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Posted
7-2-08
Federer Reaches 17th Straight Grand Slam Semi
Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Super Swiss Roger Federer will play in his sixth straight Wimbledon semifinal after handling dangerous Croat Mario Ancic in Wednesday's rain-interrupted quarterfinal action at the storied All England Club.
The top-seeded/world No. 1 Federer sent the unseeded Ancic packing in routine 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 fashion on Centre Court. Rain delayed the start of play for an hour on Day 8, and a 2-hour, 10-minute delay followed that after play finally commenced.
The reigning five-time Wimbledon champion Federer was leading Ancic 6-1, 1-1 when rain halted play, and things didn't get a whole lot better for Ancic following the stoppage, as the powerful Swiss notched his 39th straight victory at Wimbledon and his 64th straight win on grass, dating back to 2002. Ancic is the last man to beat Federer on grass, which he did in the opening round here six long years ago.
Although Ancic kept the last two sets close, the bout was never in doubt as Federer played brilliantly throughout and has yet to drop at set at this 2008 fortnight.
Federer never even faced a break point on Wednesday.
"I'm playing great, you know, serving excellent," Federer said after advancing in 1 hour, 41 minutes.
An ultra-clean Federer ripped 15 aces, did not double fault at any point, and only committed six unforced errors over three sets. He broke Ancic's capable serve four times.
The serve-and-volleying Ancic approached the net 50 times on Day 9, but could only convert 21 times.
Federer is now 6-1 lifetime against Ancic, including a 2-1 mark at the All England Club and a recent victory over the Croat at Roland Garros.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion Federer, who beat Rafael Nadal in the last two Wimbledon finales, is closing in on Bjorn Borg's record winning streak here, as the iconic Swede nailed down 41 straight on these hallowed lawns from 1976-81.
The 26-year-old Federer will appear in a record 17th straight Grand Slam semifinal.
Federer's semifinal opponent here on Friday will be unseeded resurgent Russian Marat Safin, who ousted 31st-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3.
Safin was struggling in the first set against Lopez, trailing 2-5, when the more-than-two-hour rain delay kicked in. The hot-headed Russian smashed his racquet on the court in disgust and also swatted a ball over the top of Court 1 before the delay.
Following the delay, Safin dropped another game, and the first set, but settled down after that to claim the next three stanzas and reach his first- ever Wimbledon semifinal and seventh career major semi. His last Grand Slam semi came at the 2005 Australian Open.
Safin moved on in 2 hours, 39 minutes, as he broke Lopez' serve five times, compared to three breaks for the Spaniard, and out-aced his lefthanded counterpart 18-17.
Lopez fell to 4-2 lifetime against Safin, who lost to the Spaniard here at Wimbledon three years ago.
The 28-year-old currently 75th-ranked Safin is a two-time Grand Slam champion, with the big wins coming at the 2000 U.S. Open and the '05 Aussie Open.
Federer is 8-2 lifetime against the former world No. 1 Safin, including 2-1 at Grand Slams. The Swiss drubbed the Russian in the third round here at Wimbledon last year and also beat Safin in the 2004 Aussie Open final. Safin upset Federer in an incredible semifinal match at the Aussie Open three years ago.
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