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Top Seed Ivanovic Loses at Wimbledon
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"There goes another chance for Andy at Wimbledon," Federer said.
If U.S. fans are looking for a silver lining in the rash of upsets at Wimbledon, it's that the tumult on the women's side appears to be clearing a relatively easy path for sisters Venus and Serena Williams to meet in the final on July 5.
The sisters have won six of the past eight Wimbledon singles titles and arrived this year looking healthy and fit. Neither has lost a set yet, though Serena was given a grand test by Amelie Mauresmo on Friday, at least for one set.
It was the latest installment of one of the better rivalries in the women's game, with Williams holding a 9-2 edge and Mauresmo having won most recently, at the 2006 U.S. Open.
Both are former Wimbledon champions, and both are former world No. 1s. But Mauresmo has struggled since undergoing an emergency appendectomy in March 2007, and her ranking has plunged to 33rd as a result.
Still, she played better than anticipated, clawing out of an 0-3 deficit to force a tiebreaker in the first set. Williams won it and had an easy time from there for a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory.
Up next is fellow American Bethanie Mattek, whose improbable Wimbledon run continued with a 6-4, 6-1 upset of 2007 runner-up Marion Bartoli on Thursday.
"Obviously, she's a nice girl, and I normally would like to see the best for her," Williams said of Mattek. "But clearly, I want to win, too."
Until this week, Mattek has been known primarily for the wild and often revealing outfits she wears on court. She has been fined for some get-ups (a cowboy hat at the U.S. Open) and ridiculed for others (tiger-print hot pants). But for her third Wimbledon appearance, Mattek decided to bow to convention a bit, choosing a low-cut white tank dress with a blousy top and a skirt fitted as tight as a sausage casing.
"I'm still outgoing, like to show my personality," said Mattek, 23. "But I really wanted to have my tennis come through. That's why I've kind of toned down some of my outfits for this tournament."
Mattek had her hands full with Bartoli in the first set. The Frenchwoman isn't particularly athletic, and her reach is sharply limited by her two-fisted groundstrokes on both sides. But she hits with impressive pace and smacks the ball at maddening angles.
But Bartoli's fighting spirit disappeared when her right shoulder started hurting. She took two medical timeouts late in the first set and succumbed quickly once play resumed.
