OMNISPORT

Roger Federer sensationally fought back from two sets down to defeat Marin Cilic 6-7 (4-7) 4-6 6-3 7-6 (11-9) 6-3 in a pulsating Wimbledon quarter-final on Centre Court.

The seven-time champion, seeking to stand alone as the first winner of eight men's singles crowns at the All England Club, staved off three match points as he overturned a two-set deficit to win for the 10th time in his career, setting up a semi-final against Milos Raonic.

Despite having struggled with injuries throughout 2016, Federer proved he still has the mentality of a champion, avenging his 2014 US Open exit at the Croatian's hands for a record-breaking 307th grand slam match win.

Federer failed to take advantage of two opportunities to earn the first break in game five, and errors in the subsequent tie-break helped Cilic surge into a 5-0 lead.

A long slice from Federer gave the Croatian the opening set, and a similar miss resulted in the first drop of serve in the second, before Cilic staved off a break point to move 3-1 up.

The third seed's usually trusty backhand faltered as he found the net three times to fall two sets down, but he got the crowd on their feet when he recovered from 0-40 down to hold serve midway through the third set.

Nerves set in for Cilic and a double fault on break point proved costly as Federer went on to claw a set back with a backhand down the line.

The Swiss then saved two match points to force a tie-break in the fourth, where a successful challenge of an extremely tight call at the baseline sent him 5-3 up.

After Cilic failed to convert his third match point, Federer forced a decider on his fifth set point when the Croatian buried a forehand in the net

The tension continued to mount and it was Federer who rose to the occasion, serving out the match to prompt huge applause after Cilic had sent a forehand wide to be broken in the previous game.

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
Federer [3] bt Cilic [9] 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-3 7-6 (11-9) 6-3

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Federer - 67/24
Cilic - 59/36

ACES
Federer - 27
Cilic - 23

BREAK POINTS WON
Federer - 2/9
Cilic - 1/8

FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Federer - 63
Cilic - 57

PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Federer - 79/59
Cilic - 82/54

TOTAL POINTS
Federer - 170
Cilic - 162