Federer to face Djokovic in his record 32nd Grand Slam semi-final

By Nasir Qureshi Jul 5th, 2012 ( No Comment )

London: Roger Federer has reached a record 32nd Grand Slam semi-final and is all set to face the world number one Novak Djokovic after beating Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the quarter-final on Wednesday.

The six-time champion, who had gone level with Jimmy Connors for Grand Slam semi-final excellence when he made the last four at the French Open last month, cruised to a 14th win in 14 meetings against the 26th seeded Russian, AFP reported.

Federer, chasing Pete Sampras’s record of seven Wimbledon titles, also put an end to a worrying sequence at the All England Club where he had been knocked out in the quarter-finals in the last two years.

The Swiss great broke in the second and sixth games of the first set to claim the opener in 28 minutes while also breaking twice more in the second set, sealing it with an ace.

A second double fault gave Federer another break for 4-1 before Youzhny fought off three match points in the seventh game.

But world number three Federer wrapped up the tie in just 90 minutes with a backhand volley.