SanTina in quarterfinals; Bopanna-Mergea knocked out
LONDON: Roger Federer felled high-flying Steve Johnson at Wimbledon on Monday, knocking the wind out of the powerhouse with a 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 win in the fourth round. Despite considerable pre-match hype about Johnson, fresh from victory at the Nottingham grasscourt event, there was to be no Independence Day party for the burly American, as Federer showed more than enough to suggest he remains on track for a record eighth Wimbledon men’s singles crown. While Andy Murraysupporting Brits have been rubbing their hands with glee over Novak Djokovic’s shock third-round defeat, the biggest beneficiary of the Serb’s removal may yet prove to be third seed Federer, who on Monday drew level with Martina Navratilova on a record 306 Grand Slam singles match wins. In the quarter-finals, Federer will play Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic who advanced after his opponent, Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori, retired injured while trailing 6-1, 5-1. Meanwhile, Defending champions Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis demolished the challenge of Christina Mchale and Jelena Ostapenko to move into the quarterfinals but Rohan Bopanna lost a marathon third round with partner Florin Mergea to bow out of the Wimbledon Championships here on Monday. The top seeded IndoSwiss pair of Sania and Martina overpowered the American-Latvia combination 6-1 6-0 in the third round contest that lasted just 46 minutes. Dishing out a dominating performance, Sania and Martina broke their rivals five times and saved two chances they faced in the match. Meanwhile, sixth seeds Bopanna and Mergea lost a fiercely fought men’s doubles third round 6-2 3-6 4-6 7-6(8-6) 6-8 to 10th seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers in two hours and 55 minutes. Serena storms into 12th Wimbledon quarter-final Serena Williams powered into her 12th Wimbledon quarter-final as the defending champion celebrated American Independence Day with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Russian 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova on Monday. World number one Williams hit 43 winners and served 14 aces as she won the last nine games on Centre Court to remain on course for a record-equalling 22nd major title and a seventh Wimbledon crown. The 34-year-old, an eight-time Wimbledon finalist, will play Russian 21st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the semi-finals. Williams leads their career series 5-0. (Agencies)