The Men’s Quarterfinals finished up and I managed to call three of the four matches.  As I (and many others I’m sure) predicted, Roger Federer easily advanced to the Semifinals after a straight sets win over Ivo Karlovic.  This marks his 21st successive major Semifinal.

Andy Murray will be joining Federer in the Semis after a 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero.  It will be Murray’s first appearance in the Wimbledon Semifinals.  British fans couldn’t be happier and probably a bit relieved that it wasn’t another four-hour trial like his match against Wawrinka.

Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt had a five-set epic battle in which Roddick managed to come out victorious.  The American beat the Australian 6-3, 6-7 (10-12), 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-4.  Roddick came on strong, starting the first set with a 3-0 lead but Hewitt took the set back.  And so it went, back and forth between these two popular players until Roddick sealed the deal after converting his second break point in the ninth game.  Victory came on his first match point.

The real surprise of the day was the match between Tommy Haas and Novak Djokovic.  Haas proved that experience is indeed a powerful tool after claiming a 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3 win over the world no. 4.  Haas’s serve-and-volley style coupled with a strong backhand worked well for the German, but his sheer determination to win turned out to be his biggest asset.  There was no way he was going to lose this match.  He upset the world no. 4 and will be advancing to the Semifinals.

The courts are heating up, and the Semis will see some pretty intense matches.  Federer will face off against Haas for a chance at the finals, and Murray will face Roddick.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Roger Federer v Tommy Haas
Moneyline
Federer: -1600
Haas: +700

Andy Murray v Andy Roddick
Moneyline
Murray: -375
Roddick: +235

But before all of that, the Women will faceoff in their Semifinal round.  It’ll be a showdown between Russia and the US as Venus Williams goes up against world no. 1 Dinara Safina and Serena Williams faces Elena Dementieva.  All four top seeds have advanced, which marks the first time this has happened in a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2006.

The Williams have been dominating their opponents in this tournament and it will be interesting to see if Safina or Dementieva will be able to put a stop to their winning streaks.  Neither of the Russians has been able to pull out a Grand Slam win but it’s not from a lack of trying.  Safina has made it to the Finals on a few occasions, but just can’t seem to keep her nerves under control long enough to put up a decent fight.  And this marks Dementieva’s 43rd Grand Slam, but the no. 4 seed has yet to secure a spot in the Finals.

On the other side of the net, the Williams’ shelves are stacked with hardware, and, unfortunately for all of their opponents, another win seems imminent as they play their best on the grass.  Venus has not lost a set at Wimbledon since the third round in 2007.  And though Serena’s wins have been more evenly dispersed across all four Grand Slam tournaments, she is particularly looking forward to another Wimbledon title.  Perhaps Safina and Dementieva will put up more of a fight than the sisters have faced so far at Wimbledon, but my guess is that it will be another face off between Venus and Serena in the Finals.

BetUS is offering the following odds:

Dinara Safina v Venus Williams
Game Hcp
Safina: +4 ½ -110
Williams: -4 ½ -130

Moneyline
Safina: +400
Williams: -700

Elena Dementieva v Serena Williams
Game Hcp
Dementieva: +4 ½ -110
Williams: -4 ½ -130

Moneyline
Dementieva: +400
Williams: -700