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Serena Williams, Federer reache Wimbledon quarterfinals, Sharapova out

Posted: 9:20 AM Jul 2, 2012
Reporter: Associated Press

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Four-time champion Serena Williams overcame windy conditions and a gritty 65th-ranked opponent Monday to pull out another three-set victory and reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

The sixth-seeded American won the last three games of the final set to beat Kazakhstani wild card Yaroslava Shvedova 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 in cool and gusty conditions on Court 2.

Williams hopped in joy with both feet in the air after hitting a big forehand that forced an error by Shvedova on the first match point, ending a hard-hitting contest that lasted nearly two hours.

Williams will next face defending champion Petra Kvitova, who beat former French Open winner Francesca Schiavone.

Top-seeded Maria Sharapova's bid for a second consecutive Grand Slam title ended with a 6-4, 6-3 loss to No. 15 Sabine Lisicki in a windy, rainy fourth-round match at Wimbledon on Monday.

Sharapova was trying to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2002 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.

The Russian completed a career Grand Slam by taking the trophy at Roland Garros last month.

She won Wimbledon in 2004, and was the runner-up last year, when she beat Lisicki in the semifinals, part of a 3-0 head-to-record against the German before Monday.

Lisicki, wearing a long-sleeved shirt for warmth, ended the match with ace.

Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, who's also German, sat in Lisicki's guest box at Court 1.

Federer beats Malisse to reach Wimbledon quarters
Eds: APNewsNow. With AP Photos.

Roger Federer had to stave off a comeback instead of making one Monday, holding off Xavier Malisse in four sets to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

Federer struggled with a back problem in the first set and left Centre Court for a medical timeout that lasted more than eight minutes while leading 4-3. But he returned to secure a 7-6 (1), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over the Belgian. Federer said he thought he was in trouble at first but that the back started feeling better as the match went on.

Still, he was down 2-0 in the fourth set as Malisse threatened to force a fifth, but Federer went on to win the next five games.

In the third round, the six-time champion rallied from two sets down to beat Julien Benneteau.