Day 5

ROGER ROCKS

Roger Federer set up a Wimbledon last 16 clash with Robin Soderling on Friday, the man he beat to win the French Open and who was once famously described by Rafael Nadal as the most disliked man in tennis. Federer, bidding for a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title and a sixth Wimbledon crown, overcame a third set slump before seeing off Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in the third round. Soderling, the 13th seed, reached the last 16 for the first time with a 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain’s Nicolas Almagro.

HANTUCHOVA WINS

Japan’s Ai Sugiyama was knocked out by her doubles partner Daniela Hantuchova in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat in the third round. The Slovak world number 32 wrapped up victory over the veteran, a fellow former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, in one hour, 36 minutes on Court 18. Hantuchova faces Serena Williams, the American second seed and two-time Wimbledon champion, in the fourth round.

Serena Williams put her shock over the death of Michael Jackson and a snub from Wimbledon organisers to one side to power into the last 16 of the women’s singles.

The American, who admitted she had been left speechless by the news of Jackson’s death, continued her flawless procession towards a potential final meeting with sister Venus by setting up a last-16 clash with Daniela Hantuchova. Hantuchova, a former world number five who has shown signs of returning to her best form here, will certainly put up greater resistance than Italy’s Roberta Vinci.

A 6-3, 6-4 win ensured Williams has yet to drop a set this year and the evidence presented by her 200th Grand Slam match backed up her claim that she is in the mood to add to the two singles titles she won here in 2002 and 2003. Elena Dementieva made light work of qualifier and compatriot Regina Kulikova, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win.

The fourth seed now plays either French Open semi-finalist Dominika Cibulkova or another Russian, Elena Vesnina, for a place in the quarterfinals. Vera Zvonareva saw her tournament ended by an ankle injury.

The Russian seventh seed withdrew shortly before the start of her scheduled third round meeting with Virginie Razzano of France, who now faces either compatriot Marion Bartoli, seeded 12th, or Italy’s Francesca Schiavone. Zvonareva, 24, reached the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open but she has struggled since suffering an injury to her right ankle in April which sidelined her for eight weeks and meant she missed the French Open.

MURRAY WINS

Andy Murray made light work of a tricky tea-time assignment on Thursday. He devoured Latvian Ernests Gulbis 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 to clear another hurdle towards becoming Britain’s first men’s singles champion in 73 years.

Wimbledon 2009 Day 5 results:

Men's Third Round
Andy Murray (3) def. Viktor Troicki (30) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Andy Roddick (6) def. Jurgen Melzer (26) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3
Gilles Simon (8) def. Victor Hanescu (31) 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
Fernando Gonzalez (10) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6
Marin Cilic (11) vs. Tommy Haas (24) 5-7, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 8-10
Nikolay Davydenko (12) vs. Tomas Berdych (20) 2-6, 3-6, 2-6
David Ferrer (16) vs. Radek Stepanek (23) 5-7, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6
Stanislas Wawrinka (19) def. Jesse Levine 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
Igor Andreev (29) def. Andreas Seppi 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (8-6)
Lleyton Hewitt def. Philipp Petzschner 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

Women's Third Round
Dinara Safina (1) def. Kirsten Flipkens 7-5, 6-1
Venus Williams (3) def. Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-4
Svetlana Kuznetsova (5) vs. Sabine Lisicki 2-6, 5-7
Jelena Jankovic (6) vs. Melanie Oudin 7-6 (10-8), 5-7, 2-6
Caroline Wozniacki (9) def. Anabel Medina Garrigues (20) 6-2, 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska (11) def. Na Li (19) 6-4, 7-5
Ana Ivanovic (13) def. Samantha Stosur (18) 7-5, 6-2
Flavia Pennetta (15) vs. Amelie Mauresmo (17) 5-7, 3-6