Sport

Federer cruises into the last eight

Melbourne: If there was just the merest hint, the other night, that Roger Federer’s aura of invincibility may have begun to melt away in the searing heat of competition, much like the Arctic ice cap in the face of global warming, then any such notions were quickly dispelled as fanciful and devoid of empirical evidence at the Australian Open on Monday.

The Tipsy late evening stagger into the fourth round on Saturday was perhaps nothing more than a brief sojourn into alien — read mortal if you wish — territory.

In the event, order was promptly restored on Monday. Tomas Berdych, the 13th best player in men’s tennis, no less, was offered two great opportunities to try and do what Janko Tipsarevic managed to better than anyone in recent memory two days ago.

A forehand error from Federer gave the Czech a setpoint (6-5) in the second set tie-break. Choosing to play a delicate drop shot then was like attempting a somersault on a tightrope. But when you have been told, repeatedly, that you have to do something very special to beat the great man, it is easy to lose your marbles.

Then, there was a second chance (7-6). A beginner in a public park court could have planted that forehand into the vacant corner of the court. Berdych’s arm froze (option paralysis?) and the ball fell a metre beyond the baseline.

Goodbye Tomas. Little more than half an hour later, Federer was into quarterfinals, wrapping up the match 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-3.

To challenge the maestro, the Berdychs of this world will first have to conquer the enemy within: the fear of the unknown. The very thought that you are a point away from winning a set, or a set away from winning a match, against the world champion can play havoc with the neural signalling system.

If this happens to a man who knows what it is like to finish on the right side of the scoreline against Federer — Berdych beat the Swiss master in the Athens Olympics four years ago but has since lost six straight times — then imagine the plight of the vast majority who have not even pocketed a set. Federer will play James Blake, seeded 12, in the quarterfinals. The charismatic American posted an impressive 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 fourth round victory over Marin Cilic of Croatia.

“He [Blake] has improved a lot the last couple of years. He is one of the nicest guys on the Tour. It is going to be enjoyable,” said Federer.

The top seed showed no signs of fatigue after Saturday night’s gut-wrenching, energy-sapping marathon. And there was no sign, too, of the sleepwalker’s daze that got him into a deep hole against Tipsarevic.

Berdych, with a big serve and powerful groundstrokes, is never an easy opponent. And, on Monday, the Czech was much the better player in the second set in which he first led through an early break before galloping to 5-2 in the tie-break.

“He is a dangerous player. Thank god he didn’t win the second set. You don’t know what might have happened,” said a relieved Federer, the events of Saturday night still fresh in his mind.

Federer took the first set after breaking the Czech’s serve in the ninth game with a forehand pass that was a sleight-of-hand flick while in motion. But if he was a touch lucky to take the second set, then, in the third set, the 12-time Grand Slam champion was quick to pounce on his opponent to finish him off in straight sets. Federer lost just four points on serve in the third set.

In the men’s doubles competition, Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas beat Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland 6-3, 6-2 to make the quarterfinals where the American top seeds, Mike and Bob Bryan, await them.

But Rohan Bopanna’s dream run alongside Rajeev Ram, an American of Indian origin, came to an end. The pair was beaten 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 by Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie of South Africa in the third round.

In the boys’ doubles event, the Indian pair of Yuki Bhambri and Karunuday Singh lost 3-6, 6-7(0) to Jarryd Chaplin and Jake Eames of Australia.

In the girls’ singles competition, India’s Poojashree Venkatesha went down 1-6, 5-7 to the third-seeded Austrian Nikola Hofmanova in the first round.

Agencies report

Novak Djokovic wore down the tenacious but battle-weary Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets to power into the quarterfinals on Monday night.

The exciting young Serbian third seed produced the full array of his blinding groundstrokes to sink the challenge of the 2005 finalist, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours 26 minutes.

Djokovic, one of the brightest talents in the men’s game and possibly just a match away from playing top seed Roger Federer in the semifinals, will take on Ferrer in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

It was Hewitt’s first straight sets loss at the Australian Open since the fourth round of the 2000 event.

“Lleyton plays his best tennis here in the Australian Open, he was very motivated this year to win it and he had some tough matches and he was a break up in the first set,” Djokovic said.

“I managed to come back and I was very nervous.

“The first set was luck and afterwards I relaxed and tried to be aggressive and take control of the match which I did.

“He made a couple of unforced errors and he was very tired and exhausted from the Baghdatis match a few nights ago, so I used my opportunity.”

The sixth-seeded pair of Sania Mirza and Australian Alicia Molik crashed out of the tournament after suffering a straight-set defeat in the women’s doubles third round match.

The Indo-Australian pair lost 5-7, 3-6 against the 12th seeded combine of Shahar Peer of Israel and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Women’s singles: Fourth round: 4-Ana Ivanovic (Srb) bt Caroline Wozniacki (Den) 6-1, 7-6(2); 29-Agnieszka Radwanska (Pol) bt 14-Nadia Petrova (Rus) 1-6, 7-5, 6-0; 8-Venus Williams (USA) bt Marta Domachowska (Pol) 6-4, 6-4; 9-Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt 27-Maria Kirilenko (Rus) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Men’s doubles: Third round: Jeff Coetzee & Wesley Moodie (RSA) bt Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Rajeev Ram (USA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3; 6-Mahesh Bhupathi (Ind) & Mark Knowles (Bah) bt 11-Mariusz Fyrstenberg & Marcin Matkowski (Pol) 6-3, 6-2.

Women’s doubles: Third round: 12-Victoria Azarenka (Blr) & Shahar Peer (Isr) bt 6-Sania Mirza (Ind) & Alicia Molik (Aus) 7-5, 6-3.

Mixed doubles: Second round: 6-Chia-Jung Chuang (Tpe) & Jonathan Erlich (Isr) bt Agnes Szavay (Hun) & Leander Paes (Ind), walkover.

Boys doubles: First round: Jarryd Chaplin & Jake Eames (Aus) bt Yuki Bhambri & Karunuday Singh (Ind) 6-3, 7-6(0).

Girls’ singles: First round: 3-Nikola Hofmanova (Aut) bt Poojashree Venkatesha (Ind) 6-1, 7-5.

Girls’ doubles: First round: 3-Tyra Calderwood (Aus) & Nikola Hofmanova (Aut) bt Janaki Gunuganti & Poojashree Venkatesha (Ind) 6-2, 6-2.

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