World number one Roger Federer ended comeback king Marat Safin's Wimbledon dream this afternoon and put himself in line for a modern-era record sixth consecutive title. His victory set up a third successive Wimbledon final against Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard later brushed aside Rainer Schuettler in straight sets.
The Spanish second seed and French Open champion raced through the first set, taking it in just 23 minutes when the world number 94 netted a backhand.
Schuettler, who had less than 24 hours to recover from his five-hour quarter-final against Arnaud Clement that spanned two days, broke in the third game of the second but let the advantage slip when he was serving for the set and allowed Nadal to break back.
Nadal, seeking his first title at the All England Club, was dominant in the tiebreak and continued the momentum for an early break in the third. He wasted three match points on Schuettler's serve before nailing victory when the German returned wide to hand the Spaniard a 6-1 7-6 6-4 victory.
Federer's win was equally comprehensive. The Swiss champion beat an error-prone Marat Safin in straight sets 6-3 7-6 6-4.
The Swiss set the tone from the off, breaking the Russian's serve early in the first set.
He was commanding on his serve, outwitting the unseeded Safin with accurate shot placement giving the Russian no chance to break back.
The former world number one, who famously beat Federer in a five-set epic on the way to winning the 2005 Australian open, stayed with the World number one to set up a second set tiebreak where he then fluffed a series of shots to go 2-0 behind.
A backhand crosscourt winner sent Federer through to the final, where he will face Nadal who played Schuettler knowing Federer awaited yet again.