10 Jul 2018

Federer rolls on, women's seeds continue to fall at Wimbledon

9:17 am on 10 July 2018

Defending champion Roger Federer stayed on course for a record ninth Wimbledon title as he thumped Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-0 7-5 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.

Roger Federer

Roger Federer Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Swiss top seed needed only 16 minutes to wrap up the first set and next faces Kevin Anderson who battled past Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6(4) 7-6(2) 5-7 7-6(4).

Rafael Nadal was equally brutal in his 6-3 6-3 6-4 win over Jiri Vesely to book a quarter-final spot for the first time since 2011.

Former champion Novak Djokovic dismissed Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-4 6-2 6-2 to reach the last eight.

Djokovic, three-times winner at the All England Club, next meets 24th seed Kei Nishikori of Japan who beat Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 4-6 7-6(5) 7-6(10) 6-1.

"I'm very pleased... he's got weapons, a big first serve and a big forehand... It was difficult conditions. The last couple of games, I couldn't really see the ball well," Djokovic said.

Play was suspended due to bad light in the fourth round match between fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro and Gilles Simon. Argentine Del Potro led 7-6(1) 7-6(5) 5-7.

There are now no top ten women's players left at Wimbledon after seventh seed Karolina Pliskova was beaten in the fourth round.

It is the first time in 50 years that no top-10 stars have made the women's quarter-finals at The All England Club.

Pliskova lost in straight sets to big-hitting Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens.

Karolina Pliskova.

Karolina Pliskova. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Pliskova's exit leaves world No.11 Angelique Kerber as the highest-ranked woman left in the wide open draw.

Seven-times champion Serena Williams prevailed in a Centre Court mothers' meeting, roaring past Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina into the quarter-finals.

Rodina, who like Williams combines a tennis career with motherhood, appeared overawed.

In the quarter-finals Bertens will play Julia Goerges, Williams will play Italian Camila Giorgi, Jelena Ostapenko will play Dominika Cibulkova, and Kerber will play Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Meanwhile there are two New Zealanders into the men's doubles quarter-finals, with Artem Sitak and Micheal Venus advancing with their respective partners.

Sitak and his Indian partner Divij Sharan beat Indian partner defeated Jonathan Erlich from Israel and Poland's Marcin Matkowski 1-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-4 in three hours 50 minutes.

"We had chances in the beginning of the set, but then they got that break and were confident and really fresh still, because it's the beginning of the match," Sitak said.

"In the second set we got into a rhythm and figured out what we needed to do and at 6-5 we had them at 15-40 on Matkowski's serve, so there were two set points right there and unfortunately he hit two big serves to bet get out of it and in the tiebreak they made a few more returns than us.

"After the second set, we said let's keep fighting, keep pushing and looking for those opportunities. If we win the third set and it goes the distance again the other guys might get tired.

"In the middle of the fourth set I was feeling tired myself and I kept telling myself that if I'm feeling like that, the other guys must be exhausted, so let's keep pushing and we'll get an opportunity.

"That's exactly what happened and we got one break in each set."

It is the first time Sitak has got to the quarter-finals of a grand slam, having previously lost in the third round on three occasions and as in their last match against Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos, they had to go the distance.

In the quarter-finals they will play Mike Bryan and Jack Sock.

Venus and his South African partner Raven Klassen bounced back from losing the third and fourth sets to record a 6-3 7-6 6-7 6-7 6-3 victory of Joao Sousa from Portugal and Argentina's Leonardo Mayer.

Venus and Klaasen are up against local hope Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares from Brazil in a match that will be played on centre court.

-Reuters/RNZ