THE way Roger Federer collects records, you would think the iPod had never been invented. Having extended his run of consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals to 21 by beating Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday, the five-time Wimbledon champion established another couple of bests in yesterday's semi-final while disposing of Tommy Haas in straight sets.
By winning 7-6, 7-5, 6-3, Federer became the first player to reach seven straight finals here since the abolition of the Challenge Round – in which a champion was given a bye to the following year's final – in 1922. He is now also out on his own for
the number of Grand Slam finals reached, having previously been equal with Ivan Lendl on 19.
It was also Federer's 50th Wimbledon win, and a result which was never in doubt for all that Haas kept it close. The No24 seed, at 31 surely the holder of a record himself as the oldest wearer of a back-to-front baseball cap in the world, had just one opportunity to get the edge over his Swiss opponent. Once that was gone, for all that it occurred in the first set, the game was up.
That opening set had progressed smoothly with no more than a hint of a break point all the way to 6-5. As the No2 seed served to stay in the set, Haas upped the tempo, taking Federer's shots earlier in a bid to increase the pressure. He failed, and then, himself under pressure in the tiebreak, was unable to withstand Federer's power.
As the second set followed the same path, Haas's expression began to settle somewhere between wistfulness and despair. The former world No2 had played his best tennis for years to get to the last four – indeed, it was the first time in 11 Wimbledon appearances that he had reached the semi-finals – but his best tennis was simply not good enough to stop Federer.
Haas saved a set point at 5-4 down, but the end was merely delayed. Serving again at 6-5 behind, he saved two more set points, but he could not do so with a third.
The third set – or the final set as it is better known when Federer has won the first two – was a little shorter. For all that he tried to hold his game together, Haas was aware that defeat was imminent.
The most blatant indication of that came on a point which, paradoxically, the German won. With Federer serving at 2-2, Haas played a drop shot then raced to the net. Thinking he could do nothing to prevent a winner being played against him, he waved his arms in the arm, and also looked to have invaded his opponent's side of the court with his racket.
Rather than being a serious attempt at gamesmanship, it was a lighthearted admission by Haas that he could not prevail by normal methods. Federer's return was actually out, but the higher seed went on to win the game.
After another game apiece went with serve, Federer broke serve again, albeit on the fifth break point of the game. He then served out for the match, leaping into the air and smashing the winner on match point.
"They're never easy, those big matches," he said later, despite appearances to the contrary. "I couldn't even get close to breaking Tommy for two sets.
"It's something that happens quite frequently on grass. It's also what happened to me in Paris, where I wasn't able to break him for I think over one and a half sets – because I think I was up a break in the second."
That Paris match was in this year's French Open, but in fact it bore little resemblance to this contest. Haas had been two sets to love up at Roland Garros before losing in five, and although his bright start there had given him hope for this match, that hope was never realised. "I approached it with a lot of confidence," Haas said. "I've been playing some of my best tennis, you know.
"Having played him really tough in the French Open, having won in Halle, having beaten a lot of good players here to get to the semi-finals, I felt like if I can get my chance and use it I can maybe do it." He simply never got that chance. "I served well, and I think he served extremely well," the German continued.
"He just comes up with the goods. He can play defensive and turn it into offensive so quick like no other player, and that makes him so extremely tough.
"For him, being on this occasion so many times, I feel like he just has the edge over everybody of just how he feels and how he has to play and what he has to do without thinking about it too much. And I think maybe a little bit too much about what I want to do, and that can be the mistake sometimes."
Speaking before Andy Roddick had beaten Andy Murray in the second semi-final, Haas suggested the Scot would have stood a far better chance of defeating the No2 seed in tomorrow's final.
"Andy Roddick is playing some of his best tennis. Playing extremely well. Serving well. But I wouldn't give him really a chance to beat Roger in the final. Maybe take a set. That's my opinion.
"Andy Murray, if he can play extremely well, I think would give him more trouble because of the style he plays and also knowing that he has beaten him a lot of times in the past. The US Open final was a different situation.
"Plus with the crowd and everything, maybe that can get to Roger a little bit and be a little bit tighter. (It will] be a really interesting final if Andy Murray should win."
Of course, that's not to be, but if Roddick can bring the form he showed yesterday he could yet pose the Swiss more problems than he managed in their previous two Wimbledon finals. That, said, if Federer continues his form then it's hard to see past him further adding to that impressive record collection.
