Wimbledon Championships: men's singles: One of those evocative evenings; the summer shadow lengthening across Centre Court; Tim Henman playing a tango, with the nation and their anxieties; Mark Philippoussis lacerating the umpire with audible obscenities; keeping everyone tight. Perfect.
Sometimes drama, occasionally soap, last night Henman played it straight, closing out Philippoussis in four sets 6-2, 7-5, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5). This was mainstream theatre. The tournament has come alive.
Henman exposed the lumbering, high percussion game of the 11th seed, who, on form coming into the tournament, had little reason to expect even a run as far as the fourth round. Known as "Flip", he hadn't won a regular tour match since January and arrived hoping that the familiarity of the grass would trigger a response. It didn't, the spare excellence of Henman denying him even a fifth set.
"I enjoyed that more than yesterday because of the quality of play from both of us and the atmosphere was incredible again," said Henman. "When you play to that level, when you come up short you have to say too good to your opponent. I felt it was going to be more straightforward than my other matches because I knew how he played. It helps when you make a start like that. I hadn't the best of starts in my other matches. The first three sets I served very, very well."
While Philippoussis buckled the net cord, scattered the line judges and scorched the grass with his serves, and a mouthful of profanities, Henman matched it with a service game of his own that dropped just six points in the first two sets.
His volleying also made a timely return. Controlled at the net, Henman was rarely passed by the Melbourne 27-year-old, who so often found himself flailing at his opponent's returns. It was as perfect as Henman could have expected it to be, the pressure drawing a verbal assault from his opponent in the third set when Philippoussis saw a serve out that was not called.
"That's fucking three mistakes," screamed the 6ft 5in Australian at Spanish chair umpire Enric Molina. "Fuck the Cyclops. I should give you a warning 'cos you suck, you're not looking."
Despite the obscenity warning, Philippoussis converted the tie-break to claw back into the match, a set down but the momentum finally with him. It was mere respite, Henman toughing it out in the fourth, another tie-break but this time it fell his way.
In the first set Philippoussis let his serve fall cheaply, Henman breaking twice, the second time for 4-1 as the Australian served three double faults in succession. It was a shocking beginning. But Henman too had raised his level and going into the second set Philippoussis still hadn't found a way to hurt the fifth seed.
Although the second set lived up to the billing that this would be a tight match hinging on small margins, so it was that Henman again got his chance at 6-5 up. A lofted ball on break point was left by Philippoussis and landed on the baseline but wide. Called in, the Australian's complaints fell on deaf ears and Henman served to love for 7-5 and the second set.
Forced to save a set point at 4-5 down in the third set was Henman's first threat as Philippoussis squeezed harder, taking the set to a tie-break and giving the Briton his first rattle of the match for 2-1.
The third was similarly fraught and although Henman let slip two match points at 5-2 on the Philippoussis serve, it again went to a tie-break with Henman triumphantly turning it his way, taking the third of three match points.
"I got years ahead of me. This is something I can walk away from disappointed but positive. It will definitely see me work harder on the court. I'm looking forward now to the summer season, the Olympics and the US Open," said Philippoussis.
Henman's next opponent is the 20-year-old unseeded Croat Mario Ancic, who is currently ranked 63rd in the world.
Tournament favourite Roger Federer performed the same snappy routine for his place in the quarter-finals. Straight sets. No frights or "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd, his broad white headband barely moving as he imposed his finely calibrated game on his opponent, the 6' 10" Ivo Karlovic. The 22-year-old Swiss player again took the match in three sets, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5). Federer's next-round meeting is with the Australian ninth seed Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Carlos Moya in four sets, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3).
Andy Roddick also kept the pack intact and American interest alive with a straight-set win over Alexander Popp.
Roddick took just under two hours to propel himself 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 into the quarter-finals.
