Top seeds through on People’s Sunday
Wimbledon organisers were forced to schedule matches on the middle Sunday usually a rest day to clear a backlog after washouts Wednesday and Saturday.
The top-ranked Federer hit 44 winners and advanced with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win over Thomas Johansson. There were about 8,000 people still in lines outside when Federer rifled a forehand return on match point after 1 hour, 37 minutes.
Centre Court was full by the time defending women's champion Serena Williams beat Spain's Magui Serna 6-4, 6-0 in 58 minutes.
The top-seeded Williams looked subdued with both her mother and father watching from the stands, but still had 11 aces and 29 winners with only one double-fault and 11 errors.
Williams got off court just before showers delayed play late in the afternoon.
She'd followed Tim Henman onto Centre Court, and the crowd was worked up after the British favourite beat Morocco's Hicham Arazi 7-6 (6), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Second-seeded Roddick beat fellow American Taylor Dent 6-3, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (1).
"I played well today, I lifted my game I was forced to," Roddick said. He'll meet 6'7" Alexander Popp in the next round.
Dent took a 6-3 lead in the second set tiebreaker when Roddick hit a forehand return wide. Roddick then angrily slammed his racket to the grass, and the outburst apparently helped. He won the next five points and closed out the set with a backhand winner.
In the final tiebreaker, Dent missed four volleys and fell behind 6-0. Roddick closed out with a service winner, then raised his arms to cheers on court one, which was half empty even at the end of the match.
"The people that were there really wanted to be there. It was loud," Roddick said. "The whole week's been wacky so why not today, too?"
Henman saved three break points serving at 0-2 in the fourth set before holding and winning the next five games to overcome Arazi.
Britain's biggest hope for a first men's singles title here since 1936, Henman was obviously lifted by the crowd, which clapped loudly, whistled and chanted his name after big points.
"The quality was not always great ... I need to play better but I still fancy my chances," he said. "It was a phenomenal atmosphere I've been so lucky to have had the opportunity to play the middle Sunday twice." In 1997, Henman beat Paul Haarhuis 14-12 in the fifth set to win on People's Sunday.
He's into the fourth round here for the ninth consecutive year and next faces 2003 finalist Mark Philippoussis, who beat Fernando Gonzalez 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (4), 7-5.
When heavy rain stopped play in the late afternoon, the last two matches in the third round were each into a third set.
Tatiana Golovin and Emmanuelle Gagliardi were 3-3 in the third, playing for a spot against Williams in the fourth round, while Virginia Ruano Pascual and 14th-seeded Silvia Farina Elia were one set apiece.
All other third-round men's and women's singles matches were completed.
In an early upset, 30th-seeded Vincent Spadea of the US knocked off eighth-ranked Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. He next plays 12th-seeded Sjeng Schalken, who beat Thomas Enqvist in five sets.
With tickets on sale on a first-come, first-serve basis, thousands of people who had camped on the sidewalk overnight and arrived at dawn started filling Centre Court for the first match.
Normally, most of the tickets for that court are sold as part of expensive packages, through a pre-tournament lottery or to the first 500 people in line each day.
Federer was first on court. He broke Johansson once in each set, returning in top form after Saturday's wash-out.
"I think the people were just really happy to see some tennis. It was a great crowd out there," Federer said. "I'm feeling very good, definitely better than last year because I know I already won this tournament so I know I can do it again." Federer next plays Ivo Karlovic, who hit 39 aces to beat Number 18 Feliciano Lopez.
Court one was less than half-full when seventh-seeded Jennifer Capriati beat Nathalie Dechy 7-5, 6-1 in the first singles match completed in more than 40 hours at Wimbledon.
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