Unconvincing win for Hewitt

Triple champion Roger Federer8217;s Wimbledon title charge gathered momentum on Monday after he dispatched Czech Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.

Triple champion Roger Federer8217;s Wimbledon title charge gathered momentum on Monday after he dispatched Czech Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.

Berdych had inflicted one of the most painful defeats of his career on Federer, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but there would be no repeat performance on Monday. Federer oozed class on a sweltering Centre Court and wrapped up his 45th consecutive victory on grass with an unreturnable serve after 83 minutes. The Swiss world number will next take on Croat Mario Ancic.

Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt edged closer to another crack at a Wimbledon final on Monday with an unconvincing 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 fourth round defeat of Spanish claycourt specialist David Ferrer. The Australian sixth seed, who ended an 18-month title drought by winning the Stella Artois tournament last month, was far from his best on Court One and very nearly allowed Ferrer to come back from a two-set deficit.

Playing in the opposite half of the draw from his nemesis Roger Federer, however, the 25-year-old Hewitt will fancy his chances of reaching his second Wimbledon final. He won here in 2002. Next up for Hewitt will be Marcos Baghdatis, who outplayed Briton Andy Murray in three sets to reach the last eight.

On the women8217;s side, fighting spirit saw Russia8217;s Maria Sharapova through to the quarter-finals, even though she dropped her first set of the tournament in a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 win over Italian Flavia Pennetta.

The 2004 champion was given a real test by 16th seed Pennetta who more than matched her for long periods of a tight fourth round encounter on Court Two.

8220;I just didn8217;t feel like I was playing my best tennis. In the end, it all came down to how much I fought,8221; said Sharapova. 8220;It wasn8217;t really about how good or bad I played, or how good she played, because she played extremely well. I just fought deep.8221;

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The Siberian, who used bags of ice to cool herself in the changeovers, took the first set tiebreak 7-5 but the fourth seed was immediately 3-0 down in the second set and Pennetta soon levelled the match.

The Italian netted a forehand to lose serve for 3-1 in the decider and Sharapova, shrieking with every bludgeoned groundstroke, whacked a backhand winner on her third match point to seal victory. She tackles fellow Russian Elena Dementieva in the last eight.

Other results

Men8217;s singles: Jonas Bjorkman bt Max Mirnyi 6-3, 7-66, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3; 14-Radek Stepanek bt 28-Fernando Verdasco 6-74, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; 18-Marcos Baghdatis bt Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-62

Women8217;s singles: 3-Justine Henin-Hardenne bt 15-Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1; 7-Elena Dementieva Russia bt Shenay Perry 6-2, 6-0; Severine Bremond bt 18-Ai Sugiyama 7-611, 6-3; 2-Kim Clijsters bt Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2; 27-Li Na bt 10-Nicole Vaidisova 4-6, 6-1, 6-3; 9-Anastasia Myskina bt 26-Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-65; 1-Amelie Mauresmo bt 19-Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-4