LONDON, 30 June 2005 — Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt gave no quarter to dangerous opponents at Wimbledon yesterday but Andy Roddick was made to fight hard for his semifinal place.
Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, who reached the last four in each of the last two years, gave US second seed Roddick a real fright in their quarterfinal on Centre Court before the second seed came through 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Swiss top seed Federer, who will face Hewitt in the semifinals, deployed majestic counterattacking skills to smother the monstrous forehand of Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 win on Court One.
Australian third seed Hewitt had marginally more trouble dispatching Spanish all-courter Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 in his quarterfinal on Centre Court. Roddick, in the semifinals for the third successive year, faces Sweden’s Thomas Johansson in the last four.
The 2002 Australian Open champion and 12th seed beat David Nalbandian of Argentina 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 to become the first Swede since Stefan Edberg in 1993 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
Roddick was outplayed in the spin and slice department by Grosjean, whom he had beaten in their last six encounters, in the first set of their seesaw Centre Court duel.
It was the first set the talented Marseillais had won in four matches against 22-year-old Roddick on grass.
Roddick, runner-up to Federer last year, clicked his 140mph serves into gear in the second and third sets but Grosjean’s sporadic brilliance continued to trouble him and the Frenchman dominated the fourth set.
The psychological edge Roddick holds over him told in the decider, however. He immediately broke 3-0 clear and nervelessly wrapped up his second five-set victory of the tournament.
Federer, pursuing a hat trick of Wimbledon titles, broke early on Court One to lead 4-1 before Gonzalez, the first Chilean quarterfinalist for 20 years, hit back to level the set at 4-4.
Federer simply upped his game. A lunging forehand retrieve secured him a set point at 6-5 and he needed no second invitation.
His superiority established, the defending champion made off with the second set in less than half an hour.
He allowed Gonzalez to take him to 6-6 in the third before capping an exemplary tiebreak with a match-winning ace for his 34th consecutive victory on grass, now only seven short of Bjorn Borg’s record. “It’s always interesting to play against him because sort of have to always weather the storm against him,” said Federer. “He hits the ball with so much pace.
Twice a grand slam winner, Hewitt reached only his second Wimbledon semi-final with a typically industrious victory. Lopez is that rarest of tennis phenomena, a Spaniard who can serve-volley.
The 23-year-old was playing his first grand slam quarterfinal, however, and Hewitt is probably the best service returner in men’s tennis.
The Australian refused to panic despite suffering an early service break and he broke when it really counted at the end of each of the first two sets on Centre Court.
Like Federer, he won the tiebreak 7-2 to end the Spaniard’s hopes of becoming his country’s first Wimbledon semifinalist since Manuel Orantes in 1972. “My whole game came together well,” said Hewitt.
Johansson’s all-court craft allowed him to outmaneuver 2002 runner-up Nalbandian and reach his first Wimbledon semifinal.
Woodbridge Calls It Quits
Todd Woodbridge dealt Australia’s Davis Cup planning a major blow yesterday when he announced he was retiring after Wimbledon.
The 34-year-old said he took his decision after failing to win a 10th men’s doubles title following he and partner Mahesh Bhupathi’s defeat in the third round.
His decision to retire means that Australia, who face Argentina in their Davis Cup quarterfinal clash in Sydney from July 15-17, will have to find a new combination with the likelihood of Lleyton Hewitt teaming up with Wayne Arthurs.
