Roger Federer of Switzerland beat Ivo Karlovic of Croatia Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon semifinals 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 made a few great returns to break the Croatian twice and secure a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3) victory.

Federer, closing in on his sixth Wimbledon title, reached his 21st consecutive semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament and extended his winning streak to 17 matches.

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

Federer's next opponent will be Germany's Haas, who beat fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his first Wimbledon semifinal.

(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2009)