WIMBLEDON, England — Prepare for Roger-Rafa III.

Granted, it's still a round away. But after today's quarterfinal crushings it's hard to imagine anything halting a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal meeting on Sunday at Wimbledon.

"No, no, no, nothing's going to happen to stop that," predicted ESPN's Patrick McEnroe. "I just keep going back and forth about who's playing better."

Five-time defending champion Federer, imperious as ever, outclassed Mario Ancic of Croatia 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to reach a record 17th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal and extend his winning streak on grass to 64 and at Wimbledon to 39.

Standing in the way of the top-ranked Swiss's sixth consecutive final is former No. 1 Marat Safin, who beat Feliciano Lopez of Spain 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3.

No. 2 Nadal, of Spain, was equally clinical in his 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 evisceration of British hope Andy Murray. Nadal will go against either Rainer Schuettler or Arnaud Clement; that quarterfinal match was suspended by darkness tied at one set all.

Federer and Nadal were so suffocating that neither Ancic nor Murray managed a single break point. Federer won 61 of 71 points on his serve and made only six unforced errors. Nadal had a mere eight unforced errors.

"(Nadal) played so much better than me," the 12th-seeded Murray said.

So much better that few expect anything but a rematch in three days, which would make them the only two players in the Open era (post 1968) to contest three consecutive major finals at each of two separate Grand Slam tournaments.

Nadal and Federer also have squared off in French Open finals from 2006-08. "It's a total clash of the titans," McEnroe said.

Both are peaking at the right time. Both also are pushing each other to improve.

Twelve-time Grand Slam winner Federer battled mononucleosis earlier this year and arrived at Wimbledon without a major title for the first time in five years. But the 26-year-old has looked in vintage form and is the only player yet to drop a set.

He manhandled Ancic - the last player to beat him on grass, in the first round here in 2002 - clinching the contest with three consecutive aces, the final on a second serve.

McEnroe said it was Federer's best match of the year, and Federer didn't disagree.

"Today I was in complete control," Federer said. "I really feel like I'm playing as good as the last few years."

Nadal, 22 - who is aiming to be the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year - has stepped up his own assault on Federer's 231-week reign atop the rankings.

He remains the king of clay, going 28-0 at the French Open since 2005, but he has improved almost all aspects of his game on other surfaces.

His serve is bigger, he has more variety on his backhand and he can punch through the ball with more pace. Even a year ago, Nadal barely lost to Federer in five sets here.

Asked how this year's version of Nadal would fare against last year's, the two-time Wimbledon runner-up cracked up reporters by answering: "I think I'm going to win now."

Despite his credentials, 2000 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open winner Safin will be a considerable underdog against Federer, who leads their rivalry 8-2 and who won their last two matches, both on grass.

Nadal likewise will be a heavy favorite against either 145th-ranked Clement, of France, or 95th-ranked Schuettler, of Germany. Both are former Australian Open finalists.

With less than a month separating Federer from his worst Grand Slam loss, the 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 beating from Nadal in the Roland Garros final, the carryover, if any, from that demolition could become evident soon.

"I've been wondering that myself," McEnroe said. "I think we're going to find out Sunday."