Roger Federer stormed into his fourth consecutive Wimbledon final with a 6-2, 6-0, 6-2 thrashing of Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman on Friday.
The triple defending champion destroyed his 34-year-old unseeded opponent in a display of brutal brilliance before a beguiled Centre Court crowd.
Federer won 11 games in a row at one stage of the mismatch with an array of winners from all parts of the court and completed his most comprehensive win of the tournament in only 77 minutes.
The Swiss will face second seed Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final, when he attempts to become only the third man in the professional era to win four consecutive Wimbledon titles.
An inspired Nadal beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-1, 7-5, 6-3 to set up the dream final.
The Spanish ace, who beat Federer in the French Open final last month, battered his Cypriot opponent to a standstill in front of an enthralled Centre Court crowd.
Baghdatis, 21, was overwhelmed in a 30-minute first set but the second produced a breathtaking battle as the pair contested sublime rallies.
Despite going two sets and then a break down Baghdatis refused to give up, but 20-year-old Nadal would not be denied and he became the first Spanish man to reach the final here since Manuel Santana in 1966, clinching victory in two hours 26 minutes.
Federer has now won 47 matches in a row on grass and has yet to drop a set in this year's tournament. The only other man to win Wimbledon without dropping a set since tennis turned professional in 1968 was Sweden's Bjorn Borg 30 years ago.
"I played a secure game plan in the beginning and then I really got on a roll and I played excellent tennis," said Federer.
"I got into every one of his service games and I think that was difficult for him."
Doubles specialist Bjorkman was playing in only the second Grand Slam singles semi-final of his career and his first at Wimbledon.
Holding serve in the first game of the match was good as it got for the Swede, however.
Federer mesmerised him and the crowd after that and his ripped, dipping top-spun forehand was the Swiss's preferred shot of the day.
He took the first set in 27 minutes and began treating Bjorkman's attempted winners with contempt, sending them back harder than they came.
MERCIFULLY SWIFT
The gulf between the players was summed up in the fourth game of the second set when Bjorkman led 30-15 on Federer's serve. The Swiss sent down three consecutive aces and Bjorkman's chance of a break had gone without him even laying his racket on the ball.
Two games later a cry of "How do you do it, Roger?" rang out from the stands when Federer hit another ridiculous forehand winner and he wrapped up the second set in only 23 minutes.
Bjorkman finally snapped the 11-game losing streak when he held to trail 2-1 in the third but Federer was now toying with his opponent and mercifully the end for the Swede was swift.
© 2024 Rediff.com -