Federer loses service game, but on to semis
Swiss star won 116 straight while serving until Simon managed second-set break
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND— That’s one Swiss-on-wry, but hold the booming backhand.
Translation: Roger Federer is through to his 10th All England Club semifinal while countryman Sam Wawrinka is out, cracked open on a dropped serve in the 20th game of a marathon five-setter.
And this was the sublime Federer, discussing his straight set 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 trouncing of Gilles Simon in just over an hour and a half, bracketed around a half-hour rain delay, the second time the match was halted on the roof-free Court 1:
“I kept rolling in the first set. Second set I came out, served great at 6-5, 15-love. Ran away with it in the beginning of the third as well.”
Not even the chivalrous Federer could pretend that this was anything other than a rout. The Frenchman opponent, however, could comfort himself, un peu, with finally breaking Federer at Wimbledon 2015. The virtuoso had gone 68 service games here until the end of the second set when perfection slipped away. Indeed, he set a record for himself, unbroken through 116 consecutive service games at that point.
“Yes, I’ve heard it,” he allowed, when the remarkable streak was mentioned.
“But then again, I don’t keep count when I’m out there. I’m happy it lasted as long as it did.”
Federer even claimed it was a relief to get the darn thing over.
“We’re not going to talk about that anymore and I can just focus on the normal things. But it’s been a great streak. It goes to show what I’m doing off the baseline on my serve, or serve-volley, the way I’m hitting it and placing it seems to work, especially on the grass now.”
What hasn’t been working for Federer?
While much of the media attention has been elsewhere the past 10 days, the 33-year-old has quietly, without fanfare, gone about demolishing his competition and advancing through the draw with scarcely a push-back. He is into his 10th Wimbledon semifinal, in cool pursuit of a record eighth championship title, playing some of the finest tennis of his career.
“The road is long getting here. But still I feel like I’m fresh and I’ve got energy left in the tank for hopefully a great match against Andy, and then we’ll see.”
That’s Andy Murray, who packed off Canada’s Vasek Pospisil in straight sets.
The only upset yesterday was Wawrinka, seeded fourth, falling in five sets to No. 21 Richard Gasquet. They are the two best backhanders in the game and Wawrinka also bludgeoned the Frenchman with 22 aces. He had Gasquet at 5-4 in the fourth and serving for the match but double-faulted, sending the thrilling affair into a decider that lasted 83 minutes before a gutsy Gasquet prevailed, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9.
He’ll face Novak Djokovic in the other semi Friday. The defending champion Serb, after surviving a fourth- round scare that went five sets over two days, looked no worse for wear defeating No. 9 seed Marin Cilic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Said Gasquet: “I’ll try to play my best game against the best player in the world.”
Federer might demur, world rankings be damned.