Roger Federer & Marin Cilic’s Road to the Wimbledon Final

Roger Federer has reached 29 grand slam finals while Cilic has made it to only his second.

Roger Federer's relentless pursuit of a record eighth Wimbledon title continued as he set up his 11th final against Croatian Marin Cilic.

The only member of the “big four” left – Federer has reached 29 grand slam finals while Cilic has made it to only his second.

During Wimbledon, the Swiss third seed has not lost a set through six matches; the last man to earn the title without ceding a set was Bjorn Borg, 31 years ago. He’s only been broken four times, saving 16 of 20 break points along the way.

Here’s a look at Federer and Cilic’s journey to the Wimbledon final.

Round 1

Federer Beat Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 3-0 retired

Federer was ahead 6-3, 3-0 when Alexandr Dolgopolov quit because of a painful right ankle he first twisted last month.

The match, that lasted all of 43 minutes, ended in Federer collecting his 85th win at Wimbledon, breaking a tie with Jimmy Connors for the most in the Open era.

Cilic Beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

After a tight first set which he edged by snatching the only break point, Cilic increasingly dictated terms. The 28-year-old closed out the second set with a delicate drop shot and serve-volleyed on several occasions to keep 60th-ranked Kohlschreiber off balance.

Round 2

Federer Beat Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (0), 6-3, 6-2

Federer was broken early in his match, but the seven-time champion recovered quickly and beat Lajovic in three sets to win the second round match.

Cilic Beat Florian Mayer 7-6 (2), 6-4, 7-5

Mayer, ranked 114th in the world, broke in the first game of the match but Cilic broke back, and hammered three aces to help edge the first-set tiebreak. Cilic fired four big winners to break in the ninth game of the second set before serving out the set.

Mayer did not give up without a fight, however, as he again broke the Cilic serve to lead 5-3 in the third, only to again flounder at the crucial moment, with Cilic storming back to win five games in a row and clinch victory with a trademark ace.

Round 3

Federer Beat Mischa Zverev 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-4

Three encounters in to the tournament, and Roger Federer had still not dropped a set as he beat 27th seed Zverev to sail into the fourth round.

World number 30, Zverev, who had not beaten Federer in four previous attempts, forced a tie-break in the first set, which Federer won without losing a point on serve, and then the Swiss took control, breaking once in each of the next two sets before wrapping up the match with an ace.

Cilic Beat Steve Johnson (26) 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4

Cilic eased past 26th seed Steve Johnson with minimum fuss. The big-serving Croat took his aces tally to 63 for the tournament. He took the first set when he broke in the 10th game and claimed the second in a tiebreak

After both players struggled to hold serve at the start of the third, Cilic took control before wrapping up the contest when the American dumped a forehand return into the net.

Round 4

Federer Beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

The third seed Federer took a decisive lead in the ninth game, converting his third break point. The Swiss then served out the first set to love. Dimitrov, nicknamed "Baby Fed", conceded the second set on a break of serve, punctuating a double fault with two forehands that flew long.

That pattern continued in the third set as another forehand error from the Bulgarian 13th seed handed Federer victory on his second match point in just over an hour and a half.

Cilic Beat Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2, 6-2

Cilic reached the quarter-finals with straight-set victories over solid opponents, before demolishing Agut, who is ranked a healthy 19th in the world.

But the Spaniard looked way out of his depth against the 6 ft 6 in Cilic, who used every centimetre of his height on the fast surface to serve nine aces and whack 39 winners past his opponent, who stands 15 cm shorter.

Cilic wrapped up the match in a brisk one hour 40 minutes.

Quarter-Finals

Federer Beat Milos Raonic 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (4)

Roger Federer turned his 100th Wimbledon match into an exhibition as he outclassed sixth-seed Raonic to reach the semi-finals for a record 12th time.

An 11th ace brought up a match point and Federer clinched victory when Raonic shunted a backhand wide in the third set. Federer still hadn’t dropped a set in the tournament this year.

Cilic Beat Gilles Muller 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1

After his five-set win over Rafa Nadal in the fourth round, 16th seed Muller broke in the seventh game with a powerful drive down the line, shouting out his delight as he clearly sensed another upset could be on the agenda.

But, Cilic broke Muller's first service in the deciding set and the resistance crumbled, the Croat charging through the games to win the final set 6-1.

Semi-Finals

Federer Beat Tomas Berdych (11), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4

Federer beat stubborn Berdych to reach the final for the 11th time. The 35-year-old Swiss was given a tough test by the 11th seed, who beat him at the same stage in 2010, but raised his game at the crucial moments to become the oldest men's singles finalist since Ken Rosewall in 1974.

Federer has now reached 29 grand slam finals, winning 18, and he has carved his way through the draw without dropping a set.

Cilic Beat Sam Querrey 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5

Cilic reached his first Wimbledon final with a victory over 24th seed Sam Querrey on Friday.

Serving to save the match, Querrey double-faulted and made two unforced errors before Cilic sealed victory with a forehand winner on match point. Twenty-eight-year-old Cilic is the first Croatian to reach the men's singles final at Wimbledon since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001.

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