Federer, Murray Moves Forward at Wimbledon

By ESPN

The match, and Roger Federer's bid for a record eighth Wimbledon championship, essentially should have been over after a little more than 1 1/2 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 US 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.

"I fought, I tried, I believed," Federer said after his 10th career comeback from a two-set hole, equaling the most on record. "At the end, I got it done."

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.

Murray Into Semis With Electrifying Comeback

Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had a nearly impossible act to follow Wednesday on Centre Court: Roger Federer's improbable and electrifying comeback from two sets down to Marin Cilic.

But then they staged their own mega-melodrama, going the thrilling five-set distance themselves. In the end, with darkness gathering, it was Murray who survived a spirited comeback by Tsonga and held on for a 7-6 (10), 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1 victory.

The match ran a nerve-challenging 3 hours, 54 minutes.

"It was a great match," Murray said later, "and the crowd were unbelievable. They got two pretty good matches, I think."

Murray has dominated the No. 12-seeded Frenchman, winning 13 of their career 15 matches and 12 of 13 since 2009.