Djokovic brings curtain up on Wimbledon semi-finals day

Novak Djokovic finds himself in the role of warm-up man Friday when he takes on Richard Gasquet for a place in the Wimbledon final before ceding the spotlight to Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Defending champion Djokovic will take an 11-1 record over Gasquet into his semi-final, his seventh at Wimbledon and the 27th Grand Slam last-four of his career.

Gasquet, the 21st seed, knocked out fourth seeded French Open champion Stan Wawrinka in five sets to reach his second Wimbledon semi-final -- eight years after his first.

"Obviously an experience of being in these final stages of Wimbledon many times is going to help me to approach it in a proper way," said Djokovic, the Australian Open champion and also Wimbledon winner in 2011.

Djokovic's bid for a career Grand Slam was shattered in the French Open final by Wawrinka but he now finds himself in touching distance of a fourth Wimbledon final as he looks to win a ninth Grand Slam title.

Gasquet's only win over Djokovic came at the 2007 Masters Cup while he was crushed by the world number one in the fourth round of the French Open last month, winning just six games.

Sentimental favourite Federer faces Murray for the 24th time hoping his near perfect Grand Slam grip on the Scot will steer him into a 10th Wimbledon final.

Second seed Federer, the seven-time champion, boasts a narrow 12-11 lead in his decade-long rivalry with Murray.

But he is 4-1 to the good at the Grand Slams, including a four-set win in the 2012 Wimbledon final which delivered his 17th and most recent major title.

Federer, at 33 and hoping to become the oldest champion of the Open Era at the All England Club, also came out on top in the 2008 US Open final, the 2010 Australian Open final and last year back in Melbourne in the quarter-finals.

Murray, five years the Swiss star's junior, won their only other clash at the Grand Slams -- a five-set semi-final thriller in Australia in 2013.

Federer, runner-up to Djokovic 12 months ago, will be playing in his 10th Wimbledon semi-final and 37th at all the majors.

Murray, the 2013 champion, is in his sixth All England Club semi-final and 17th at the majors.

Three years on from 2012, when Federer won a seventh Wimbledon and Murray proved he could win big titles by defeating the Swiss in the Olympic final, both men agree that that summer was a crucial point.

"There was a lot on the line with Andy. I think he was going for his first Wimbledon in '12. So obviously it was always going to be tough. He had lost some majors before that (three finals in total)," said Federer.

"Then the Olympics was just a different vibe altogether. I was a bit weathered but Andy played as good a final as you can play."

The gold medal for Murray was followed by his first Grand Slam title just two months later in New York.

Federer has won their last three meetings, including a 6-1, 6-0 rout at the World Tour Finals in their most recent clash at the end of 2014.

"It was embarrassing," said Murray.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sharapova looks to end 11 years of Serena pain

LONDON -- Maria Sharapova looks to end 11 years of misery when she tackles bitter rival Serena Williams for a place in the Wimbledon final on Thursday.

The Russian superstar has collected five Grand Slam titles -- including the 2004 Wimbledon crown -- and built a global brand that makes her the world's highest paid female athlete.

But the 28-year-old has still been left trailing in Serena's wake and she hasn't come out on top since 2004.

The 33-year-old American has a 17-2 lead in their head to head record, winning their last 16 meetings and depriving Sharapova of three major titles -- in the 2007 and 2015 Australian Open finals and the 2013 French Open final.

Serena has also won all four of her semi-final meetings with Sharapova, defeated the Russian in their previous Wimbledon clash in the last 16 in 2010 and routed her in the 2012 Olympic final at the All England Club.

After battling back to defeat Victoria Azarenka in the last eight -- extending her winning run at Grand Slams to 26 matches and her 2015 record to 37-1 -- Serena can't wait to take on Sharapova again.

"I love playing Maria. I think she brings out the best in me. I thought we had a wonderful final in Australia," said Serena, who remains on course to hold all four major titles at once and is in the hunt to clinch the first calendar Grand Slam since 1988.

"For me, I don't feel like I have any pressure going into this match.

"It's just totally different for me. I don't have anything to prove. I won all the Grand Slams, multiple times. Now it's just I'm here just to enjoy it."

Sharapova caused one of the great Wimbledon shocks 11 years ago when, aged just 17, she defeated Serena in the final to claim her first Grand Slam title.

