Federer beats Karlovic to reach Wimbledon semis

Associated Press ,  Wimbledon, England   |  Thu, 07/02/2009 1:05 AM  |  Sports

Roger Federer neutralized Ivo Karlovic's huge serves Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon semifinals and move a step closer to a record 15th Grand Slam championship.

In a match featuring short points and few rallies, Federer conjured up a few great returns to break the 6-foot-10 (2.08 m) Croatian twice and secure a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory on another sunbaked day at the All England Club.

Federer, closing in on his sixth Wimbledon title, reached his 21st consecutive semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament and extended his winning streak to 17 matches with another vintage performance on his favorite Centre Court.

"I love the record I have of reaching so many semifinals in Grand Slams in a row - 21 is quite a number," Federer said. "It shows how consistent I've been."

It was Federer's ninth win in 10 matches against Karlovic, who was playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Federer's next opponent will be Germany's Tommy Haas, who upset fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his first Wimbledon semifinal. The 31-year-old Haas was the oldest player in the quarters, while the 22-year-old Djokovic was the youngest.

Third-seeded And Murray swept Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first Wimbledon semifinal and keep up his bid to become the first British player to win the men's title since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray will face either two-time finalist Andy Roddick or 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyon Hewitt.

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