Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal cruise into Wimbledon's gentlemen's quarterfinals, but Nadal's path to the finals seems easier than Federer's.
Rafa Nadal destroyed Mikhail Youhzny, the only player on his half of the draw that had a respectable record (4-6) against him. With Andy Murray next on his plate, Rafa should have another appetizer in the semis, before the main course in the final.
Anything can happen in tennis, but Rafa is about as dependable as…well, as Roger Federer used to be. He seldom loses to someone he is supposed to beat. Looking at the remaining players in his portion of the draw, Rafa is 9-2 against them (3-0 vs. Murray), with his last loss to any of them being to Arnaud Clement in 2006.
What about Roger’s chances of being at that final feast with Nadal? Roger’s next opponent is the resilient Mario Ancic, who was the last man to beat Roger at Wimbledon in 2002. Ancic battled back from two sets down to beat Marcos Baghdatis 13-11 in the fifth, and has repeatedly battled back from injuries to regain the form that garnered him the No.7 ATP world ranking in 2006.
Should Roger get past Ancic, he will have to face the winner of Marat Safin and Feliciano Lopez? Other than his Wilson racquet commercial Lopez has done squat this year, so some are probably asking, “Feliciano Who?” But Lopez has big game, and apparently he has found big inspiration. He out-dueled Marcos Baghdatis in a thriller of a five-setter, 8-6 in the fifth.
Do I need to say anything about Safin? Well other than Federer and Nadal, he’s the only Grand Slam winner left in the draw, and the only one who straight-setted the legendary Pete Sampras in a Grand Slam (2000 US Open). Federer has owned both Safin and Lopez, going 14-2 against them but that was a different Roger and different Lopez and Safin.
