WIMBLEDON, England (AP):

Roger Federer neutralised Ivo Karlovic's huge serves yesterday to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals and move a step closer to a record 15th Grand Slam championship. Two-time finalist Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Tommy Haas completed the final four.

In a match featuring short points and few rallies, Federer conjured up a few great returns to break the 6-foot-10 (2.08 m) Croatian twice and secure a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (3) victory on another sunbaked day at the All England Club.

Federer, closing in on his sixth Wimbledon title, reached his 21st consecutive semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament and extended his winning streak to 17 matches with another vintage performance on his favourite Centre Court.

Consistent

"I love the record I have of reaching so many semi-finals in Grand Slams in a row - 21 is quite a number," Federer said. "It shows how consistent I've been."

It was Federer's ninth win in 10 matches against Karlovic, who was playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Federer's next opponent will be Germany's Tommy Haas, who upset fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his first Wimbledon semi-final. The 31-year-old Haas was the oldest player in the quarters, while the 22-year-old Djokovic was the youngest.

Third-seeded Andy Murray swept Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final and keep up his bid to become the first British player to win the men's title since Fred Perry in 1936.

43 aces

Murray will face the sixth-seeded Roddick, who served 43 aces and outlasted 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-7 (10), 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-4 in the day's most competitive match. Hewitt battled back from two sets to one down, before Roddick broke for 5-4 in the fifth and then served out the match - which ended after 3 hours, 50 minutes when the Australian popped up a forehand half-volley past the baseline.

"It's a testament to the type of player he is that he kept going and made it such a fight," said the 26-year-old Roddick, who lost to Federer in the 2004 and '05 Wimbledon finals. "I think there's a lot of respect there. We used to get into it a little bit when we were younger, but I think we definitely earned each other's respect. Now we're just a couple of old married dudes, so maybe we've grown up a little bit."

Murray broke the Spaniard five times, served 18 aces and lost serve only once. Murray had 49 winners, compared to 20 for Ferrero, a former No. 1 and only third wild card to reach the Wimbledon quarters.

It was a dominant performance by Murray, the first Briton to reach the semi-finals since Tim Henman did it for the fourth time in 2002.

"I feel confident because I've won a lot of matches on the grass," Murray said. "But every day, when I get up to play the matches, I know that I'm going to have to perform very well, and that gets the nerves and the adrenaline going and makes me play better."