Roger Federer pulled off the great escape in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2016, rising from the dead to somehow beat Marin Cilic. Down two sets and facing an inspired Cilic, Federer showed why he has 17 Grand Slam titles to his name by producing an astounding comeback.
The Swiss maestro will hope his semifinal against Milos Raonic at Centre Court on Friday is a lot more straightforward, but going by the Canadian's form and the similarities in his game to Cilic's, this could prove to be yet another Wimbledon classic.
Get the final score and report of the match HERE
Federer looked down and out after losing the first two sets to Cilic, with the Croat's serves, powerful forehand and ability to read the Swiss' serve putting the great man on the brink. However, the momentum shifted when Federer saved three break points in the third set, before going on to break Cilic's serve to get some kind of grip on the match.
Having held his nerve in the rest of the encounter, Federer will be in confident mood going into this semifinal against Raonic.
"It's a big battle," Federer said after his five-set win over Cilic on Wednesday. "Clearly, I mean, it's great winning matches like these, coming back from two sets to love. It's rare. When it happens, you really enjoy them.
"Definitely felt like I got lucky to some extent. Always when you're saving match points, I don't know, when you're down two sets to love, 3-all, Love-40, it's a moment when it's not in your control anymore. But I fought, I tried, I believed. At the end I got it done. So it was great on so many levels."
Federer, who has beaten his semifinal opponent in nine out of 11 previous meetings, has entertained the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon on levels previously unimagined, and with Raonic and his powerful booming serve next up, this has all the ingredients of a close match, a match that could, again, be defined by who ramps it up on the big points.
Raonic will have the slight rest advantage, considering his quarterfinal against Sam Querrey, the man who beat Novak Djokovic, only lasted four sets. That was a match of the big-serves, and while Federer's serving is one of the best in the business, there is a lot more to the 34-year-old's game, as the No.6 seed will know.
Two year ago, Raonic faced Federer on this same stage at Wimbledon, with the latter prevailing in straight sets. Raonic is determined avenge that defeat come Friday.
"I look forward to it a lot," Raonic said of facing the No.3 seed. "Definitely a great opportunity. Two years have passed since I played him here in the semifinals. I'm happy that I have another shot at him. I hope I can revel in that opportunity."
Where to Watch Live
Roger Federer vs Milos Raonic -- Wimbledon men's singles semifinal -- is scheduled for a 1 p.m. local time (5.30 p.m. IST, 8 a.m. ET) start. Below is the TV and live streaming information.
India: TV: Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1. Live Streaming: Starsports.com and Hotstar.
UK: TV: BBC Two and BBC One. Live Streaming: BBC iPlayer.
USA: TV: ESPN. Live streaming: Watch ESPN.
Canada: TV: CTV and TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
France and Middle East: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
Asia: TV: Fox Sports Asia. Live Streaming: Fox Sports Play Asia.
China: TV: Beijing TV, LeTV Sports, Jiangsu TV.
Europe: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
