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Federer closes in on fifth straight Wimbledon title

Roger Federer of Switzerland returns the ball to Marat Safin of Russia during the third round at Wimbledon in south London on Friday. PHOTO: AFP

Roger Federer took another confident step closer to a fifth successive Wimbledon title on Friday as Centre Court fell in love with an eyebrow-pierced, Russian literature loving Serb called Tipsy.

Federer defeated former world number one Marat Safin 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) to register his 51st grasscourt win in a row and will now face experienced German Tommy Haas, who put out Russia's Dmitry Tursunov, for a quarter-final spot.

"I was pleased with my performance because I knew the danger against Marat," Federer said.

But if the Swiss is the undisputed king of Centre Court, then Serbia's unheralded world No. 64 Janko Tipsarevic was prince for a day when he knocked out Chilean fifth seed Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6.

His reward was a place in the last 16, where he will meet Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero, who put out James Blake in four sets.

Tipsarevic was awarded a standing ovation and then revealed that he was such a fan of Fyodor Dostoyevsky that he had tattooed a quote from the Russian writer on his arm.

"It says `beauty will save the world,'" said the Serb, who has been christened Tipsy by locals.

Frenchmen were also on a roll on Friday with Richard Gasquet, injury-plagued wildcard Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Paul-Henri Mathieu all making it to the last 16.

Gasquet and Tsonga will meet for a quarter-final place while Mathieu, who put out Croatian 15th seed Ivan Ljubicic, will face two-time runner-up and third seed Andy Roddick.

Roddick came back from a third set 2-5 deficit to beat Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).

In the women's draw, top seed Justine Henin eased past Russia's Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-3 to book a clash with 15th seed Patty Schnyder while Serena Williams crushed Venezuela's Milagros Sequera 6-1, 6-0 in just 44 minutes.

She goes on to meet Daniela Hantuchova.

Martina Hingis, the women's champion in 1997, saw this year's campaign end on Court Two, the graveyard of the champions, when she was knocked out by unseeded US player Laura Granville 6-4, 6-2.

Local Pair Wins Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung cruised to a straight sets victory in the women's doubles at Wimbledon on Friday, beating Emma Laine of Finland and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-4, 6-2.

The Taiwanese duo have been in excellent form,winning back to back grass-court doubles titles at Birmingham and s'Hertogenbosch before arriving at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

They have a realistic chance of claiming their first Grand Slam title next weekend to add to the four WTA tour doubles titles they have won to date.
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