Tipsarevic sends Gonzalez crashing

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic doused the fire of Fernando Gonzalez at Wimbledon to reach the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time.
The rugged world number 64, with tattoos on both arms, a stud in his eyebrow and red tennis strings, withstood the most fearsome forehand in tennis and saved a match point before winning 6-3 3-6 6-4 4-6 8-6.
Fifth seed Gonzalez, the Australian Open runner-up, is the biggest casualty so far in the men's draw.
Gonzalez, who beat Tipsarevic at Queen's Club earlier this month, was subdued for long periods and his frustration boiled over when he fluffed a backhand to hand Tipsarevic a two sets to one lead, slamming his racket into the turf.
The slow-burning contest came to life at the end of the fourth when Gonzalez broke at 5-4 to level.
He had his chances to win it. He served for the match at 5-3 in the decider only to be broken and had a match point on Tipsarevic's serve at 6-5 but sent a tame backhand into the net.
Tipsarevic broke for 7-6 coming into the net for a volley and held his nerve to convert his second match point and set up a fourth round match against Spain's former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Gonzalez said the windy conditions had troubled him.
"I never felt one game comfortable on the court because it was like the wrong wind," he said. "It's the same for both players but for my game, I couldn't loosen up. I was really tight. I'm really disappointed with this match today."
Ferrero secured his place in the last 16 with a surprise 3-6 6-3 6-3 7-6 victory over ninth-seeded James Blake.
Spaniard Ferrero, the 20th seed, recovered after going a set down on Court One and held his nerve in the final set, when the American number two forced a tie-break.
Ferrero triumphed in his only match so far with against Tipsarevic, beating him in five sets at the 2006 Australian Open.
Federer continues march
Meanwhile, Roger Federer barely had his feathers ruffled in a 6-1 6-4 7-6 win over Marat Safin, dispelling any pre-match notions that it could be a close encounter.
The world number one broke in the fourth game of the first set and a combination of some over-hitting on the groundstrokes by Safin and some tricky changes of speed by Federer allowed the Swiss to steam to a convincing lead.
Former world number one Safin, who famously beat Federer in a five-set epic on the way to winning the 2005 Australian Open, fought back early in the second and even broke serve.
But the top seed seemed unperturbed. He broke back immediately and again in the seventh game, prompting some characteristic racket-throwing from the volatile Russian before Federer nailed the set with an ace.
The third set went with serve and in the tiebreak Safin's forehand volley into the net gave Federer a mini-break and he served out the remainder to take it 7-4.
"I don't know if I played phenomenal, I just think I played the right way against Marat today," the Swiss told a news conference. "I really kept the balls in play, served well when I had to, moved well, returned pretty good."
Federer, aiming for a fifth successive Wimbledon crown, will face 13th seed Tommy Haas of Germany in the fourth round.
Roddick keeps U.S. hopes alive
Third seed Andy Roddick kept the flag flying for the United States with a 6-3 6-4 7-6 victory over Spain's Fernando Verdasco.
The 24-year-old did not look under any pressure against Verdasco in the first two sets, rattling them off in 58 minutes but the world number 41 then upped his game.
Verdasco broke Roddick in the third set on his way to a 4-1 lead and the American, who won the title at Queen's earlier this month, had to rely on his serve to get him out of trouble.
Roddick broke back for 5-4 when Verdasco put a forehand volley out. The Spaniard then squandered two set points and crumpled in the tiebreak which Roddick won 7-2.
Roddick is the only American left in the men's draw after compatriot Blake's defeat earlier in the day.

