Wimbledon, July 7 (IANS) Seven-time champion Roger Federer and local hero Andy Murray reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals here but the match between defending champion Novak Djokovic and Kevin Anderson was suspended until Tuesday at two sets apiece.
Roger Federer, 33, on Monday took just an hour and 25 minutes to defeat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to move into the Wimbledon Monday eight for a 13th time, reports Xinhua.
“It was nice to play a baseliner after two big servers. I did a nice job making the transition,” said Federer, who overcame Sam Querrey and Sam Groth in the previous rounds.
“Clearly, I felt I had more time on the return (and was) still able to play aggressive tennis, committed on the return as well. It was a good match. I got off to a good start and kept rolling.”
The second seed will next take on Frenchman Gilles Simon, whom Federer has defeated five times in seven meetings. Simon advanced with an upset of Tomas Berdych.
Murray, the third seed, is through to his 18th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final — and his eighth at Wimbledon — after beating Croatian Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
The Scot will fight for a semi-final berth against unseeded Canadian Vasek Pospisil, who became only the third Canadian man to reach quarter-finals by beating Serbia’s Viktor Troicki.
Djokovic looked very likely to become the first top seed since Pete Sampras in 2001 to lose in the fourth round, dropping the first two sets 6-7 (6), 6-7 (6) after almost two hours.
But the World No.1 made a strong comeback to win the next two sets 6-1, 6-4. When the daylight gave out after three hours of play, the match was suspended on Court One with the last set to be played on Tuesday.
The winner will face last year’s US Open champion Marin Cilic for a place in the last four.
French Open champion Stan Wawringka defeated Belgium’s 16th seed David Goffin 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7), 6-4 to reach the last eight for the second successive year. He will next take on French 21st seed Richard Gasquet, who beat Australian Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6).
In the women’s action, 20-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams Serena Williams beat her 16th-seeded sister Venus 6-4, 6-3 in 68 minutes. The top seed took her career tally against Venus to 15-11 after their first Wimbledon meeting in six years.
Spain’s Garbine Muguruza shocked fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
Maria Sharapova reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2011 after beating Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas 6-4, 6-4. The fourth seed will face unheralded American CoCo Vandeweghe on Tuesday as she continues her bid for a second Wimbledon title.
Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska beat Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic 7-5, 6-4, while American Addison Keys fought from one set down to defeat Olga Govortsova of Belarus 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus eased past Swiss Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-3, while 15th seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland beat Romanian Monica Niculescu 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.