Tennis
Nadal coasts past Kiefer to reach business end of Wimbledon
By DPA
Jun 29, 2008, 12:22 GMT

London - Rafael Nadal joined Roger Federer in the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championships as he subdued Germany's Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, 6-3 to end the first week on a winning note.

Spain's world number two, finalist the last two years against the Swiss, followed the example of Federer, who a day earlier set up a fourth-round clash with Lleyton Hewitt at the All England club.

Kiefer staged late heroics as Nadal served for victory, breaking for 2-5 and then firing three aces in the next game before Nadal closed it out for his 52nd win of the season.

'I'm very happy to be in the fourth round and losing only one set,' Nadal said as the match ended with daylight almost gone. 'I will have a tough opponent next, and I'll just try to play my best tennis.'

The clash between the German and the Spaniard came one day before Sunday's final of the Euro 2008 football tournament between Germany and Spain in Vienna.

'I think we have chances to win,' Nadal said of his football team. 'I will watch the final at home with all the Spanish (tennis) players.'

British hope Andy Murray dispatched another German 30-year-old as he beat Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2.

'I felt like I was always in control of the sets,' said the 12th- seeded Scot. 'I got ahead very early in most of them. It was a very good match for me.'

Murray will attempt to go further as Wimbledon begins the business end from Monday after the traditional Sunday rest day.

Unlike a year ago, when days of rain were the major talking point, the 2008 edition has experienced only one 90-minute weather interruption during Friday's third round.

Murray next plays Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who ousted compatriot Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.

'He's a very talented player, made the semis here last year. I'm going to have to up my game if I want to win,' said the Scot.

Unseeded German Rainer Schuettler earned his best Grand Slam result since 2003 as he reached the second week with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

The Australian Open finalist from five years ago, who got to the fourth rounds at the other Slams that season, had been beaten in 11 first-rounds at majors in the intervening lean years.

'There were two, three times when I really thought, 'Maybe it doesn't make sense, maybe I should look for something else,'' confessed the 32-year-old 'But at the end, I do what I love, what I enjoy, and that's the most important.'

Serb Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Andy Roddick in the second round, eliminated Russian Dmitry Tursunov 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

In women's play, Jelena Jankovic milked the moment to full effect as she overcame a sluggish start before beating Caroline Wozniacki 2- 6, 6-4, 6-2.

The second-seeded Serb, desperate to avoid the upset fate that already befell number one Ana Ivanovic and number three Maria Sharapova this week, trotted out the trainer twice to deal with a left knee she jammed in the first set.

The top three women's seeds have never all been beaten during the first week in the century-plus history of the event.

Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva was untroubled by Argentine Gisela Dulko in a 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 win, while four-time winner and holder Venus Williams crushed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6- 1, 7-5 to win a 54th Wimbledon match. Jankovic had a taping on her knee at the start of the third set, breaking her Danish opponent twice but losing serve herself along the way.

After three games, she had the tape cut off, complaining that her knee was 'turning blue.'

'I slid early in the first set and bent my leg,' said Jankovic, well-known to local crowds after winning the mixed doubles a year ago with Jamie Murray.

'The more the match went on, the more pain I felt. I was struggling at the end. Hopefully, I'll be fine for next match.'