MEN'S SINGLES
Round four: (+) (1) Roger Federer (Swi) bt Ivo Karlovic (Cro) 6-3 7-6(7-3) 7-6(7-5); (+) (7) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt (+) (9) Carlos Moya (Spa) 6-4 6-2 4-6 7-6(7-3); Florian Mayer (Ger) bt Joachim Johansson (Swe) 6-3 6-7(5-7) 7-6(7-5) 6-4; (+) (10) Sebastien Grosjean (Fra) bt (+) (27) Robby Ginepri (USA) 6-2 6-2 7-6(7-4); (+) (5) Tim Henman (Gbr) bt (+) (11) Mark Philippoussis (Aus) 6-2 7-5 6-7(3-7) 7-6(7-5); Mario Ancic (Cro) bt Xavier Malisse (Bel) 7-5 3-1 retired; (+) (12) Sjeng Schalken (Ned) bt (+) (30) Vincent Spadea (USA) 6-2 7-5 3-6 6-2; (+) (2) Andy Roddick (USA) bt Alexander Popp (Ger) 7-5 6-4 6-4.
WOMEN'S SINGLES
Round Three: Tatiana Golovin (Fra) bt Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Swi) 6-3 2-6 6-3; (+) (14) Silvia Farina Elia (Ita) bt Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) 2-6 6-4 7-5.
Round Four: (+) (5) Lindsay Davenport (USA) bt (+) (12) Vera Zvonareva (Rus) 6-4 6-4; Karolina Sprem (Cro) bt (+) (21) Magdalena Maleeva (Bul) 6-4 6-4; (+) (11) Ai Sugiyama (Jpn) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 6-3 7-5; (+) (13) Maria Sharapova (Rus) bt (+) (31) Amy Frazier (USA) 6-4 7-5.
MEN'S DOUBLES
Round One: Andre Sa (Bra) and Flavio Saretta (Bra) bt Ivo Karlovic (Cro) and Jim Thomas (USA) 3-7 7-6(7-2) 12-10.
MEN'S DOUBLES:
Round Two: (+) (1) Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) and Todd Woodbridge (Aus) bt Lucas Arnold (Arg) and Martin Garcia (Arg) 6-3 6-2; Rick Leach (USA) and Brian MacPhie (USA) bt (+) (14) Xavier Malisse (Bel) and Olivier Rochus (Bel) 6-7(3-7) 7-5 4-5 retired; (+) (5) Mark Knowles (Bah) and Daniel Nestor (Can) bt Thomas Johansson (Swe) and Johan Landsberg (Swe) 6-2 6-4; Justin Gimelstob (USA) and Scott Humphries (USA) bt Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) and Graydon Oliver (USA) 6-3 6-7(1-7) 6-3.
MEN'S DOUBLES
Round Three: Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) and Ashley Fisher (Aus) bt (+) (8) Martin Damm (Cze) and Cyril Suk (Cze) 6-7(4-7) 7-6(8-6) 15-13; Simon Aspelin (Swe) and Todd Perry (Aus) bt Jean-Francois Bachelot (Fra) and Andrei Pavel (Rom) 6-4 6-2; (+) (7) Wayne Arthurs (Aus) and Paul Hanley (Aus) bt Jiri Novak (Cze) and Radek Stepanek (Cze) 7-6(7-4) 6-4; (+) (16) Julian Knowle (Aut) and Nenad Zimonjic (Ser) bt (+) (3) Mahesh Bhupathi (Ind) and Max Mirnyi (Blr) 6-4 3-6 8-6.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Round One: Nathalie Dechy (Fra) and Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Sarah Borwell (Gbr) and Emily Webley-Smith (Gbr) 6-4 6-1.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Round Two: (+) (1) Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spa) and Paola Suarez (Arg) bt Shinobu Asagoe (Jpn) and Rika Fujiwara (Jpn) 7-6(7-2) 6-1; Tatiana Golovin (Fra) and Mary Pierce (Fra) bt (+) (17) Alicia Molik (Aus) and Magui Serna (Spa) 7-6(7-5) 6-7(5-7) 6-3.
WOMEN'S DOUBLES
Round Three: (+) (4) Nadia Petrova (Rus) and Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) bt (+) (15) Els Callens (Bel) and Petra Mandula (Hun) 6-3 6-0; (+) (6) Cara Black (Zim) and Rennae Stubbs (Aus) bt Barbara Schett (Aut) and Patty Schnyder (Swi) 7-6(7-5) 6-4; (+) (11) Marion Bartoli (Fra) and Emilie Loit (Fra) bt (+) (7) Janette Husarova (Svk) and Conchita Martinez (Spa) 6-4 3-6 6-4; (+) (3) Martina Navratilova (USA) and Lisa Raymond (USA) bt Jennifer Russell (USA) and Mara Santangelo (Ita) 7-5 6-3.
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