News

Roger Federer, Andy Murray Advance To Wimbledon Semifinals

Roger Federer and Andy Murray both won their quarterfinal matches at Wimbledon on Wednesday to advance to the next round.

Roger Federer, Andy Murray Advance To Wimbledon Semifinals

Federer continued to impress, defeating ninth-seeded Croatian Marin Cilic 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. After dropping the first two sets, the third-seeded, 34-year-old Swiss fought back to win the match.

Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com praised Federer:

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

The Swiss was as gracious in his post-match comments as he was on the court.

“I knew I was in so much trouble,” he said of falling behind, per Wimbledon on Twitter. “It was great fun playing Marin, he’s one of the nicest guys on tour, so I feel sorry for him.”

Federer then added, “I was able to sustain a high level—my legs were there, my back was there. Mentally this is going to give me a hell of a boost.”

He was the favorite to win the match, as nobody has ever won more matches than him at Grand Slam events.

SportsCenter also reported that only American Jimmy Connors has matched Federer’s record 84 wins at Wimbledon in the Open Era.

Federer finished with both more aces (27-23) and winners (67-59) in his match against Cilic. He will next face sixth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic in Friday’s semifinal. Raonic defeated 28th-ranked American Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.

Querrey defeated Novak Djokovic earlier in the tournament in what was perhaps one of the biggest upsets of the year.

Raonic controlled the match with his serve, winning 87 percent of his first-serve points while blasting 58 winners. Querrey also managed to create just two break chances in the entire match, breaking the Canadian only once, and finished with 28 unforced errors.

“I’ll give it everything and hope for a better result than last time,” Raonic said of his second trip to the semifinals. He last played in a semifinal in London in 2014, losing in straight sets to Federer.

Murray defeated 12th-ranked Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1. The second-seed Brit held off Tsonga in a tense first-set tie-breaker that Murray ultimately won, 12-10. Murray capitalized in the second set with a 6-1 win, but then dropped the following two sets. Tsonga smashed five aces in the third. However, the Brit fought back to ultimately take the match.

Finally, 10th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych defeated 32nd-ranked Frenchman Lucas Pouille 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. After fighting hard in the opening-set tie-breaker– which he eventually won 7-4–, Berdych comfortably cruised to advance to his second Wimbledon final.

Berdych won 87 percent of his first-serve points, blasted 35 winners, benefited from Pouille’s 34 unforced errors and allowed the Frenchman just four break points and one break in the match. It was a strong showing from Berdych, who lost the 2010 Wimbledon final to Spaniard Rafael Nadal. 

“I hoped that one day I would be able to use my Wimbledon final experience again,” Berdych said after the match.

He will next face Murray in Friday’s second semifinal. Murray will be the favorite, having already won a title.

PHOTO: LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 06: Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a forehand during the Men’s Singles Quarter Finals match against Marin Cilic of Croatia on day nine of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 6, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

Paul George Exits With Knee Injury As 76ers Fall To 2-12 In Loss To Grizzlies

With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback…

6 hours ago

VIDEO: Nike Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal With 30-Foot Projection In Front of Eiffel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…

24 hours ago

VIDEO: Rafael Nadal Gets Emotional Tribute as He Retires From Tennis

https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…

24 hours ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Fencer Eli Dershwitz Explains The Art Of Fencing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…

2 days ago

Two Bears Offensive Linemen Return To Practice, Caleb Williams Desperate For Blocking

Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…

3 days ago

VIDEO: UFC Heavyweight Champion Performs Viral Trump Dance In New York

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…

4 days ago