Federer, Murray storm into quarterfinals
AFP
AFP, LONDON: Roger Federer and Andy Murray reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals Monday. The 33-year-old Federer needed just 96 minutes to clinch victory over Bautista Agut and goes on to face French 12th seed Gilles Simon for a place in the semi-finals.
Federer holds a 5-2 career lead over Simon, who reached his maiden All England Club quarter-final by knocking out 2010 runner-up and sixth seed Tomas Berdych.
The Swiss star claimed victory on a sixth match point against Bautista Agut, whose challenge was seriously compromised by needing treatment on his right ankle after a bad fall in the sixth game of the second set.
British third seed Murray claimed a 7-6 (9/7), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over 2.11-metres (six feet, 11 inches) tall Karlovic to book his place in the quarter-finals for the eighth successive year.
Murray, the 2013 champion, will next face unseeded Canadian Vasek Pospisil.
Karlovic, at 36 the oldest man to reach the last-16 in 39 years, fired 29 aces in the three-hour Centre Court encounter, but that was well below par for a man who had blasted 136 in his first three rounds.
Murray hit 62 winners to the Croatians 75 but crucially only nine unforced errors to his rivals 32.
French 21st seed Richard Gasquet defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (8/6) in a controversial clash to avenge a second round loss to the temperamental Australian in 2014.
The 29-year-old, a semi-finalist in 2007, will next face fourth seed Stan Wawrinka after winning a last-16 clash at the majors for just the third time in 19 attempts.
But Gasquets win was overshadowed by the latest controversy surrounding 20-year-old Kyrgios, the man who knocked out Rafael Nadal 12 months ago.
He tanked the third game of the second set allowing Gasquet four uncontested points after arguing with umpire James Keothavong over a code violation for swearing, a gesture which brought boos from the crowd.
Kyrgios also argued with the official over the length of time he was taking to change his socks.
French Open champion Wawrinka defeated Belgian 16th seed David Goffin 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals for the second successive year.
Wawrinka is bidding to become just the fifth man to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.
Pospisil became only the third Canadian man to reach the quarter-finals with a 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over Serbian 22nd seed Viktor Troicki.
It was the world number 56s third five-set match in four rounds and his first career comeback from two sets to love down.
