Federer storms into Wimbledon semi-finals

London: Roger Federer earned a record 33rd Grand Slam semi-final berth and moved closer to a record-tying seventh Wimbledon title when he beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday.

Federer had been tied with Jimmy Connors for the most major semi-finals. He reached the final four at Wimbledon for the first time since 2009, when he won the title.

Federer showed no sign of the back ailment that prompted him to seek treatment during the first set of his previous match. In the second game he converted his fifth break-point chance, and he pulled away from there.

A brief rain delay couldn't slow Federer, and neither could the No. 26-seeded Youzhny, who seemed pleased at times just to win a point.