The duo's relationship has remained frosty ever since, occasionally turning nasty -- as it did when they traded barbs about Sharapova dating Williams' ex-boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov and the American's own relationship with her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

Sharapova is in her fifth Wimbledon semi-final and her first since 2011.

Asked if her lack of success in the Serena match-up would be weighing on her mind, Sharapova gamely insisted she still relishes the challenge of playing the American.

"I think it's always a new match. I haven't had great success against her. I would love to change that around. That's how I look at it," the world number four said.

The other semi-final may end up being overshadowed by Serena v Maria Part 20, but there is still plenty of intrigue in the meeting between Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbine Muguruza.

Radwanska is in her fourth Grand Slam semi-final and her third at Wimbledon.

The Polish 13th seed reached the Wimbledon final in 2012, losing to Serena, and she hopes her experience of the latter stages of a major will stand her in good stead against Spanish 20th seed Muguruza, who will be appearing in the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Muguruza, 21, is the first Spanish woman to make the Wimbledon semi-finals since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1997.

source: www,abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic recovers as match suspended, Serena wins

LONDON - After three hours and two minutes of combat, Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson were forced off court in the twilight with their last 16 clash tantalizingly poised at two sets all and their Wimbledon audience begging for more.

The match was halted as dusk closed in after world number one and defending champion Djokovic had fought back from two sets down having been thoroughly outplayed by a fired up Anderson before rediscovering his A-game.

It was a remarkable conclusion to a day when a whiff of predictability had permeated the hectic schedule in men's and women's draws.

Serena had earlier ousted big sister Venus in the battle of the Williams siblings, while Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka had claimed comfortable victories.

In fact, the action elsewhere was remarkably tame in comparison to the ebb and flow of the drama on Court One.

Few had predicted Anderson would be able to mix it with Djokovic, except maybe the Serb himself who said the statuesque 2.03 metre South African was in the form of his life heading into the match.

He was not wrong. Within a short time he was two sets down as Anderson served superbly and happily went toe-to-toe with Djokovic from the back of the court, a tactic with which few succeed.

The first two sets ended with Anderson edging nervy tiebreaks, before Djokovic revved into gear storming through the third 6-1 and clinching the fourth 6-4 to leave the match in the balance and the crowd wanting more.

Sadly for them, the officials disagreed and boos rang around the arena as play was suspended until Tuesday.

The closeness of the encounter was in contrast to much of what had gone before.

The clash between the Williams sisters, who have won 10 Wimbledon singles titles, should have been the day's box-office smash, but drama was in short supply and the ending all too predictable.

BEST FRIEND

As has often been the case in the 25 matches between the siblings, the pre-game hype massively outdid the action on court, with Serena rattling through the opening eight points, and maintaining a stranglehold to wrap up the contest in 68 minutes.

She is now unbeaten in grand slams in 25 matches and edging closer to holding all four majors at the same time for the second time in her career -- although given the sensitivity of the occasion, any excitement was kept under wraps.

"It's hard to feel excited about (beating) someone you root for all the time no matter what and you love so much and is your best friend in the world," said Serena, whose next step en route to a 21st grand slam title will be against Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals.

Federer was given the swiftest of workouts against 20th-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who became the latest player to exit in double quick time at the hands of the seven-time champion without making an impact on the Swiss's serve.

At one stage it looked like the Spaniard would struggle to finish the match as the trainer was called onto court to tend to an ankle injury, but he battled on in a 6-2 6-2 6-3 defeat.

The result extended a remarkable run of serving by Federer, who has not been broken in eight straight matches and 106 games, and set up a quarter-final with French 12th seed Gilles Simon, who surprised former finalist Tomas Berdych 6-3 6-3 6-2.

Murray's bid for a second Wimbledon title continued largely untroubled, with the third seed emerging unscathed from the crosshairs of Ivo Karlovic.

The giant Croat fired down 29 aces and regularly tipped the speed gun over 130mph but Murray made the most of his chances and, bar a brief wobble when he lost the third set, claimed a comfortable 7-6(7) 6-4 5-7 6-4 victory.

There was no upset in sight as the fourth seeds in the men's and women's draw went through in straight sets as Wawrinka edged Belgium's David Goffin 7-6(3) 7-6(7) 6-4 and Maria Sharapova beat plucky Kazakh Zarina Diyas 6-4 6-4.

