LONDON: Seven-time champion Roger Federer and 2013 winner Andy Murray set up a Wimbledon semi-final showdown Wednesday.

Second-seeded Federer reached his 10th Wimbledon semi-final with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 win over French 12th seed Gilles Simon.

Murray, the third seed, cruised into his sixth All England Club semi-final with an equally comfortable 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 win against unseeded Canadian Vasek Pospisil.

Federer, 33, who is bidding to become the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era, will be playing in his 37th Grand Slam semi-final.

He shrugged off two rain delays as well as being broken for the first time at the tournament to complete victory in just 94 minutes.

Federer fired 11 aces and 36 winners as he secured a sixth win in eight meetings with Simon, who was attempting to reach the last-four of a major for the first time.

“The stop and go with the rain are always tough but I think I used them to my advantage. They helped me rather than hindered me,” said Federer who said he was looking forward to meeting Murray.

He holds a narrow 12-11 lead in their heads to heads but has won their last three clashes.

Federer defeated the British third seed in the 2012 Wimbledon final before Murray gained revenge just weeks later in the Olympic Games final.

“We both like to look back on that summer of 2012. If we knew I would win Wimbledon and him Olympics, I think we both would have taken it. It was a great summer for us,” said the world number two and 17-time major winner.

Federer broke for a 3-0 lead in the first set against Simon before rain sent the players off Court One for the first rain delay.

Forty minutes later, they returned and Federer swiftly claimed the opener on the back of 15 winners to Simon’s four.

The Swiss was 4-3 up with a break in the second and then moved to 5-3 on his 116th consecutive service hold, a streak stretching back to the first round in Halle last month.

But that record was shattered in the next game when 30-year-old Simon broke Federer, who had only faced two break points at this year’s Wimbledon before Wednesday.

Federer took swift revenge, however, by regaining the advantage and he was serving for a two sets lead when the showers returned, causing another hold-up for 40 minutes.

It had little effect on the Swiss great as a service winner and back-to-back aces gave him the second set 7-5.

Federer breezed through the decider with breaks in the first and seventh games.

Murray, 28, claimed his 150th Grand Slam match victory to make his 17th Grand Slam semi-final appearance, and his sixth at the All England Club.

“I’ve played Roger many times. I know him well and we get on well, but obviously on Friday it will be a different story,” Murray said. “We’ve played some good matches here and hopefully this will be a great one.”

Bidding to become the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon titles since Fred Perry, who lifted the trophy from 1934-1936, Murray has extended his winning streak on grass to 10 matches.

With David Beckham, Prince William and his wife Kate among numerous celebrities packed onto Centre Court, the two-time Grand Slam champion was barely tested.

Pospisil’s frustration was summed up by receiving two warnings for exceeding the time limit between serves.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2015

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