Federer goes down

WIMBLEDON, England (AP):

For the first time in eight years, Roger Federer won't be striding on to Centre Court for the Wimbledon final.

The six-time champion was upset in the quarter-finals by big-hitting Tomas Berdych yesterday, stopping his bid for a record-tying seventh title at the All England Club and extending his recent stretch of disappointing play.

The 12th-seeded Berdych used his big serve and forehand to beat Federer 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, on Centre Court for the biggest victory of the Czech's career.

Berdych will meet No. 3 Novak Djokovic for a spot in the final, with No. 2 Rafael Nadal facing No. 4 Andy Murray in the other semi-final.

It's the first time since 2002 that Federer has failed to reach the final. Since losing in the first round eight years ago, Federer had played in the championship match a record seven consecutive times. He won the title six times and finished runner-up once, bolstering his reputation as the greatest player of all time.

Chasing the record

Winner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, Federer said he was unable to play his best tennis because of pain in his back and right leg.

"I couldn't play the way I wanted to play," said Federer, who had been chasing the record of seven titles won by Pete Sampras and 19th-century player William Renshaw. "I am struggling with a little bit of a back and a leg issue. That just doesn't quite allow me to play the way I would like to play. It's frustrating, to say the least."

Berdych said he didn't notice anything wrong with Federer.

"I don't know if he is just looking for some excuses after the match or something like that," he said. "I think he was 100 per cent ready."

Berdych ripped a clean forehand winner on his second match point to become the first Czech to reach the men's semi-finals since Ivan Lendl in 1990.

"Not many other moments can compare to this one," Berdych said. "Standing on Centre Court here in Wimbledon, beating the six-time champion here. It couldn't be better. But there is still one match to feel better feelings than this one. I hope I can get to that."

Berdych will next face Djokovic, who swept past Yen-hsun Lu in straight sets to reach the semi-finals for the second time. The third-seeded Djokovic never faced a break point as he beat the 82nd-ranked Taiwanese player 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in less than two hours on Court 1.

Rematch

Nadal, who beat Federer in the 2008 final, lost the first five games of the match but rallied to defeat No. 6 Robin Soderling 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-1. It was a rematch of this year's French Open final, which the Spaniard also won.

Nadal will play Murray, who downed 10th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-2 to make the semis for the second straight year. Murray rallied after losing his first set of the tournament and punctuated the victory with a vicious forehand winner on match point.

Murray is bidding to become the first British player to win the men's title at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. The last British man to reach the final was Bunny Austin in 1938.

With the loss, Federer will drop to No. 3 in the ATP rankings next week for the first time since November 10, 2003. Since winning the Australian Open in January, he has failed to win a tournament.