Fearsome Federer tames Hewitt
The world number one dropped his serve for the first time in the tournament but his class told in the end as he secured a 6-1 6-7 6-0 6-4 victory in a quarter-final packed with stunning ground strokes.
The 22-year-old Swiss ace got off to a flying start, producing a master class in the first set to take it 6-1 in just 22 minutes.
Hewitt had no answer to the sheer power and precision of the champion, who played immaculate tennis from the start. But, as the match was twice interrupted up by the rain, Federer dropped his first set of the championships and was also broken for the first time as the 2002 champion produced a stunning comeback.
Hewitt was never allowed to get into his stride in a one-sided opening set and he called for a medical time-out after collapsing 6-0 in the third set. But treatment to his right thigh appeared to do the trick as he was more like his old self for much of the fourth set as he fought for every point.
The Adelaide man found his pace and accuracy with his serve, winning two service games to love, and achieved the unthinkable when he broke Federer in the seventh game to give himself a chink of hope.
But he undid all the good work with a sloppy service game, double faulting for the sixth time on break point to lose his advantage.
Amid the gathering gloom, the splendid quarter-final ended on a note of anti-climax when Hewitt double-faulted on match point to hand victory to the reigning champion.
Grosjean set-up a semi-final clash with Federer after cruising past tournament debutant Florian Mayer on court one.
The Frenchman made hard work of it until the third set but he possessed too much class for Mayer who bowed out of the tournament with his pride intact despite a comprehensive 7-5 6-4 6-2 defeat.
Mayer is the first player to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on his debut since David Nalbandian in 2002, a fine achievement in what was only his third appearance at a Grand Slam event.
The 20-year-old German, whose superb form this year has lifted him to a world ranking of 66, boasts the talent to go all the way one day but in Grosjean he faced a player who looked close to his best at times.
Andy Roddick fired the fastest serve ever seen at Wimbledon as he powered his way into the semi-finals with victory over Holland’s Sjeng Schalken.
Roddick blasted a 146 miles-per-hour ace, one of 18 in the match, on his way to a hard-fought 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (11/9) 6-3 victory..
That was two miles an hour quicker than recorded by Taylor Dent in 2001 and matched by Roddick himself earlier in the tournament, but still some way short of his record of 153mph set in the Stella Artois Championships a fortnight ago.
The US Open champion will now meet Croatia’s Mario Ancic in the last four after the 20-year-old ended Tim Henman’s Wimbledon dreams in straight sets on Centre Court.
“It was a dog-fight, he doesn’t look spectacular, but he’s a great player,” admitted Roddick, who has yet to lose a set in five matches.
“He wasn’t giving me anything and I definitely had to work hard out there today.”
Roddick also reached the semi-finals here last year before losing to eventual champion Federer in straight sets.
Defending women’s champion Serena Williams admits she loves locking horns with Amelie Mauresmo ahead of today’s semi-final showdown.
Williams progressed smoothly with a crushing 6-1 6-1 victory over Jennifer Capriati on Centre Court. Awaiting the top seed in the last four will be Frenchwoman Mauresmo, who suffered a heavy defeat to Williams when they met at the same stage two years ago.
Williams said: “It’s going to be good. I like playing Amelie a lot. She plays well on the grass. She does well here, so I’m looking forward to playing her again.”
World number four Mauresmo battled to a 6-0 5-7 6-1 victory over ninth seed Paola Suarez in their quarter-final on court one.
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