Federer Rolls to 12th Career Wimbledon Semifinal

July 12, 2017 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Roger Federer dismissed last year’s finalist Milos Raonic in dominant fashion on Wednesday, reaching the Wimbledon semifinals for the 12th time in his career with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(4) over the sixth-seeded Canadian.

Playing in his 100th career match at Wimbledon, Federer wasted no time making Raonic play from behind. He broke in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and calmly served out the set, winning 94 percent of his first serves to win the opener.

He then broke the big-serving Raonic in the opening game of the second set to further seize control. He hit 13 winners to just one unforced error and winning 92 percent of his first serves to open up the two-sets-to-love lead.

Raonic saved five break points to force the third set into a tiebreaker but it was only delaying the inevitable and a backhand error from Raonic on Federer’s first match point brought things to a close.

Federer moves on to play 11th seed Tomas Berdych, who led second-seed Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 2-0 when the Serb retired with an elbow injury.

Federer is 18-6 all-time against Berdych.

“Being the favorite or not the favorite doesn’t matter,” Federer said when asked about the other three players left in the tournament. “These other guys are all big hitters. They will have their word to say on the outcome of the matches. They’ve got big serves, big forehands, big hitters really. All three guys are taller and stronger than I am. I have to figure out a different way, carve my way through somehow with my slice and my spins, my consistency maybe.”


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Centercourt
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