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The former world No. 1 eased into his eighth straight U.S. Open semifinal Thursday evening, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Federer’s only misstep of the night was when he uncharacteristically slipped and fell after hitting a shot, a rare occurrence for the most graceful man in tennis. Blame the mist: There was yet another rain delay Thursday evening, and the ball boys were toweling off the court throughout the match.

At Wimbledon earlier this year, Tsonga beat Federer like he had never been beaten before: He won their quarterfinal contest after losing the first two sets. (Federer had been 178-0 when leading by two sets in Grand Slam tournaments.)

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Related Topics: US Open 2011 tennis, tennis, Roger Federer