The remaining days of the tournament are also likely to be quieter and less controversial after Australian hot-head Nick Kyrgios was beaten in four sets by Richard Gasquet. (Reporting by Toby Davis; Editing by Ken Ferris)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Serena and Djokovic up and running at Wimbledon

LONDON - Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams made strong cases for the less is more approach to Wimbledon build-ups with resounding victories at a sunny All England Club on Monday.

Defending men's champion Djokovic, who has been training in the south of France rather than fine-tuning the grasscourt arts since his French Open title quest turned to dust, swept past Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4 6-4 6-4.

American 20 times grand slam champion Williams, who like the Serb rarely schedules in any grasscourt tournaments before Wimbledon, also proved impressive after a slow start, beating Russian debutant Margarita Gasparyan 6-4 6-1 on Court One.

The reigning U.S. Open, Australian Open and French Open champion is now half way towards a rare "calendar" grand slam last achieved by Steffi Graf in 1988 and only six wins away from holding all four majors at the same time.

"Honestly, I don't think about it. But every time I come into press, you guys talk about it," Williams, like her sister Venus bidding for a sixth Wimbledon title, told a news conference when asked about a possible repetition of the "Serena Slam" she completed in 2003.

"Naturally it's definitely getting more on my mind than I want it to be. But it's also six matches away."

The only blot on her copybook was a code violation for an audible obscenity early in the first set.

World number one Djokovic's hopes of completing his own "career slam" were scuppered by Stanislas Wawrinka in the Roland Garros final earlier this month, but the Serb showed no lasting effects as he dispatched Kohlschreiber in clinical fashion.

Knowing exactly when to squeeze the throttle, Djokovic broke serve in the 10th game of each set to safely negotiate what had looked like a dangerous opening obstacle.

"That's where maybe I can have a mental edge over him. He missed a couple shots," Djokovic, bidding to emulate his coach Boris Becker and win a third Wimbledon title, said after easing past the world number 33 on Centre Court.

"Overall a great performance against a quality opponent."

GRITTY HEWITT

Djokovic might have expected to be playing 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt in round two but the gritty Australian's Wimbledon career was ended by Jarkko Nieminen.

Not that 34-year-old Hewitt went down timidly, rather scrapping tooth and nail as he has done throughout a career that took him to the summit of the sport.

Nieminen, one of 37 men aged 30 or over in the singles draw -- a Wimbledon record -- won 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-0 11-9.

"I was always going to leave it all out there, everything I had in the tank. I certainly did that," Hewitt, who will retire after his home grand slam in Melbourne next year, said.

It was a good day for seeds.

Fourth seed Wawrinka, looking to emulate the likes of Bjorn Borg and Rafa Nadal by claiming a French Open/Wimbledon double, cruised past Portugal's Joao Sousa 6-2 7-5 7-6(3).

Japan's Kei Nishikori, seeded five, scraped past Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-3 6-7(4) 6-2 3-6 6-3 while big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, the number seven, ousted Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver in four sets.

Croatia's Marin Cilic, who joined the elite by winning the U.S. Open last year, beat Hiroki Moriya of Japan 6-3 6-2 7-6(4).

Russian Maria Sharapova screamed back to full volume after she coughed and spluttered out of the French Open a few weeks ago, the fourth seed looking revitalised in a 6-2 6-2 defeat of British wildcard Johanna Konta on Centre Court.

"The first match of Wimbledon is never the easiest and especially against an opponent who has had a good few weeks and is a crowd favourite," Sharapova said.

Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion, powered past China's Xu Yifan 6-1 6-1 while Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, another of the nine women's grand slam champions in the women's draw, beat Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-2 6-1.

Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro became the biggest name to fall, the ninth seed thrashed 6-2 6-0 by Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.

(Editing by Ed Osmond and Clare Lovell)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Djokovic ends Federer record dream in epic Wimbledon final

LONDON  - Novak Djokovic won his second Wimbledon title and seventh career major with a 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 5-7, 6-4 victory over Roger Federer Sunday, shattering the Swiss star's dream of a record eighth triumph in an epic struggle.

