The crowd applauds Britain's Andy Murray as he wins a point from France's Richard Gasquet, during their men's singles, fourth-round match on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, yesterday. Murray won 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4. AP
WIMBLEDON, England (AP)
Wimbledon has already lost its top-four seeded women's players, while the Williams sisters keep rolling toward another sibling final. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are also closing in on another title matchup.
Yesterday's fourth-round play at the All England Club produced more upsets at the top of the women's seedings, but also offered more convincing wins from the champions and title contenders.
40-year history
Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, hobbled by a knee injury, fell 6-3, 6-2 to Tamarine Tanasugarn. No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, lost 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to 19-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska.
With top-seeded Ana Ivanovic and No. 3 Maria Sharapova eliminated last week, none of the top-four seeded women reached the quarterfinals - the first time that's happened at Wimbledon and also the first time at any Grand Slam tournament in the 40-year history of the Open era.
The highest women's seeded player left is No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Shahar Peer. Only three of the top 14 seeded women are left.
The other two are the Williams sisters, and they posted back-to-back victories on Court 2 - nicknamed the 'Graveyard of Champions' for its history of upsets. They questioned why they weren't put on Centre Court or Court 1.
Defending champion and seventh-seeded Venus Williams beat Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-4, while two-time winner and No. 6 Serena downed Bethanie Mattek - the only other American left in the men's or women's draw - 6-3, 6-3.
Later, the sisters made it 3-0 on Court 2 for the day, beating Anabel Medina Garriques and Virginia Ruano Pascal 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarters of the women's doubles.
Between them, four-time champion Venus and two-time winner Serena have won six of the last eight women's singles titles at Wimbledon. They're in opposite halves of the draw and could meet in the final Saturday. The Williams sisters faced each other in the 2002 and 2003 finals, with Serena winning both.
Winning streak
In men's play, Federer swept Lleyton Hewitt - the last man to win the title before his run of five straight titles - 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court to extend his winning streak on gra** to 63 matches and 38 in a row at the All England Club. Federer, who served 21 aces, has now beaten his Australian rival in 12 consecutive matches.
Federer will next face the last player to beat him on gra** and at Wimbledon - Croatian Mario Ancic, who won in the first round in 2002. Ancic came from two sets down Monday to beat Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11. The final set alone lasted 1 hour, 35 minutes.
No. 2-ranked Nadal, runner-up to Federer the last two years, overcame an injury scare in the second game of the match and beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
Nadal slipped on the worn turf behind the baseline on Court 1 while stretching to hit a forehand, with his right leg bending awkwardly. After losing the point, he took a medical time-out, and a trainer wrapped his leg below the knee. The Spaniard lost the next point and the game, but showed no sign of trouble and dominated the rest of the way.
"I felt a little bit of pain," the four-time French Open champion said. "I was a little bit scared. I felt something crack a little behind (the knee). But I think it's fine."
Nadal's quarterfinal opponent will be Britain's Andy Murray, who came from two sets down to beat No. 8 Richard Gasquet 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4 in a Centre Court match that ended in near-darkness at 9:30 p.m. After hitting a service winner on his second match point to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, Murray flexed his biceps to the capacity crowd of 15,000.
Upsets continue at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England (AP)The crowd applauds Britain's Andy Murray as he wins a point from France's Richard Gasquet, during their men's singles, fourth-round match on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, yesterday. Murray won 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4. AP
Wimbledon has already lost its top-four seeded women's players, while the Williams sisters keep rolling toward another sibling final. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are also closing in on another title matchup.
Yesterday's fourth-round play at the All England Club produced more upsets at the top of the women's seedings, but also offered more convincing wins from the champions and title contenders.
40-year historySecond-seeded Jelena Jankovic, hobbled by a knee injury, fell 6-3, 6-2 to Tamarine Tanasugarn. No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, lost 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to 19-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska.
With top-seeded Ana Ivanovic and No. 3 Maria Sharapova eliminated last week, none of the top-four seeded women reached the quarterfinals - the first time that's happened at Wimbledon and also the first time at any Grand Slam tournament in the 40-year history of the Open era.
The highest women's seeded player left is No. 5 Elena Dementieva, who cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Shahar Peer. Only three of the top 14 seeded women are left.
The other two are the Williams sisters, and they posted back-to-back victories on Court 2 - nicknamed the 'Graveyard of Champions' for its history of upsets. They questioned why they weren't put on Centre Court or Court 1.
Defending champion and seventh-seeded Venus Williams beat Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-4, while two-time winner and No. 6 Serena downed Bethanie Mattek - the only other American left in the men's or women's draw - 6-3, 6-3.
Later, the sisters made it 3-0 on Court 2 for the day, beating Anabel Medina Garriques and Virginia Ruano Pascal 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarters of the women's doubles.
Between them, four-time champion Venus and two-time winner Serena have won six of the last eight women's singles titles at Wimbledon. They're in opposite halves of the draw and could meet in the final Saturday. The Williams sisters faced each other in the 2002 and 2003 finals, with Serena winning both.
Winning streakIn men's play, Federer swept Lleyton Hewitt - the last man to win the title before his run of five straight titles - 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court to extend his winning streak on gra** to 63 matches and 38 in a row at the All England Club. Federer, who served 21 aces, has now beaten his Australian rival in 12 consecutive matches.
Federer will next face the last player to beat him on gra** and at Wimbledon - Croatian Mario Ancic, who won in the first round in 2002. Ancic came from two sets down Monday to beat Fernando Verdasco 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11. The final set alone lasted 1 hour, 35 minutes.
No. 2-ranked Nadal, runner-up to Federer the last two years, overcame an injury scare in the second game of the match and beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
Nadal slipped on the worn turf behind the baseline on Court 1 while stretching to hit a forehand, with his right leg bending awkwardly. After losing the point, he took a medical time-out, and a trainer wrapped his leg below the knee. The Spaniard lost the next point and the game, but showed no sign of trouble and dominated the rest of the way.
"I felt a little bit of pain," the four-time French Open champion said. "I was a little bit scared. I felt something crack a little behind (the knee). But I think it's fine."
Nadal's quarterfinal opponent will be Britain's Andy Murray, who came from two sets down to beat No. 8 Richard Gasquet 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4 in a Centre Court match that ended in near-darkness at 9:30 p.m. After hitting a service winner on his second match point to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, Murray flexed his biceps to the capacity crowd of 15,000.