Serena, Sharapova out

Wimbledon, July 4:

Justine Henin took advantage of an injured Serena Williams at Wimbledon on Wednesday, advancing to the semi-finals with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over the two-time champion.

Although Williams managed to win the middle set, Henin’s variety of shots kept the American moving. On Monday, Williams collapsed on the court with a strained left calf during her fourth-round win.

Henin will face No 18 Marion Bartoli in the semi-finals. Bartoli beat No 31 Michaella Krajicek 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Venus Williams advanced to the quarter-finals beating 2004 champion Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-3 in a two-day match.

Despite wasting seven break points in the third game of the second set, Venus broke in the seventh and ninth games to advance. Venus had 19 break points in the match, converting four of them. Sharapova failed to even earn a break point. Venus will face 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova next.

Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round in the men’s draw, after finally beating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 7-5 in a rain-interrupted match that finished four days after they first stepped on court. Nadal finally won on his sixth match point, the final five coming two days after the first. Nadal will next play No 14 Mikhail Youzhny.

No 4 Novak Djokovic also reached the fourth round in a match that took three days, and No 3 Andy Roddick advanced to the quarter-finals in an encounter that took two days. Djokovic beat Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-6 (5), and will play 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round. Roddick defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (6). Roddick will face No 12 Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals. Gasquet defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.