Victory allowed the top seeded Serb, who was also the 2011 champion and runner-up last year, to end a run of three successive defeats in Grand Slam finals, but the 27-year-old struggled to get across the finish line, surrendering a 5-2 lead in the fourth set and then a match point.

Djokovic celebrated victory in typically eccentric style, kneeling on the Centre Court turf and munching on a few blades of grass just as he had done three years ago.

Defeat for 32-year-old Federer, who won the most recent of his 17 Grand Slam titles at the All England Club in 2012, ended his bid to become the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open Era and of breaking the tie of seven titles he shares with Pete Sampras.

"First of all I want to congratulate Roger it was a great match to be a part of he is a magnificent champion and a great example of a great athlete and a role model. I respect everything you have done and thanks for letting me win today," smiled Djokovic.

"That's why he has 17 Grand Slams because at important times he comes up with those shots. After losing the fourth set it wasn't easy to go on and win the fifth set, I don't know how I did it."

Djokovic has the added bonus of reclaiming the world number one spot from Rafael Nadal.

Federer said he was surpised to have got to a deciding set.

"It was a great final. I can't believe I made it to five, it wasn't looking good for a while," said Federer.

"Going into a match with Novak, you know it's going to be tough. I can only say congratulations to him. It was an amazing match and an amazing tournament. It's well-deserved."

In front of a Royal Box containing Prince William and wife Catherine, the opening set was a fascinating contrast between Federer's mix and match of serve and volley and Djokovic's renowned baseline flair in the pair's 35th meeting.

Two rallies featured 21 strokes apiece but neither player could fashion a break point.

GRUELLING RALLIES

In a rollercoaster of a tiebreaker, Federer saw a 3/0 lead gobbled up and then had to save two set points.

But the Swiss rallied when it mattered, taking the opener when Djokovic dumped a backhand return into the net.

The Serb took a nasty tumble on the bone-dry grassless baseline and saw two break points disappear in the first game of the second set.

But he did break in the third for 2-1 -- just Federer's second loss of serve of the tournament -- before calling the trainer to treat the left ankle he hurt in the fall.

Federer had his first break point of the tie in the 10th game but Djokovic saved it and levelled the final with a brutal overhead.

Federer saved two break points in the 11th game of the third set, moving to 6-5 with a 20th ace.

But it was Djokovic who was on top in the tiebreaker charging to two set points and the third set when Federer pushed a drive wide.

In a thrilling fourth set, Djokovic broke for 3-1, Federer hit back for 2-3 but the Serb regained the initiative for 4-2 and held a nervy seventh game for 5-2.

Astonishingly, back came the veteran Swiss to go to 4-5, breaking his opponent when he served for the title.

He saved a match point in the 10th game on a successful challenge to take the final into a decider.

Djokovic led 2-1 in the fifth and called the trainer for the second time for treatment to his right calf.

The man from Belgrade fought off a break point to lead 4-3 and then wasted three of his own as the rivals went to 4-4.

Djokovic held for 5-4 and from nowhere he seized the initiative, moving to two championship points and clinched the trophy when Federer netted a return.

RECENT WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS

Recent Wimbledon men's singles champions after Novak Djokovic won the 2014 title at the All England Club on Sunday:

2014: Novak Djokovic (SRB)

2013: Andy Murray (GBR)

2012: Roger Federer (SUI)

2011: Novak Djokovic (SRB)

2010: Rafael Nadal (ESP)

2009: Roger Federer (SUI)

2008: Rafael Nadal (ESP)

2007: Roger Federer (SUI)

2006: Roger Federer (SUI)

2005: Roger Federer (SUI)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Raonic into Wimbledon semis, ends Canada's 106-year wait

LONDON - Milos Raonic became the first Canadian man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in 106 years on Wednesday when he ended the giantkilling run of Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios.

The eighth-seeded Raonic will tackle seven-time champion Roger Federer for a place in Sunday's final after seeing off world number 144 Kyrgios, who beat Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

Federer had earlier reached the semi-finals for the ninth time with a 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-4 victory over compatriot Stan Wawrinka.

Robert Powell in 1908 was the last Canadian man to make the last-four at the All England Club.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Champion Murray sent crashing by brilliant Dimitrov

LONDON - Andy Murray's reign as Wimbledon champion came to a stunning end as Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov clinched a sensational 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 victory in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Murray had hoped to become the first British man to successfully defend the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936, but the Scot was completely out-classed in a two-hour masterclass from 11th seed Dimitrov on Centre Court.

