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Federer, Roddick Reach Wimbledon Quarters

Posted: 12:56 pm PDT June 29, 2009

(Sports Network) - Five-time champion Roger Federer and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick won their fourth-round matches Monday at The Championships, Wimbledon.

For the second time this month, the former world No. 1 Federer defeated free- swinging Swede Robin Soderling, this time in 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) fashion at the storied All England Club. Federer also topped Soderling, seeded 13th here, in straight sets in the French Open final 22 days ago, as the super Swiss became the sixth man in history to corral a career Grand Slam and equal Pete Sampras with a record-tying 14th major singles title.

Federer won the first set against Soderling on Day 7 by breaking the Swede in the 10th game of the stanza. The two players then held serve throughout the second set, which the Swiss snuck out via tiebreak.

At 4-4 in the third set, Soderling got his first break-point chance of the match, but netted a backhand on a second serve, as Federer went on to hold for a 5-4 edge. The Swiss went on to claim another tiebreak and reach a seventh straight Wimbledon quarterfinal.

Federer swatted 23 aces and held his serve throughout against Soderling, who is now 0-11 lifetime against the sublime Swiss.

"Today was hard to get through a really dangerous match," Federer said. "Not many rallies, so maybe not as much fun for the people. But I stayed calm, waited for my chance."

The reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion Federer, seeded second at this year's fortnight, was last year's Wimbledon runner-up to Rafael Nadal, as the Swiss lost a 40-match winning streak on these hallowed lawns.

The amazing Federer is 69-1 in his last 70 matches on grass overall and has reached at least the quarters in 21 straight Grand Slam events.

Federer's quarterfinal opponent will be massive-serving 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic.

The sixth-seeded Roddick posted his first straight-set win of the fortnight by handling 20th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-3. Roddick broke Berdych to claim the second set at 6-4 and would cruise after that.

Roddick uncorked 24 aces among his 46 winners and did not face a break point on Day 7.

The former world No. 1 and former U.S. Open champion Roddick was the 2004 and 2005 Wimbledon runner-up to Federer. He reached the quarters here for the fifth time in nine years.

Roddick's quarterfinal opponent will be gritty Aussie star Lleyton Hewitt, who is 6-5 lifetime against the big-serving American.

The former Wimbledon champion Hewitt continued his surprising 2009 run here by coming from behind to oust 23rd-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

The unseeded former world No. 1 Hewitt titled here in 2002 for the second of his two career major titles.

Fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic joined Federer, Roddick and Hewitt in the quarters with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 beating of Israeli Dudi Sela. The former Aussie Open champion Djokovic was a semifinalist here two years ago.

Djokovic's quarterfinal opponent will be resurgent 24th-seeded German Tommy Haas, who got past 29th-seeded Russian Igor Andreev 7-6 (10-8), 6-4, 6-4. Haas will play in his first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal this week, in this his 11th trip here.

The 31-year-old Haas is currently riding a nine-match winning streak, all on grass. He captured his first-ever grass-court title in his native Germany three weeks ago by upsetting Djokovic in the final in Halle.

The aforementioned towering Karlovic posted an upset by dousing seventh-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-6 (11-9). The 22nd- seeded Karlovic launched 35 aces and was not broken by the lefthanded Verdasco on Day 7. Karlovic managed only one break en route to victory.

Karlovic has piled up 137 aces through his first four matches here.

Another unseeded former No. 1, Juan Carlos Ferrero, reached his second Wimbledon quarterfinal in three years by dismissing eighth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-2. The talented Ferrero is a former French Open champion and former U.S. Open runner-up.

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