Wimbledon | Andy Roddick into semis

Wimbledon |

WIMBLEDON, England — Great Britain exulted under sweltering skies Wednesday as Andy Murray continued his march toward a Wimbledon championship, sailing into the semifinals with relative ease.

But it was the battle for the chance to deny the young Scot his coveted spot in Sunday's final that provided the most gripping entertainment at the All England Club, where American Andy Roddick, the sixth seed, unleashed 43 aces in turning back a gritty challenge from Australia's Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-7 (12-10), 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-4.

The match lasted 3 hours, 50 minutes, and included wild swings of momentum, artful shot-making, ill-timed gaffes and a verbal sparring match between Roddick and chair umpire Carlos Ramos. And it was fraught with tension throughout, pitting Wimbledon's 2002 champion (Hewitt) against a two-time Wimbledon finalist (Roddick) — each a former world No. 1, and each trying to reassert his relevance among the elite of tennis.

"I hadn't been in the Grand Slam picture much in the last two years," said Roddick, 26, who will take on the third-seeded Murray and his legion of supporters Friday. "It's my second semifinal of the year right now. I'm thrilled."

Earlier in the day, five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer breezed to his 21st consecutive Grand Slam semifinal by subduing the hard-serving Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).

Federer is bidding for a record 15th Grand Slam title. But the Swiss has one unlikely hurdle to clear before reaching Sunday's final: Germany's Tommy Haas, 31, who played above his No. 34 ranking in toppling fourth-seed Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3.

Haas nearly played the spoiler last month in Federer's successful bid to win the one major title that eluded him, the French Open, nearly derailing the Swiss after taking a two-sets-to-none lead on the Parisian clay.

But Federer is regarded as peerless on Wimbledon's grass particularly with Rafael Nadal not in the field.

A British man has not won the Wimbledon's singles title since 1936. With each round Murray conquers, the 22-year-old is fast becoming a legend throughout Great Britain. He earned his spot in the semifinals with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

Also, American duo James Blake and Mardy Fish reached the semifinals of the doubles tournament, putting them two wins away from a first Grand Slam title. They defeated Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Paul Hanley of Australia 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).