Henry poised for move to Barcelona

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Arsenal's French international striker Thierry Henry was poised to join Barcelona on Friday, a source from the Spanish club told CNN.
"In the next several hours Barcelona Football Club will be ready to announce the signing of Thierry Henry from Arsenal Football Club, but it is not official yet," the source said.
"The deal would be worth around 24 million euros (£16m; $32m)and would keep Henry at Barcelona for the next four years.
"There are still some legal details that need to be confirmed. We expect these details to be confirmed and when they are we will issue a release on Barcelona FC's Web site confirming Thierry Henry's signing, probably on Saturday," the source said.
Henry has been with Arsenal since 1999, scoring a club record 226 goals in 364 appearances for the Gunners. He helped the London club win two Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
Henry still had three years left on his contract with the Gunners, but speculation about his departure increased after Arsenal failed to win a trophy last season and finished only fourth in the Premier League for the second year in a row.
Henry acknowledged he was upset that David Dein, who was responsible for bringing manager Arsene Wenger to the club in 1996, quit as vice-chairman of Arsenal.
Wenger, who has led Arsenal to three Premier League and four FA Cup triumphs, has said he has no plans to follow Dein away from the club. But he, too, has been linked with a possible move to Spain
Henry spent much of last season sidelined because of stomach and groin injuries. But he remains one of the game's biggest stars with his ability to score top-quality goals and beat defenses with his fast runs and dribbling.
Henry also helped the Gunners reach the Champions League final in 2006, only for Arsenal to lose to Barcelona.
He was frustrated that Arsenal did not strengthen their playing squad with big names and expressed his disappointment when the Gunners sold Patrick Vieira to Juventus two years ago.
Precocious
Henry started off his career as a precocious winger with Monaco under Wenger's tutelage in 1994 a year before the latter headed off to Grampus Eight in Japan.
After playing a cameo role in France's World Cup win on home soil in 1998 Henry, a product of the hugely productive French training center at Clairefontaine outside Paris, joined Juventus in 1998 after 28 goals in 129 games for the Monegasques, winning the 1997 French title.
Henry played barely half a season and scored only three goals in 16 starts for the 'Zebras' before heading back to the Riviera for a brief spell.
Arsenal then came calling with Wenger at the helm in 1999 and after the professorial coach turned his protege into a center-forward Henry blossomed into one of the greatest players in the world, scoring more than a goal every other game over eight seasons.
He also won the 2000 European Championship with France and was European Golden boot winner in 2004 and 2005.
.

Baddeley leads Woods by two shots

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -- Australian Aaron Baddeley burst out of a four-way tie on Saturday to grab a two-stroke lead over Tiger Woods going into the final round of the U.S. Open at Oakmont.
The 26-year-old Baddeley made back-to-back birdies from the 12th to seize the lead, then bounced back from bogeys at 15 and 16 with a birdie at the last to post an even-par 70 and a two-over-par 212 total.
Woods, playing a near-perfect round from tee to green, took five on the 484-yard 18th for his only bogey in a rock steady round of one-under-par 69 to stand at four-over 214.
"You always dream of playing in majors and having a chance to win going into Sunday," Baddeley told reporters.
"I can only focus on what I'm doing. Today I felt really calm out there and peaceful. My game felt nice. I wasn't trying to press or do anything special."
Officials watered the hard, sloping greens before the start and the demanding Oakmont course played two shots easier than it had on Friday, with the average score 74.68 on Saturday.
Conditions allowed players to shoot more aggressively to the greens, and the flow of birdies and bogeys made for a see-saw struggle on the leaderboard.
Second-round leader Angel Cabrera of Argentina and American Bubba Watson dueled early in the round, with Woods among a pack of players tight on their heels before Baddeley surged ahead.
After missing the cut in his two previous Opens, Baddeley said he was excited about playing in the last group with Woods, as he goes for his first major.
"It's perfect, it's exciting," he said.
"He's the best player in the world, but I feel like I'm playing nicely."
Knotted in third place at five over par, three strokes off the pace, were Britons Paul Casey (72) and Justin Rose (73), Canadian Stephen Ames (73) and American Bubba Watson (74).
A shot further back were Americans Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk, the 2003 champion, and second-round leader Cabrera, who finished with two bogeys for a 76.
Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who won last year's Open at Winged Foot, fell out of contention with a 78 that put him 12 shots back.
Watson held the lead briefly before posting a triple-bogey at the 477-yard, par-four ninth hole, where he rushed fluffed a shot in the green-side rough then rushed his follow-up shot.
Woods had birdies at the third and fourth holes and saw numerous other birdie putts that could have shot him into the lead slide just past the cup.
The world number one, chasing his 13th major title, was the last in the field to post a bogey on the warm, humid day.
At 18, Woods hit his tee shot into a bunker, blasted out to the fairway and placed his third shot on the green. He left his 20-foot par-putt on the edge of the hole.
"I didn't drop a shot today until 18, which was nice and that's what ultimately you want to have at a U.S. Open," Woods told reporters.
"I hit a lot of putts that just grazed the edge, but I'm right back in the mix."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Federer reaches French Open final

