LONDON: Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams cruised effortlessly into the Wimbledon fourth round Saturday as the fi rst week’s shockwaves left just eight of the top 20 seeds still standing.
World number one Djokovic, the 2011 champion, destroyed French 28th seed Jeremy Chardy, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in just 86 minutes.
He fi red 38 winners, eight aces and committed just three unforced errors.
“I felt very confi dent to step onto the court and everything went my way,” said Djokovic after his 50th career grasscourt win.
“I haven’t lost many points on my service games. I did everything I wanted to do. I enjoy it very much when everything works well. It’s a fantastic feeling.” Djokovic, yet to drop his serve, wi l l tackle veteran Tommy Haas for a place in the quarterfinals, just weeks after he beat the German in the French Open quarter-fi nals.
But 13th-seeded Haas beat the Serb star in Miami this season and also got the better of him in the Wimbledon quarter-fi nals in 2009.
Women’s defending champion Serena Williams was equally ruthless taking just over an hour to carve out a 6-2, 6-0 win over Japanese 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm.
It was the 600th win of Williams’s career as the American continued her gentle cruise towards a sixth Wimbledon title and 17th Grand Slam crown.
She will face German 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki for a quarter-fi nal place where victory will also give her a 35th successive win, taking her level with sister Venus’s record set in 2000.
“Wow, 600 wins. I had no idea. What better place than under the roof at Centre Court to achieve it,” said the 31-year-old American.
Only four of the top 10 men’s seeds and four of the top 10 in the women’s draw have made it to the second week after the Grand Slam heavyweights of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka had all exited by Wednesday.
Laura Robson took ful l advantage by becoming the fi rst British woman to make the last 16 for 15 years when she came from a set and 3-5 down to defeat New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The 19-year-old goes on to face Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, a former quarter-fi nalist.
Robson, currently ranked 38 in the world, will also move into the top 30 after the tournament, the fi rst British woman to break that barrier since Jo Durie in April, 1987.
The men’s fourth round will feature fi ve men making their maiden appearance at the fourth round stage.
France ’s Ken ny De Schepper, the 26 -year-old world numb e r 8 0 , b e at Argentine 22nd s e e d Ju a n Monaco, 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 to book a last-16 spot at a major for the fi rst time.
Poland’s Lukasz Kubot, ranked 130, also made the fourth round in 2011, and is the second Pole to reach the last-16 after 24th seed Jerzy Janowicz also booked his place on Friday.
Kubot beat 25th seed Benoit Paire 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 and next faces French w o r l d number 111 Adrian Mannarino who has made the last-16 at a major for the fi rst time in 14 attempts.
Left-hander De Schepper will face experienced Fernando Verdasco after the Spanish former top 10 player, now at 54 in the world, cruised past temperamental Latvian Ernests Gulbis, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Russian 20th seed Mikhail Youzhny, a quarter-finalist in 2012, defeated Serbia’s Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 and goes on to face British second seed Andy Murray. — AFP