Federer, Roddick Bully Into Wimbledon Quarters

Posted on June 29, 2004

Eight players moved into the men's quarterfinals Monday at Wimbledon, most convincingly again in defending champion Roger Federer and his No. 1 competitor, Andy Roddick.

Federer, who has yet to drop a set thus far at the All England Club, sparkled again in the face of Croatian giant "Dr." Ivo Karlovic, employing his all-court game in a 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-6(5) win.

"It is definitely, you know, different," said Federer on facing the serve of the 6'10" "Dr." Ivo. "You know, I faced the pace of the serve, but it's a different angle it's coming from. So it makes it -- the thing is, you're not used to it, you know. He serves very consistent."

Roddick defeated another towering adversary in German Alexander "My Serve Has" Popp in a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

"I had a couple bad service games there in the third set, and my return game got me through it, you know," Roddick said. "I think I broke him three times that set."

England held its collective breath as No. 5 seed Tim Henman dodged a missile, or in this instance a Scud that failed to go off in the form of No. 11 seed Mark Philippoussis, who could not put a dent in the Brit's steady serve in a 6-2, 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(5) loss.

Others into the quarters were former champ (7)Lleyton Hewitt (d. (9)Moya in four), (10)Sebastien Grosjean (d. (27)Ginepri), (12)Sjeng Schalken (d. (30)Spadea in four), and un-seeds Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic (d. Malisse, who retired in the second set with a back injury), and Germany's Florian "Oscar" Mayer (d. J.Johansson in four).

The men get a day of rest in singles, but doubles highlights Tuesday include (2)Bryan/Bryan vs. Gimelstob/Humphries in an all-American, (1)Bjorkman/Woodbridge vs. Americans Leach/MacPhie, (5)Knowles/Nestor vs. Americans Parrott/Spadea, and Zimbabwe's (6)Black/Ullyett vs. Brazil's Sa/Saretta. Highlights, lowlights, whatever.

Teen Invasion in Women's Wimbledon Quarters

Three of the next generation of women's stars were on display Monday at Wimbledon, with teenagers (13)Maria "Grunt-o-rama" Sharapova (d. (31)Frazier), and un-seeds Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem (d. (21)Maleeva) and Frenchwomangirl Tatiana Golvin (d. Gagliardi in three) pushing their way into the quarterfinals at the All England Club.

"Going into a quarterfinal match, I don't think about if it's a quarterfinal or first round," says the unflinching Sharapova, who will next face Japan's Ai Sugiyama. "I just want to go out and just play my game. It doesn't matter what round it is."

Others into the quarters were (5)Lindsay Davenport (d. (12)Vera "Warren" Zvonareva), (11)Ai Sugiyama (d. Tanasugarn), and (14)Silvia Farina Elia (d. Ruano Pascual in three).

Today on the women's side sees (1)Serena vs. Golovin, (7)Capriati vs. (10)Petrova, (9)Suarez vs. Grande, and (4)Mauresmo vs. (14)Farina Elia in fourth round action, and in quarterfinal play (11)Sugiyama vs. (13)Sharapova, and (5)Davenport vs. The Spreminator.

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NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
Roger Federer has now won 21 straight on grass, and 35 straight sets. He's also held serve in 88 straight games...Andy Roddick has won 19 of 20 on grass, and like Roger Federer, has yet to drop a set this week. Talk about two players on a collision course...Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic, by the way, is the last player to beat Roger Federer on grass, that win coming two years ago in the first round at Wimbledon...Tatiana Golovin is just 16 and already has reached the Sweet 16 at two Grand Slam events. She's won 8 of 9 career on the grass, losing only to Maria Sharapova...The last time Andy Roddick lost a fourth round match was never...Tim Henman's dramatic victory over Mark Philippoussis was his 40th career win at Wimbledon...Lindsay Davenport has reached the QF or better at Wimbledon six straight times now...Florian Mayer had won just seven career singles matches prior to Wimbledon. Both Mayer and Ancic are 20...In junior play, 14-year-old Donald Young won his first grass match...Forecast today: Clear and sunny...Tatiana Golovin on continuing to turn to Brad Gilbert for coaching advice: "He's somebody I respect a lot. He's helped me a lot in the past. He still helps me now...I think it's just him being there, him believing in me, you know. It's just him encouraging me all the time. I think that's what really helped me the most. Of course he knows so much about the game, he's got so much experience. So it's always great to have him behind me."...Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem is having a lot of problems: "Yesterday I twist my ankle on the practice with (Maggie) Maleeva, before the match with (Meghann) Shaughnessy. I didn't sleep well. I have pain. Today I was like nervous. I was want to finish this match the fast as what I can because I was feeling a little bit pain. I didn't sleep well."...Some Tennis-X staffers assert that Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem is cute, while some say she looks like that lightbulb-headed alien that walked out of the mothership in the movie "Close Encounters of the third Kind." Discuss...Serena says she's having success with placement over power on her serve: "For years my dad's been telling me, 'Take the pace off. Don't hit them 120 if you can hit it 110.' First time in 10 years I decided, 'Okay, hmm...' It finally clicked. 'Okay, I'm only gonna hit 110 and just place it and it worked every time.' I took a lot of pace off and got it in." As the Brits say, "Nice one."...Serena on her acting ability: "Well, I'm real dramatic, as well. I just have a good scream, but I'm also really funny and have a great personality on the camera and also have a really good laugh. At any given moment, I can just laugh. It doesn't matter." As Jon Lovitz used to say, "Acting!"...Actual Q&A with Serena: Journalist: Tim (Henman) just said that he thought People's Sunday should perhaps be institutionalized. Would you like to see that here and also have a reduced-cost day at the US Open to bring in fresh fans, so to speak? Serena: What do you mean "institutionalized"? Journalist: That it would occur each year. Serena: No one plays on Sunday. Journalist: There would be a Sunday. Serena: People could get in? Journalist: Yes...Yikes...Serena on her zen-philosophy baseline style: "I just am a baseliner, I guess. And my idols were (Martina) Navratilova and John McEnroe, when my idols really should have been someone like Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert. I don't necessarily have to force myself to go to the net. I just find myself enjoying -- I mean, I love playing on the baseline, that I have to find myself, 'Okay, it's all right, Serena, you can play at the net, too.' It's more of a love I have. I become one with the baseline."...Hey ESPN, get that heinously-confusing scoreboard graphic off and go back to the standard, that is ridiculous, which non-tennis staff person came up with that? "Hey, let's make it like baseball!"