WIMBLEDON, England – After nearly playing his way out of Wimbledon last week, Andy Roddick is finding life at the All England Club free and easy again.

The American recorded his second consecutive straight-sets victory yesterday, this time defeating Guillermo Coria 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-4. Coria, a clay-court specialist from Argentina, had never advanced beyond the second round at Wimbledon before this year. Though he was seeded no. 15, Coria’s inability to handle Roddick’s 141 mph serve and powerful forehand made him seem more like a qualifier.

For Roddick, there would be no better cure to a painful season than his first Wimbledon title. Gone would be the Australian Open collapse and the French Open flop, where he lost his grip on a two-sets-to-love lead in the second round. Gone would be the match against Fernando Verdasco, when a kind-hearted Roddick corrected a favorable call on match point and then went on to lose.

“There’s no event like it,” he said of Wimbledon. “You drive home, you see the people queuing. You see the vines on the wall. They’ve upheld traditions.”

Yesterday, Roddick’s mood was noticeably more cheerful than it was over the weekend, when he snapped at an Italian reporter who wanted to discuss his dispute with Italy’s Daniele Bracciali over a suspension of play on Thursday evening because of darkness. Now just three wins from a title, Roddick seemed more at ease, though he admitted it’s difficult for him to keep his mind off the trophy.

“It’s obviously something that I think about and dream about,” he said. “I’m not good enough to overlook the next two matches and look ahead.”

In the quarterfinals on Thursday, Roddick will face a familiar foe, Sebastien Grosjean, who yesterday ended a fine run by Dmitry Tursunov in five sets, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Roddick and Grosjean often practice together and have met twice this year – in Houston on clay and earlier this month at Queen’s Club on grass. Roddick won both times and owns a 6-1 record against the Frenchman. Grosjean, however, has played some of his best tennis at Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals each of the past two years.

“He’s proven that he’s one of the top five grass courters in the world,” Roddick said of his foe. “But I feel like I’m playing pretty well. I feel confident.”

***

When her final serve had flown long, Kim Clijsters waived her racket in the air, a disgusted expression on her face.

After overcoming career-threatening wrist surgery and playing exceptional tennis earlier this year, Clijsters tensed up yesterday at the worst possible moment. She ended her fourth-round match against Lindsay Davenport with her third double fault of the final game, losing 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3.

It was an unfitting end to an otherwise well-played and entertaining match. Davenport, the most consistent performer in women’s tennis, once again brought some of her best strokes to the court. Her serve was dominant: Clijsters, one of the game’s great returners, failed to send back 37% of them. The American’s only complaint was that she did not put Clijsters away sooner and save some energy for today’s quarterfinals.

“I was really ticked off about not winning the second,” Davenport said. “I think that took some enjoyment out of winning in three.”

In all, Davenport slugged 35 winners and otherwise sent Clijsters scurrying all over the court. But the Belgian gamely chased down almost everything Davenport fired at her. In the second set, she survived a match point, but in the third game of the final set she played too casually from the baseline, making three errors as Davenport broke.

Down two breaks, Clijsters saved one before she served herself out of the tournament. One of the game’s best players without a Grand Slam title once again had failed to win the big match.

“I think I tried to do a little bit too much,” Clijsters said, adding that Davenport was pressing her with forceful returns. “Next time I won’t do it.”

Considering the number of times Davenport has risen to the top of tennis, her success thus far at Wimbledon should be no surprise. Year after year – since 1991, to be exact – she has been one of the tour’s top players, no matter who surrounds her. Who would have guessed that the Williams sisters would have come and gone from the top of the rankings with Davenport looking on from the no. 1 spot in the world? Her booming groundstroke and precise serve never grow old, and these days Davenport works more on her strength and conditioning than she ever has. Always gracious, she allowed herself a rare compliment for the feat of longevity.

“Pretty good, huh?” she said.

Of course, there is a final chapter yet to be written. The 29-year-old American has reached the semis or finals in three of the last four Grand Slams and walked away empty-handed. At last year’s U.S. Open, she tweaked her hip; in Australia this year she collided with a charged-up Serena Williams. If anyone is owed a bit of luck, it’s Davenport.

Today, she and the rest of the women are back in action for the quarterfinals while the men take the day off. For Davenport, two difficult opponents stand between her and another Grand Slam final: Svetlana Kuznetsova this afternoon, and perhaps Amelie Mauresmo in the semifinals.

In the other half of the draw, Maria Sharapova, who defeated Davenport in the semifinals last year, continued her march toward a second title yesterday with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over France’s Nathalie Dechy. While Sharapova remains the slight favorite, Davenport would like to knock off one last up-and-comer before she puts down her racket for the last time. She knows she does not have too many chances left.

“I hope,” she said. “It’s still so long to go.”