NEW YORK, 7 September 2004 — Top seed Roger Federer reached the quarterfinals of the US Open without hitting a ball when Andrei Pavel pulled out with an injury yesterday.
The 16th-seeded Romanian withdrew with a herniated disc, allowing Federer to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time. World No. 1 Federer is looking to become the first man since Sweden’s Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three grand slam titles in the same year.
The Swiss will meet either sixth-seeded American Andre Agassi or Sargis Sargsian of Armenia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday after his walkover against Pavel.
“It happened in the second game of the fifth set against (Hyung-Taik) Lee,” said the Romanian referring to his 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 1-6, 6-4 third-round victory on Saturday.
Tim Henman reached his first US Open quarterfinal when German opponent Nicolas Kiefer retired in the fifth set of their fourth round match. The British fifth seed, celebrating his 30th birthday, was 3-0 up in the decider when Kiefer walked toward the umpire’s chair holding his right wrist.
Earlier, Henman had fallen a set and 3-1 behind before reeling off 10 consecutive games to lead the erratic Kiefer 6-7, 6-3, 6-1. The 19th-seeded German, who received a penalty point for smacking a ball into the stands, regained his composure to edge the fourth set in a tiebreak.
Japan’s Shinobu Asagoe rolled over Eleni Daniilidou 7-6 (7 4), 4-6, 6-3 in the fourth round to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. “I am happy today with the result but I am not overreacting because I have another match and I am trying not to get too excited,” Asagoe said.
Asagoe moves on to face the winner of the match between 11th seed Venus Williams and her American compatriot Lindsay Davenport. In 16 prior Grand Slam appearances, the unseeded Asagoe had never made it to the quarterfinals. The 28-year-old Asagoe, who entered the US Open with a losing record this year, hammered 26 winners and put 66 percent of her first serves in play.
Andy Roddick, Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati provided a Labor Day weekend treat as they turned on the style at the US Open on Sunday.
Capriati and Williams powered through their fourth round matches to set up a mouth-watering quarterfinal while Roddick blew away Guillermo Canas to set the pace in the men’s draw.
Twice champion Williams, whose tennis is starting to talk as loudly as her raunchy outfits, blasted 12 aces to crush Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 6-4 6-2.
“We always play each other, she’s doing well and we both will to fight to get to the semis,” said Williams who is yet to drop a set in the tournament despite being told by doctors to rest her suspect left knee rather than play at the Open.
Capriati, who reeled off 10 of the last 12 games to beat 12th seed Ai Sugiyama 7-5, 6-2, was also looking forward to facing Williams, despite trailing 10-6 in head-to-heads. “It’s pretty exciting,” the 28-year-old said. “I feel like I’m playing well and my chances are very good.”
Defending champion Roddick got off to his trademark lightning start as he strong-armed his way to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Argentine claycourter Guillermo Canas.
Canas, enjoying a 13-match winning streak, hardly got a sniff against the dominant Roddick who has lost just 18 games in nine sets here and only one in the opening sets.
“It’s not a conscious thing (that I am starting so fast), I guess it’s the hype of the Open,” said the 22-year-old, who will play Spain’s Tommy Robredo for a quarterfinal spot. “I had my game plan and took it to him.”
Equally impressive was fourth seed Lleyton Hewitt, who remains on a collision course with Roddick in the semifinal.
The 2001 champion obliterated 30th seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the last match of the day to book a clash with Slovakia’s Karol Beck — one of six unseeded players to reach the last 16. Beck disposed of Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time.
Tommy Haas had a straightforward 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Brazilian qualifier Ricardo Mello and next faces 18-year-old Czech Tomas Berdych, who beat Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Elsewhere, there were defeats for all three Austrians left in the men’s draw — the country’s best showing here. Stefan Koubek lost to Sweden’s Joachim Johansson, Alexander Peya was outclassed by Robredo and France’s Michael Llodra proved too strong for Jurgen Melzer.
Women’s second seed Amelie Mauresmo, still searching for a first grand slam title, joined Capriati and Williams in the quarterfinals with a classy 6-4, 6-2 stroll against Italy’s Francesca Schiavone.
The French stylist could remove Justine Henin-Hardenne from the world No. 1 spot next week, but she said all her energy was focused on a first major breakthrough. “The main thing for me is really to win a slam,” she said.
Mauresmo faces French Open runner-up Elena Dementieva in the last eight after she recovered from a terrible start to beat an emotional Vera Zvonareva 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Zvonareva looked on course for victory when she romped through the first set only to suffer an emotional meltdown, collapsing into fits of tears and smashing her racket as Dementieva won seven of the last 10 games.
