LOOK OUT MURRAY... ROGER IS RUNNING RAMPANT

SHOWERS fell out of the skies above SW19 and a squall whipped up, but through it all Roger Federer shone serenely.

Wimbledon’s favourite prince moved into tomorrow’s semifinal against Andy Murray with a masterclass of unruffled tennis that burnished the notion that an eighth Championships is not beyond him, even as he approaches his 34th birthday.

The only significant check on his progress in beating France’s Gilles Simon 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 were two rain delays of 40 minutes.

Indeed, so brisk was the Swiss’s work against the No 12 seed that the match lasted just 1hr 35min. He has now played five matches in the space of less than eight hours — three hours fewer than Murray. He again husbanded his physical resources perfectly on Court No 1 yesterday. His geometry was so precise that extravagant hustle was unnecessary.

A measure of Federer’s dominance is that he took his tally of consecutive unbroken service games to 116, going back to his triumphant march in Halle in the middle of last month.

The run ended when Simon, a noted returner, broke Federer here in the second set. ‘I heard about the streak, but I don’t keep count when I am out there,’ said Federer. ‘I am focusing on the next service game, the next point, the next serve.

‘I am happy the run lasted as long as it did. I’m also relieved that I got broken. We can now talk about normal things.’

Federer was at his best from the off. He broke his French opponent in the second game of the match, a brilliant passing shot clinching it. The rain soon fell but Federer’s composure remained undisturbed.

The second set was going as merrily for Federer as the first when he broke to go 4-3 ahead. Then it came to pass at 2.52pm on Wednesday, July 8 that Federer lost that one service game in almost a month.

‘Serving is not just about the serve,’ said Federer. ‘The serve is only as good as your baseline game afterwards. I don’t serve at 140mph. (His average first serve speed yesterday was 117mph.) I have to work through those service games.’

Simon won the first point of the game after breaking, with Federer sliding to his knees in vain. But order was soon restored. Federer won the next four points to break back immediately. It was as if he had flicked a switch, as one suspects he might have to do mo re often against Murray.

Moments later, rain fell for the second time.

‘I don’t think delays are good for anyone but it worked out better for me,’ said Federer. ‘I kept rolling in the first set and in the second I came out and served great.’

Although Simon had lost his five most recent matches to Federer (right), he had twice taken him into a fifth set at Grand Slams. The skinny Frenchman, known as Poussin, or little chicken, never looked as if he would cause Federer such trouble here.

‘It was hard to have a grip on him,’ lamented Simon. ‘From the first point, he served perfectly. I had to play a perfect game to break him.’

With the sun shining, Federer wrapped up victory briskly. Long before these closing moments, he was wearing the look of invulnerability, the way only great champions can.

Asked if he was playing as fluently as he ever has, Federer said: ‘The results will answer that question. It’s been good so far. I feel as if I have played a very solid year, especially on grass. But this is crunch time, when you want to show if your game is really up to par.’ We shall be able to judge that better tomorrow when he competes in his 10th Wimbledon semifinal. For now we can report that yesterday’s crowd applauded wildly at the end. Federer deserved it. He was imperious.