Search:
StoriesVideos
Home Tennis 

Story


Federer Rolls Into Wimbledon Quarters

Monday, June 30, 2008

(Sports Network) - Roger Federer moved into his sixth straight Wimbledon quarterfinal on Monday by handling former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets at the All England Club.

The top-seeded and current No. 1 Federer erased the 20th-seeded Hewitt 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, 6-4 in fourth-round action on Day 7 at the year's third Grand Slam event.

Following a tight first-set tiebreak, Federer wound up rolling in 1 hour, 49 minutes. The sublime Swiss swatted 21 aces and held his serve throughout the match. Hewitt went 0-for-8 on his break-point chances and had his serve broken on three occasions.

The two-time major titlist Hewitt is the last man not named Federer to capture Wimbledon, which he did six years ago.

Federer is now 14-7 lifetime against Hewitt, including wins in their last 12 matchups. The Swiss is 3-0 in their Wimbledon encounters and 6-0 in meetings at majors.

The 12-time Grand Slam titlist Federer is the reigning five-time Wimbledon champ and has won his last 38 matches at the All England Club. Bjorn Borg holds the record with 41 consecutive wins here.

Federer's quarterfinal opponent will be capable Croat Mario Ancic, the last man to beat the Swiss on grass. Federer is 5-1 lifetime against Ancic, including a 1-1 mark at the AEC and a recent victory over the Croat at Roland Garros.

The 26-year-old Federer hasn't lost on grass since falling against Ancic in the opening round at Wimbledon back in 2002. The super Swiss has won 63 straight on the fast surface, including victories over Rafael Nadal in the last two Wimbledon finals.

An unseeded Ancic advanced with a brilliant 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11 come- from-behind victory against 22nd-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Monday. The Croat needed 3 hours, 49 minutes to prevail, including a 1-hour, 35-minute fifth set.

Another upset occurred when 31st-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez came back to bounce 10th-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 8-6. Baghdatis reached the quarterfinals here last year and the semifinals two years ago. The lefthanded Lopez will play in his second quarterfinal here in four years.

Sports E-News

Sign up to receive daily sports headlines.
 


Gastrointestinal ailments – whether temporary or chronic – can be unbearable. Learn how to recognize symptoms and treat digestive woes. Full Story ››

Decorating your home for Christmas should be fun and enjoyable. Learn how to keep it that way and avoid the holiday stress. Full Story ››

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. Full Story ››

A little healthy competition between partners is fine, even healthy. But cross the line and you could doom your relationship. Full Story ››

Don’t be left out. Make the switch to Digital TV.

Market Place

Sponsor Links