Williams Sisters Advance as More Top Seeds Fall
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WIMBLEDON, England — 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.
Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic, hobbled by a knee injury, fell 6-3, 6-2 to Tamarine Tanasugarn. No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. 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.
“It wasn’t what I would have liked to see,” Serena Williams said of the Court 2 scheduling. “Initially, I thought, ‘Is this the right schedule?’ I thought maybe there was a mistake. But I can’t dwell on that. I just have to focus on doing the best that I can whether I’m on Court 2 or Court 20.”
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 ’03 finals, with Serena winning both.
“Both of us have an opportunity to live our dream, so for us it’s a plus,” Venus Williams said.
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 grass 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 grass 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.
“I completely underestimated him back in 2002,” Federer said. “I was a little shellshocked and didn’t know what happened to me. What it taught me was not to underestimate any opponent.”
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 timeout, 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 quarterfinal, Murray flexed his biceps to the capacity crowd of 15,000.
“It was the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court,” said Murray.