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Federer outserves Karlovic, to face Haas in semifinals
By RobPeterson (TennisEarth.com), Submitted On |
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Second seed and five time champion Roger Federer continued his supremacy over tall Croatian Ivo
Karlovic with an enthralling 6-3, 7-5, 7-6(3) win to reach the semifinals of the Championships, Wimbledon.
Federer started the match well, picking up a break in the third game to wrap up the first set 6-3. The second set saw the serving brilliance of the 6'10'' tall Croat, who aced his way to 5-5 when Federer showed his remarkable athleticism to clinch a crucial break and go up 6-5. The Swiss maestro wasted no time and pocketed the second set 7-5.
It was the third set which saw a real tussle with both players holding serves without much ado. The deciding tie-break witnessed Federer pocket a mini break at 4-2 and from there, the 14 time Grand Slam champion never looked back and sealed the victory with a blistering inside out forehand.
“It’s difficult because there’s not really any baseline rallies on his serve or on my serve,” Federer said. “You expect a tough scoreline all the time. It’s not easy to break him. I’m very happy to break him twice and win the match.”
About his astonishing Grand Slam win-loss record, Federer added - “I love the record I have of reaching so many semifinals in Grand Slams in a row—21 is quite a number. It shows how consistent I’ve been.”
Federer will next meet the German veteran Tommy Haas who reached the first Wimbledon Semifinal of his career with a tough 7-5, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3 win over Masters cup champion Novak Djokovic.
During the entire match, Haas looked most impressive when he saved three set points in the tie-break to race to a 2-0 lead in the match.
This is the German's second consecutive victory over the Serbian star, who lost the pair's last encounter in Halle, Germany.