When Roger Federer is playing at his peak, no one can touch him. When he is playing under pressure, he is still too strong for even the best. And when he is not playing well, he just refuses to be beaten.

Federer was simply magnificent as he marched past Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-7, 6-0, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. Hewitt may have raised his game by several notches now that he is back at the All England Club, and he may be the best counter puncher in the business, but he could do nothing against the defending champion. He tried, he always tries, but Federer was simply too good.

The first set came and went in the twinkling of an eye - 22 minutes, if you prefer bald facts - as Federer served with aplomb and returned with authority. In between, he was lashing his forehand and planting his backhand. He could do no wrong and much as the crowd wanted their money's worth, they could only marvel at the magical powers of the champion in front of them.

A rain delay at the start of the second set slowed the Swiss slightly and, returning to work under leaden skies, he started to make a few more mistakes than in those opening 22 minutes. Then again, he had only made two unforced errors in the first set so a fluffed backhand here and there was hardly going to make him panic. All in all it allowed Hewitt to keep pace with his rival until, at 5-5, the rain returned.

These delays were becoming a nuisance. If Federer was aiming for perfection, the least the weather could do was try and follow suit. Both interruptions lasted around an hour and that was just long enough to disrupt the Swiss movement. Coming back for the third act of this quarter-final, Federer made a hash of the second set tiebreak - he won just one point - but that was the last error he was prepared to countenance.

At the start of the third set, the champion saw his chance. Three sloppy shots from Hewitt presented Federer with a break point. This was too good to miss and, pouncing with a backhand, Roger was himself again. From taking that 2-0 lead, he took off, running away with the set and wrapping it up in 26 minutes. Back to his majestic best, not even Hewitt's swift legs could come anywhere near him, much less catch him.

Hewitt, being Hewitt, was not going to give up without a fight and, launching one last assault, he ran himself ragged in pursuit of Federer's serve. He chased, he scampered and ran after lost causes until finally, he got his reward: a 4-3 lead. It was the first time Federer had been broken at The Championships since the quarter-finals last year.

Hewitt's moment of celebration was not to last, though, and with a double fault in the next game, he dropped his serve to relinquish that hard earned advantage. It was the final straw and, asked to serve to stay in the match a few moments later, he threw in another double fault on match point to send Federer through.