PARIS, France -- Roger Federer reached a record eighth consecutive grand slam final by overcoming Russia's Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 7-6 7-6 in a thrilling French Open semifinal on Friday.
World number one Federer bettered the record of seven successive final appearances set by Australian Jack Crawford in the 1930s but was made to work for it.
The elegant 25-year-old Swiss, chasing the only grand slam title to elude him, showed more composure when it mattered to set up a final against either defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain or Serbian newcomer Novak Djokovic.
Fourth seed Davydenko, who failed to advance to his first final of a major event, gave his all but it was not enough.
The 26-year-old bowed out by sending a backhand wide on the second match point after just over three hours of high quality tennis.
It was a case of missed opportunities for fourth seed Daydenko who held the lead in each of the three sets and saw Federer save 14 break points.
Federer, who committed 45 unforced errors also had to save three set points in the final set.
"I could have lost in three sets," Federer said. "He's an excellent player. It's a superb win for me before the final."
He is bidding to win his fourth consecutive grand slam title, something last accomplished by Rod Laver in 1969, and 11th overall, which would tie Laver and Bjorn Borg for third on the all-time list.
A dejected Davydenko, who weighs in at a frail 70kg, said he needs to improve his physical durability if he is ever to become Federer's equal.
"I have to find more power," said the Russian.
"Maybe I made a mistake by starting so quickly. I was trying to fight all the time and by the second set I was already very tired. I need to learn how to keep it up for the whole match."

Djokovic into quarters with ease

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- Serbian Novak Djokovic was only seven when Swede Jonas Bjorkman made his debut at Roland Garros but whatever he lacks in experience he made up for with youthful exuberance on Monday as he bounded into the quarterfinals.
Powerful, razor-sharp and fleet-footed, the 20-year-old sixth seed made mincemeat of Spain's Fernando Verdasco, winning 6-3 6-3 7-6 on a humid day at the French Open.
Bjorkman, at 35 the oldest man to reach the fourth round since 1972, started well enough against former champion Carlos Moya before the exertions of the past week caught up with him.
Moya, no youngster himself at 30, now carries the flag for the older generation after a 7-6 6-2 7-5 victory.
Djokovic, the youngest player in the last 16, proved again that he has the game to loosen the Nadal-Federer stranglehold.
Kitted out in bright yellow shirt and black shorts, Djokovic buzzed across the red clay, stinging Verdasco with winners from every conceivable angle.
A single service break was all it needed in the first set and he went 4-0 up in the second to establish complete control against the highest-ranked player he has faced here so far.
Fierce rally
Verdasco, who had a 2-0 career record over Djokovic, made a match of it in the third set but even luck was against him.
A fierce rally at 1-3 in the tiebreak ended when a fizzing Djokovic backhand dropped dead off the netcord.
The Serbian looked to the heavens, arms aloft, but he needed no further assistance from above as he closed out the match.
Bjorkman defied conventional wisdom last year by getting to the semi-finals of Wimbledon and said on Saturday that reaching the fourth round of Roland Garros in the twilight of his admirable career was on a par.
When he moved into an early 3-0 lead and threatened a double break it even looked possible that the dream run might continue, but although the mind was willing his body began to fail him.
Twenty-third seed Moya, the 1998 champion and still a force on clay, recovered from a sluggish start to take the first set on a tiebreak and then cruised through the second.
Bjorkman, who came back from two-set deficits in the first two rounds here, needed treatment on his shoulder at the end of the second set and although he gamely hung on in the third, there was no way back on this occasion.
In later play defending champion Rafael Nadal was facing Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis was taking on Russian Igor Andreev.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Jankovic knocks out Venus in Paris

PARIS, France -- Fourth seed Jelena Jankovic underlined her credentials as a leading contender for the French Open title with a three-set victory over Venus Williams in the third round on Friday.
Jankovic won 6-4 4-6 6-1, reserving her finest play for the third set after the American had bravely fought back to force a decider.
The 22-year-old Serbian has claimed three titles on the WTA tour this season and won the Tier One claycourt tournament in Rome earlier this month.
Williams, who reached the final at Roland Garros in 2002 but missed the last two grand slam tournaments because of injuries, also lost to Jankovic in the third round at Wimbledon last year.
"The third set went a little bit faster than what I expected," Williams said. "I felt a little bit slow ... I couldn't get my feet where I wanted them."
Jankovic dominated the five-time major champion in the first set, winning 20 of the 24 points played in her service games, including the first 10.
Williams, who had hit a world record 206 kph service in the previous round, immediately broke to take a 3-0 lead in the second set and held on to level affairs after 80 minutes without every looking entirely convincing.
Jankovic, who reached the semifinals at the 2006 U.S. Open, broke Williams in the third game of the deciding set and took advantage of a weak double-fault in the fifth to break again for a 4-1 lead.
With Williams wilting, the next two games went to Jankovic as she wrapped up victory in an hour and 53 minutes following a lengthy rally.
Jankovic, who has never before progressed to the last 16 at Roland Garros, will meet either former runner-up Elena Dementieva or France's Marion Bartoli.
"I stayed mentally very strong in third set and I really went for my shots," Jankovic said.
"I was a little bit tired in the second set, but I just went for it in the third and it paid off."
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.