Federer, Nadal coast into Wimbledon quarters

Roger Federer [Images] came out on top in the battle of the Wimbledon champions when he trumped Lleyton Hewitt [Images] 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals on Monday.

Australian Hewitt, the only men's winner in the draw other than five-times champion Federer, kept the Swiss on his toes during a tight first set.

Once Federer had earned the tiebreak 9-7 with a 195 kph thunderbolt ace, he ran Hewitt ragged on a sun-drenched Centre Court and chalked up his 63rd consecutive win on grass with an unreturnable serve.

Federer will next face either Croatia's Mario Ancic, who was the last man to beat the world number one on grass in the first round here in 2002.

Ancic beat Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco in a five-set marathon (3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11) in 229 minutes (the last set lasting for 95 minutes).

Rafael Nadal [Images] survived an early scare when he needed treatment to his right calf before beating Mikhail Youznhy 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 on Monday to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

The second seed, 1-0 up after serving first, slipped and landed badly on his right leg chasing a crosscourt shot and needed a time-out for treatment on the side of Court One.

However, it proved a blip and the Spaniard crushed an opponent he needed five sets to overcome at the same stage of Wimbledon a year ago. He next meets Frenchman Richard Gasquet or Briton Andy Murray in the last eight.

The Russian, seeded 17th, had won the last of their previous 10 meetings by a remarkable 6-0 6-1 in the final at Chennai in January. Their tally is now 7-4 to Nadal.

Spaniard Feliciano Lopez saved three match points before outlasting Cypriot number 10 seed Marcos Baghdatis 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 8-6 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday.

The 26-year-old left-hander, seeded 31, was staring defeat in the face when serving at 4-5 0-40 down in the final set but saved all three match points, the final one with an ace, to hold.

He then broke Baghdatis, a semi-finalist here two years ago, to seize the initiative and confidently served out for victory.

Lopez, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2005, his best result at a grand slam, now takes on Marat Safin [Images] or Stanislas Wawrinka.

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