Roger Federer earned a record 32nd grand slam semifinal berth and moved closer to a record-tying seventh Wimbledon title when he beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 yesterday.

Federer's opponent tomorrow will be defending champion Novak Djokovic, who beat Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

Federer has a 14-12 edge against Djokovic, who is ranked No. 1. They've met in grand slam semifinals five times in the past two years, with Djokovic winning four of those matches. They've never played each other at Wimbledon.

"It's always a pleasure playing against Roger, so I'm looking forward to that," Djokovic said.

Federer had been tied with Jimmy Connors for the most major semifinals. He reached the final four at Wimbledon for the first time since 2009.

Against the No. 26-seeded Youzhny, Federer showed no sign of the back ailment that prompted him to seek treatment during the first set of his previous match. In the second game he converted his fifth break-point chance, and he pulled away from there.

A brief rain delay couldn't slow Federer, and neither could Youzhny, who seemed pleased at times just to win a point. Late in the first set, when he hit a running scoop forehand cross-court for a winner, he raises both arms and grinned as the crowd roared.

When Youzhny failed to convert a rare break-point chance in the third set, he let out a primal scream that had fans laughing. The Centre Court audience included Prince William and wife Kate, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Rod Laver.

Federer improved to 14-0 against Youzhny, his best record against any opponent. Federer has lost only three of the 35 sets they've played. The No. 3-ranked Federer seeks to match the record of seven Wimbledon titles set by William Renshaw in the 1880s and tied by Pete Sampras in 2000. If he wins the title, he'll reclaim the No. 1 ranking from Djokovic and tie Sampras' record for most weeks at the top.

Djokovic, playing on Court 1, closed out his quarterfinal victory a few minutes after Federer and had only a little more difficulty. The Serb lost his serve for the only time in the fifth game but immediately broke back.