The 27-year-old's unexpected exit snapped his 17-match winning streak at the All England Club, a magical sequence which had brought him Olympic gold and a first Wimbledon title, and also ended his hopes of reaching a sixth consecutive semi-final at the grasscourt Grand Slam.

"I'm very disappointed with the way I started. I felt that gave him confidence at the beginning," Murray said.

"I felt fine in the warm-up but got off to a bad start. It's a lot easier for him to settle down when he's two sets up.

"He played a very solid match, making few mistakes and a lot of returns. I just wish I'd made it tougher for him. It wasn't a great day."

Dimitrov, 23, will play top seed Novak Djokovic or Croatia's Marin Cilic on Friday for a place in the final.

"I am excited and happy to win through in straight sets. It's never easy against Andy in front of his home crowd but today I was fortunate," Dimitrov said.

"I sensed in the warm up that his game was not at the highest level but I was already confident I could play at a high level and play good tennis.

"The first set I had good rhythm and held my ground in the tie-break which was crucial and the third set I had it under control."

Only once before had Murray lost a Wimbledon quarter-final -- against Rafael Nadal in 2008 -- and this was his first defeat against a player ranked outside the top 10 at a Grand Slam since 2010.

- Dimitrov proves potential -

After years of struggling to live up to the vast potential that has earned him numerous comparisons with Roger Federer, this was a thrilling performance from 23-year-old Dimitrov, who finally secured his first win over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam at the fifth attempt.

The world number 13 was playing in his first All England Club quarter-final, but he is a former junior Wimbledon champion and had underlined his grasscourt pedigree by winning the Queen's Club title last month.

He showed no signs of being overawed and secured two break points in the fourth game, converting at the first attempt when he pinned Murray to the baseline then rushed the net to force the Scot to blaze his backhand wide.

By the time Dimitrov broke again for a 5-1 lead a stunned silence had descended on Centre Court and he finished off the set in just 25 minutes.

The shock of dropping a set for the first time in this year's tournament only added to the already-lethargic Murray's malaise.

Murray seemed to have run out of answers when a tame backhand slice drifted out to give the Bulgarian a break for a 4-3 lead in the second set.

The third seed broke back to force a tie-break, but the crucial moment came at 4-4 in the breaker when Murray chose to charge the net behind a weak approach shot.

It was a disastrous gamble as Dimitrov stood his ground and unleashed a blistering backhand winner before serving out the set with a defiant roar.

Murray had been in equally dire straits when he defeated Fernando Verdasco from two sets down in the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year.

But he was unable to climbed off the canvas this time.

Murray's game was riddled with mistakes -- he made 37 unforced errors in total -- and it was fitting that virtually his last act as champion was the double fault that gifted Dimitrov a 5-2 lead in the third set.

Dimitrov wasn't going to refuse that gift and he sealed his sensational triumph on his second match point.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Wimbledon: Australian teen ousts Nadal

LONDON - Australia's world number 144 Nick Kyrgios caused one of the greatest Wimbledon sensations on Tuesday when he sent world number one and 14-time Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal crashing to a shock defeat.

The 19-year-old Kyrgios, making his Wimbledon debut, clinched a fearless 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory to become the first wildcard in 10 years to make the quarter-finals at the All England Club.

He is also the first player ranked outside the top 100 to defeat a world number one since Andrei Olhovskiy stunned Jim Courier in the Wimbledon third round in 1992.

It was a performance of brutal inventiveness and uninhibited bludgeoning from a man who had had to save nine match points in his second round win against Richard Gasquet and his reward is a clash with Canada's Milos Raonic for a place in the semi-finals.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Serena fizzles out, Nadal and Federer march on

LONDON - Wimbledon great Serena Williams was sent packing by a Frenchwoman who once regarded grass court tennis as a chore but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal illuminated the Centre Court lawn with commanding victories on Saturday.

American Williams's hopes of a sixth singles title fizzled out as she sank to a 1-6 6-3 6-4 defeat against 25th seed Alize Cornet who celebrated by kissing the Court One turf.

The result reverberated around the All England Club on a day of dark clouds and rain and blasted a gaping hole in the women's tournament which now looks wide open with second seed Li Na having departed a day earlier.

