LONDON (AP) — The match, and Roger Federer’s bid for a record eighth Wimbledon championship, essentially should have been over after a little more than 1½ hours Wednesday.
Already trailing two sets to none, he was down love-40 while serving at 3-all in the third.
Once that problem was solved, his quarterfinal against Marin Cilic really could have concluded 45 minutes later, when Federer faced a match point at 5-4 in the fourth. Or 10 minutes and two games later, when Cilic again was a point from winning. Or another 10 minutes after that, when Cilic held a third match point.
Through it all, Federer, a month shy of his 35th birthday, would not go away. And Cilic, who beat Federer in straight sets en route to the 2014 U.S. Open title, could not close the deal. Saving that trio of match points, Federer eventually emerged with a don’t-look-away-or-you’ll-miss-something 6-7 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3 victory over Cilic to reach his 11th semifinal at the All England Club.
Indeed, he did. When he capped his escape with a pair of aces at 126 mph and 115 mph, the third-seeded Federer thrust both arms overhead and violently wagged his right index finger. He’s no longer ranked No. 1. He hasn’t won a Grand Slam trophy since 2012.
He dealt with knee surgery and a bad back this season, the first since 2000 that he arrived at Wimbledon without a title. He sat out the French Open, the first major he missed since 1999, raising doubts about his readiness for Wimbledon.
On Friday, Federer faces No. 6 Milos Raonic, a 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 winner against No. 28 Sam Querrey, the man who surprised No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round.
Raonic, beaten by Federer in the 2014 Wimbledon semifinals, declared: “I’m happy that I have another shot at him.”
On the other half of the draw, No. 2 Andy Murray, the 2013 champion, barely avoided the same fate as Cilic and held off No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (10), 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1. Murray’s seventh Wimbledon semifinal will come against No. 10 Tomas Berdych, who eliminated No. 32 Lucas Pouille 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2.
It’ll be tough for any remaining match to achieve the intensity of Federer vs. Cilic.
Both served supremely well for stretches. Federer led in aces, 27-23, was broken only once, and in the last two sets, altered his stance on returns to get a better read on the ninth-seeded Cilic’s speedy serves.
There was a lot of quick-strike tennis, yes, but still room for lengthy, engaging points. There were rare signs of frustration from Federer, who swatted a ball angrily after one fault, then gave a line judge a talking-to about a call.
Most memorable, though, were Cilic’s wasted opportunities, starting at 3-3 in the third set.
He earned three break points by smacking a forehand passing winner. On the first, looking tight, Cilic netted a backhand. On the second, he sent a forehand long, and Federer let out a guttural yell.
On the third, Cilic’s backhand return went wide, and Federer shouted again. Federer took the next two points to hold, and at the ensuing changeover, fans chanted: “Let’s go, Roger! Let’s go!”