Serena powers into Wimbledon quarter-finals

LONDON (Reuters): Serena Williams overpowered Russian 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the last eight at Wimbledon on Monday, keeping her bid to equal Steffi Graf’s professional-era record of grand slam titles on track.

Russian Kuznetsova, herself a double grand slam winner and three-times Wimbledon quarter-finalist, beat Williams on a hardcourt at the Miami Open in March.

But on a slippery Centre Court the six-times Wimbledon champion was too hot to handle, and she booked her place in the next round in one hour 16 minutes, reeling off the last eight games in a 7-5 6-0 win.

The world number one next faces another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Britain Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England - 4/7/16 USA's Serena Williams celebrates winning her match against Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova – REUTERS

Williams began the match as if late for an Independence Day appointment, serving a succession of aces and then hitting a brace of groundstroke winners, one off each wing, to break her opponent in the fourth game.

Kuznetsova fought her way back, varying her pace by mixing in slices and drop shots on a surface on which both players at times struggled to keep their footing.

She broke in the fifth game on her fifth break point, and again to lead 5-4 when a backhand crosscourt winner left the American sprawled on the turf.

But the Russian failed to serve out the set and, with drizzle threatening, both players complaining about the slippery conditions and even a ballboy losing his footing, the match was suspended at 5-5 for the roof to be closed.

When play resumed, Williams won the next two games, taking the set when Kuznetsova netted a backhand service return drilled right at her feet -- and taking the second set without conceding another game. 

Kerber downs pocket rocket Doi to reach quarter-finals

Reuters: Superior court craft proved decisive for Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber on Monday as she motored past Japanese pocket rocket Misaki Doi 6-3 6-1 in a full-blooded fourth-round match on Wimbledon’s Court Two.

German fourth seed Kerber, who reached the semi-finals at the All England Club in 2012, risked being overpowered early in the first set as her 5-foot-3 (1.59 metre) opponent bludgeoned forehand winners to both sides of the court.

But Kerber, who shocked world number one Serena Williams to win her maiden grand slam title in Melbourne in January, gradually found her range on her groundstrokes while 49th-ranked Doi’s radar began to slip.

In a match full of mesmerising rallies, Kerber broke twice in the first set, winning it on her third set point, before cruising through the second as Doi’s challenge fizzled out.

Germany’s Angelique Kerber celebrates winning her match against Japan’s Misaki Doi REUTERS

Federer suggests tiebreaks at 12-12 to decide marathon matches

LONDON (Reuters): Roger Federer thinks a tiebreaker at 12-12 would be the best compromise following calls for Wimbledon to step into line with the U.S. Open and scrap long deciding sets.

American John Isner, winner of the longest match in tennis history but loser in a 19-17 fifth-set marathon against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday, believes Wimbledon should enforce a tiebreak if the deciding set reaches 6-6.

Federer, who has cruised through to the quarter-finals without dropping a set, thinks long final sets provide gripping entertainment, but can understand Isner’s point.

“I don’t know. Maybe they could make a tiebreak at 12 all. I it is rough for not only the players playing, but also the players that follow that court,” the seven-times champion said.

“It is very cool if it goes 12 all, 14 all, 18 all, 20 all, further and further. The chances get slimmer and slimmer to win that next round. Like the Open, they have a breaker in the fifth. They could make a compromise and make a tiebreaker at 12 all. Play another six service games each.

“Usually it doesn’t go to that, anyway. If it does go there, you had your chances to break or not to break, so you’re happy maybe to be in a tiebreaker.”

Federer’s longest fifth set came in the 2009 Wimbledon final against Andy Roddick, when he prevailed 16-14.

While not much fun for the players, Federer said he had enjoyed watching Tsonga battle Isner.

“I think it’s super cool and that’s the match I was watching,” he said. “I didn’t care about any other match that was being played other than that match.”

Two other matches have gone beyond 12-12 in a decider at Wimbledon this year. Gilles Muller beat Santiago Giraldo 15-13 in the fifth while Matthew Barton beat Albano Olivetti 14-12 in the deciding set.

Neither came anywhere near Isner’s infamous battle against Nicolas Mahut in 2010 -- the American winning 70-68 in the fifth set after 11 hours and five minutes.

Cilic through to quarter-finals after Nishikori quits

LONDON (Reuters):  Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the third year running after an out-of-sorts Kei Nishikori quit midway through their fourth round showdown.

Nishikori was trailing 6-1 5-1 when he decided to follow the advice of his coach Michael Chang, who could be heard saying “Don’t push it, it’s not worth it.” The Japanese fifth seed, who had been given a pill by the trainer at the previous change of ends, then indicated he could no longer continue and shook hands with Cilic.