World number one Williams, 32, had not fallen before the fourth round at Wimbledon since 2005 and, after returning to court from a four-hour rain delay on day six, she seemed to charging towards the business end of the tournament.

Her power game began to malfunction and Cornet, sensing her moment, battled back with some attacking tennis to leave a strangely hesitant Williams reeling.

After watching the match slip away, Williams dug deep at the end to claw back two games to trail 4-5 but she bungled a volley to offer Cornet a match point and then netted a backhand.

"If somebody would have told me a couple years ago that I would be in second week here in Wimbledon, beating Serena, I wouldn't have believed it," Cornet told reporters.

"Before it was just a pain to come here in Wimbledon. But now it's the contrary," added the 24-year-old who has reached the last 16 of a major for only the second time in 34 attempts.

The result ended hopes of an eagerly anticipated last 16 match-up between Williams and fast-rising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard who comfortably beat fellow French Open semi-finalist Andrea Petkovic 6-3 6-4.

Williams's demise would also have been noted with more than just passing interest by fifth seed Maria Sharapova, who is chasing her second Wimbledon title, 10 years after her first, and who expected to face her nemesis in the quarter-finals.

Russian Sharapova, who has a 1-15 record against Williams since beating her in the 2004 final, took advantage of playing under the closed Centre Court roof with a 6-3 6-0 thrashing of unseeded American Alison Riske.

Germany's Angelique Kerber will now stand in Sharapova's way having beaten Kirsten Flipkens.

Williams has now lost before the quarter-finals in all three of this year's slams and time is running out on her bid to reach Steffi Graf's professional era record haul of 22 major titles.

"I think everyone in general plays the match of their lives against me," Williams, who was almost unbeatable last year when she won the French and U.S. Opens to take her glittering collection to 17, told reporters.

"So I just have to always, every time I step on the court, be a hundred times better. If I'm not, then I'm in trouble.

"It's never easy, you know, being in my shoes. But you got to be ready."

Just as in his previous two matches, Nadal offered a chink of light to an opponent before switching on the after burners to race to a 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1 6-1 win against Kazakhstan's 63rd-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin and reach the last 16.

Swiss master Federer, seeking a record eighth Wimbledon title, did not give Colombia's Santiago Giraldo time of day though, continuing his serene progress to the fourth round with a nonchalant 6-3 6-1 6-3 victory.

Federer will face Tommy Robredo after his fellow 32-year-old edged out Poland's 15th seed Jerzy Janowicz 6-2 6-4 6-7(5) 4-6 6-3 in a match ending in near darkness.

NO DANGER

While Federer has yet to drop a set, Nadal has conceded the opener in all three rounds so far, although unlike in the previous round against Lukas Rosol, whom he lost to in 2012, he never looked in imminent danger against Kukushkin.

Watched by a host of famous sportsmen and women in the Royal Box, including David Beckham and 2012 Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins, the 14-times grand slam champion shrugged off the loss of a first-set tiebreak to rampage through the next three sets with his most impressive tennis of the week.

"When I played the first set I said that maybe the roof here in Wimbledon is not good for me," said the sun-loving Nadal whose 64 career titles include only two indoors.

"I don't like to be in closed places only with lights but I think I played a great match."

Nadal's next assignment will be Australian wildcard Nick Kyrgios after the 19-year-old beat fellow youngster Jiri Vesely in a battle of the former world No.1 juniors.

Kyrgios, cheered on by a legion of Australian fans, won 3-6 6-3 7-5 6-2 and is the first wildcard to reach the last 16 since Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2009.

Canadian Milos Raonic dropped only nine points on his serve as he reached the last 16 for the first time by beating Lukasz Kubot 7-6(2) 7-6(4) 6-2. Like Federer, and defending champion Andy Murray, dark horse Raonic is yet to drop a set.

While the weather did relent late in the day, the schedule was in tatters with two men's third round matches, Stanislas Wawrinka v Denis Istomin and Feliciano Lopez v John Isner, not starting and several others failing to finish.

Last year's runner-up Sabine Lisicki was a set ahead against Serbia's former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic when play was suspended after her heated discussion about the gathering gloom.

French Open runner-up Simona Halep did beat the weather though, and Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic 6-4 6-1.

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com