Roger Federer moved up the gears as the third seed outclassed Tomas Berdych in the second Wimbledon semi-final on Friday night, beating the Czech 7-6 (4),7-6 (4), 6-4 in front of a packed Cente Court crowd in London.

The Swiss maestro, seeking his 8th Wimbledon title and 18th overall Slam, was unruffled for a majority of an encounter against the 11th-seeded Berdych who hadn't beaten him in their past seven meetings. 

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And as was the case with his quarter-final against Milos Raonic, the 35-year-old Federer was the aggressor from the the very first point, not allowing the towering Berdych any breathing space whatsoever. 

Holding his own with ease, Federer constantly put Berdych under pressure on the Czech’s serve and got the breakthrough in the fifth game of the opening set. 

However, just when legions of his fans thought the seven-time champion would accelerate, he gifted Berdych a break, double-faulting twice to allow the 31-year-old a golden chance to level proceedings. 

While the set went to a tie-break, Federer was in cruise control once Berdych made a hash of an easy forehand shot to let the Swiss lead 5-3 and the third seed accelerated to take the set with 53 minutes on the clock. 

Berdych, the 2010 finalist, when he beat Federer in the quarters, was always up against it after losing the opening set and while he gave his older opponent a stiff fight, the Swiss always looked in control.

Neither player was able to break the other in the second set as a tie-break loomed large for the second time and yet again, Federer shone when it mattered most with Berdych trying his level best but coming up short against the iconic 35-year-old.

Four years Berdych’s senior, Federer looked younger than his opponent throughout the tie and never more so than the third set, when the Czech looked like he had been run ragged. 

Once he broke the 11th seed in the seventh game, Federer’s triumph was a mere formality and the adoring Centre Court crowd urged him on to close the match as quickly as possible. 

And close out he did, on his own serve with a crestfallen Berdych wondering what he had done wrong as the crowd roared in in unison delight at the Swiss’s triumph. 

Federer now has a chance to create history by winning an unprecedented 8th Wimbledon title when he takes on the dangerous Marin Cilic in the final on Sunday. 

He will be the oldest Wimbledon champion at the grand old age of 35 if he wins,  since Australian great Ken Rosewall won it in as a 39-year-old in 1974. 

After a difficult few years with plenty of near-misses, Fed Ex has stunned even his most ardent of fans with a wondrous 2017 in which he lifted the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami Masters and has now reached the final of the most iconic Slam of the year.