RESULTSMEN'S SINGLES
Semi-finals: (6) Andy Roddick (USA) bt (3) Andy Murray (Gbr) 6-4 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-5), (2) Roger Federer (Swi) bt (24) Tommy Haas (Ger) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 6-3
WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Semi-finals: (4) Serena Williams (USA) & Venus Williams (USA) bt (1) Cara Black (Zim) & Liezel Huber (USA) 6-1 6-2, (3) Samantha Stosur (Aus) & Rennae Stubbs (Aus) bt (2) Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spa) & Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2
MIXED DOUBLES
Semi-finals: (1) Leander Paes (Ind) & Cara Black (Zim) bt (12) Stephen Huss (Aus) & Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) 6-4 6-4, (9) Mark Knowles (Bah) & Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Ger) bt Jamie Murray (Gbr) & Liezel Huber (USA) 6-2 7-5
MENS OVER 45 DOUBLES
Group A: Ken Flach (USA) & Danie Visser (Rsa) bt Vijay Amritraj (Ind) & John Fitzgerald (Aus) 6-4 3-6 10-6, Kevin Curren (USA) & Johan Kriek (USA) bt Mansour Bahrami (Irn) & Henri Leconte (Fra) 6-1 6-4
MEN'S OVER 35 DOUBLES
Group A: Pat Cash (Aus) & Chris Wilkinson (Gbr) bt Mark Petchey (Gbr) & Greg Rusedski (Gbr) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4
WOMEN'S OVER 35 DOUBLES
Group A: Martina Navratilova (USA) & Helena Sukova (Cze) bt Tracy Austin (USA) & Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel (USA) 7-5 6-3
Group B: Ilana Kloss (Rsa) & Rosalyn Nideffer (USA) bt Annabel Croft (Gbr) & Samantha Smith (Gbr) 6-2 7-5, Jana Novotna (Cze) & Andrea Temesvari (Hun) bt Gretchen Magers (USA) & Conchita Martinez (Spa) 6-4 3-6 12-10
WOMEN'S WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES
Semi-finals: Korie Homan (Ned) & Esther Vergeer (Ned) bt Katharina Kruger (Ger) & Sharon Walraven (Ned) 6-0 6-0, Daniela Di Toro (Aus) & Lucy Shuker (Gbr) bt Florence Gravellier (Fra) & Jiske Griffioen (Ned) 6-4 6-4
BOYS SINGLES
Semi-final: Jordan Cox (USA) bt Devin Britton (USA) 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 16-14, Andrey Kuznetsov (Rus) bt (3) Bernard Tomic (Aus) 6-3 7-6 (8-6)
BOYS DOUBLES
Quarter-finals: Carlos Boluda-Purkiss (Spa) & David Souto (Ven) bt (1) Andrea Collarini (Arg) & Agustin Velotti (Arg) w/o, Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Fra) & Kevin Krawietz (Ger) bt (4) Evan King (USA) & Denis Kudla (USA) 7-5 7-6 (7-2), Jullien Obry (Fra) & Adrien Puget (Fra) bt Devin Britton (USA) & Jordan Cox (USA) 6-3 7-5, Alexandros-Ferd Georgoudas (Ger) & Andrei Vasilevski (Blr) bt (2) Cheng Peng Hsieh (Tpe) & Liang-Chi Huang (Tpe) 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
GIRLS SINGLES
Semi-finals: 1) Kristina Mladenovic (Fra) bt Miyabi Inoue (Jpn) 6-1 6-2, (4) Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (Tha) bt (6) Timea Babos (Hun) 6-2 6-0
GIRLS DOUBLES
Quarter-finals: Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (Tha) & Sally Peers (Aus) bt Jana Cepelova (Svk) & Vivien Juhaszova (Svk) 4-6 6-2 6-1, (5) Daria Gavrilova (Rus) & Ksenia Kirillova (Rus) bt Fatma Al Nabhani (Oma) & Yana Buchina (Rus) 6-3 2-6 6-2, Beatrice Capra (USA) & Martina Trevisan (Ita) bt Isabella Holland (Aus) & Christina McHale (USA) 4-6 6-4 6-2, (2) Kristina Mladenovic (Fra) & Silvia Njiric (Cro) bt Miyabi Inoue (Jpn) & Sachie Ishizu (Jpn) 6-1 6-3
