Wimbledon: Six-time champion Roger Federer gone in quarterfinals

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Roger Federer was pushed around Wednesday, overpowered by Tomas Berdych, a rosy-cheeked 24-year-old from the Czech Republic. But it was more than that. Berdych also played thoughtful points, countering Federer’s slices with his own, pulling off nervy lobs, sometimes sneaking in behind his big forehands for confident volleys.

And then Berdych did the most difficult thing possible: He had to hold serve to beat the defending Wimbledon champion, the six-time Wimbledon winner, the top seed, the man who has won more Grand Slam titles than anyone in history.

Berdych did it. He did it with a loose-armed, easygoing forehand that settled deep in the corner with the 28-year-old Federer unable to catch up. It gave Berdych a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal win. It was the second win in a row for Berdych over Federer. He had done it in three at Key Biscayne, Fla., last spring.

Now Berdych will play third-seeded Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Djokovic had no trouble eliminating Yen-Hsun Lu, the young man from Taiwan who had upset Andy Roddick, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

‘This is really amazing for me,’ Berdych said. ‘So far that last game was the toughest game of my career, to close out this match. I have a really big box of confidence.’

-- Diane Pucin in Wimbledon, England