.
“The stop and go with the rain are always tough but I think I used them to my advantage. They helped me rather than hindered me,” said Federer who said he was looking forward to his semifinal against 2013 champion Murray.
Federer defeated the British third seed in the 2012 Wimbledon final before Murray gained revenge just weeks later in the Olympic Games final.
“We both like to look back on that summer of 2012. If we knew I would win Wimbledon and him Olympics, I think we both would have taken it. It was a great summer for us,” said the world No. 2.
Federer broke for a 3-0 lead in the first set against Simon before rain sent the players off Court One for the first rain delay.
Forty minutes later, they returned and Federer swiftly claimed the opener on the back of 15 winners to Simon’s four.
The Swiss was 4-3 up with a break in the second and then moved to 5-3 on his 116th consecutive service hold, a streak stretching back to the first round in Halle last month.
But that record was shattered in the next game when 30-year-old Simon broke the 17-time major winner, who had only faced two break points at this year’s Wimbledon before yesterday. Federer took swift revenge, however, by regaining the advantage and he was serving for a two-set lead when the showers returned, causing another hold-up for 40 minutes.
It had little effect on the Swiss great as a service winner and back-to-back aces gave him the second set 7-5.
Federer breezed through the decider with breaks in the first and seventh games.
Later, defending champion, top seed and 2011 winner Novak Djokovic takes on US Open champion Marin Cilic boasting a 12-0 career lead over the Croatian.
The winner will face either French Open champion and fourth seed Stan Wawrinka or French 21st seed Richard Gasquet.
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