By Erik Gudris | Wednesday, July 2, 2014

 

Roger Federer withstood big hitting from his friend Stan Wawrinka to reach yet another Wimbledon semifinal.

Photo Credti:  Kieran Galvin / CameraSport

Though the smell of upsets lingered in the air, Roger Federer wouldn't let a friendly rivalry stand in his way of the Wimbledon semifinals.

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No. 4 seed Federer found himself in an all-Swiss showdown against his friend No. 5 seed Stan Wawrinka in Wednesday's quarterfinal. The occasion marked the first time two Swiss men had reached the elite eight at Wimbledon and it was their fourth meeting against each other at a Grand Slam.

Despite it being the first quarterfinal showing for Wawrinka at Wimbledon, early on he appeared ready to go even further in the event.

Striking the ball with ferocious power, Wawrinka put Federer on the defensive right from the start in the opening set. Taking hold of a break lead, Wawrinka would go on to close out the set 6-3.

Federer, despite mixing things up with serve and volley, still couldn't put a dent in Wawrinka's game. A tense tiebreak ensued with both men level at 3-all before they changed sides.

Wawrinka ripped a forehand just long on the next point giving Federer the mini-break lead. Federer would soon hold three set points, finally converting on the third with yet another winning serve and volley combo.

The momentum shift continued into the third set especially after Wawrinka appeared to deal with stomach issues. Federer would again seize a break lead and, with a smash winner, closed out the third set 6-4.

Wawrinka took an extended break off court before the start of the fourth set. With the reigning Australian Open champion looking sluggish, Federer took advantage.

Multiple errors from Wawrinka's racquet gave Federer an early break. Wawrinka would find some energy late in the set though and that helped him challenge Federer in the final games.

Federer would serve for the match up 5-4, but Wawrinka made Federer work for his place in the final four. After netting a drop volley on his first match point, Federer would face a break point soon after. A smash winner from the seven-time Wimbledon champion erased that threat.

Three more match points would come and go for Federer until a potent serve created his fifth opportunity. Federer would aim a smash into the open court behind Wawrinka who ran the other way.

With that, Federer raised his arms to celebrate the 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 win to reach his 35th career Grand Slam semifinal.

Here's what Federer had to say afterwards.