Defending champion Roger Federer overcame 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt in four sets on Wednesday to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, edging closer to a possible final against Andy Roddick.
Federer lost his serve and dropped a set for the first time this tournament, but had 19 aces and 50 winners to prevail 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-0, 6-4 in a high-quality centre-court match that ended close to dusk. It was Federer’s 22nd consecutive win on grass.
The two-hour-19-minute match ended with a double-fault by Hewitt.
Roddick, who hasn’t lost a set in five matches, served 18 aces and outslugged Sjeng Schalken 7-6 (4), 7-6 (9), 6-3 — closing out the match with a leaping overhead.
The second-seeded Roddick advances to meet Croatia’s 20-year-old Mario Ancic, who upset fifth-seeded Tim Henman 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-2.
Roddick is 1-0 against Ancic, winning in three sets on grass at Queen’s Club last month.
Federer will face Sebastian Grosjean, who swept Florian Mayer 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semis for the second straight year.
In women’s play, two-time defending champion Serena Williams beat a listless Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 6-1 in 45 minutes in a centre-court match that never lived up to expectations. Williams goes next against Amelie Mauresmo, who beat Paola Suarez 6-0, 5-7, 6-1 to make her second Wimbledon semifinal.
The Federer-Hewitt match, interrupted twice by rain for about an hour each time, featured a contrast between the all-court Swiss player with a big serve and the hustling Australian baseliner with a fantastic return.
”It was a battle where I really had to run a lot,” Federer said. ”The first and third sets don’t show how hard the battle was.”
The top-seeded Federer appeared on his way to an easy win, breaking twice in the 23-minute first set and serving it out with three aces.
”He came out right on fire, right from the start,” Hewitt said.
But Hewitt lifted his game in the second set and dominated the tiebreaker, capitalising on a terrible miss by Federer on a forehand sitter on the second point. Hewitt closed the tiebreaker with a second-serve winner, handing Federer his first set loss of these championships.
Federer responded by winning seven straight games to go up two-sets-to-one and 1-0 in the fourth. Hewitt took an injury timeout after the third set, receiving treatment on his right thigh, but never seemed troubled on the court.
After going 0-8 on break points, Hewitt broke for 4-3, shouting ”C’mon!” and doing a big fist pump. It was the first time Federer had been broken in 70 service games this tournament and in 105 games going back to last year’s quarterfinals.
Unshaken, Federer broke back in the next game. Hewitt held two more break points in the following game, but Federer saved the first with an ace and the second with a service winner and held for 5-4. He broke Hewitt for the seventh time to end the match.
”He really stepped it up,” Hewitt said. ”He’s the best player in the world at the moment.”
Roddick’s match against Schalken featured a compelling 20-point second-set tiebreaker in which he saved three set points, ripped forehand winners, hit a tournament-best 233,6kph serve and connected on big second serves.
”It was a dogfight,” Roddick said. ”He’s doesn’t look spectacular, but he’s a great player.”
Roddick, who was never broken, saved three break points in the first game of the third set. After a second rain delay at 1-1, he got the only service break of the match with a forehand pass to go up 4-2. He served out the match at love, starting with his 18th ace and ending with a soaring smash reminiscent of Pete Sampras during his run of seven Wimbledon titles.
”The power Andy has, the ball’s coming at you — you don’t have any time to react,” the 12th-seeded Schalken said. ”That’s something very special. He doesn’t have a weakness, I think.”
Williams and Capriati have built one of the best rivalries in women’s tennis, but their centre-court match was completely one-sided. The 13 000-capacity stadium was one-third empty and guests in the Royal Box barely had time to settle in their seats before it was all over.
The most animated point of the match was the last one — with Williams tumbling on a stretch forehand volley that Capriati couldn’t reach.
The top-seeded Williams, who has lost only 17 games in five matches, is trying to become the third woman in 35 years to win three straight titles.
Williams, who had knee surgery after winning Wimbledon last year, returned to the tour in March after an eight-month layoff.
She now seems back to her dominant best.
”I’m feeling really good for the first time since I’ve been back,” she said.
The other women’s semifinal berths were filled on Tuesday with 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport and 17-year-old Russian star Maria Sharapova advancing to the final four from the bottom half of the draw.
Ancic, a protege of 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic, silenced the home crowd by thoroughly outplaying Henman on centre court. The win brought an end to Henman’s latest bid to become the first British player to win the men’s title since Fred Perry in 1936. The 29-year-old Henman has now lost in four quarterfinals and four semifinals. — Sapa-AP