| Friday, 27 June 2008 Written by Byron Vale The rain fell for the first time at Wimbledon 2008, and when it cleared, Roger Federer made serene progress through another match. After the unexpected results of the last couple of days, a return to traditional values came as a welcome relief. But the rain did not last long and shocks were soon back on the agenda. By the close of play, world No.1 Ana Ivanovic, the last American man Bobby Reynolds, 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli, No.5 seed David Ferrer and 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo had all been sent packing. The camera-friendly ladies’ top seed and newly crowned French Open champion Ivanovic was unceremoniously dumped out in the third round by China’s Jie Zheng 6-1, 6-4. Only the thickness of a net cord had saved her from embarrassment against Nathalie Dechy two days previously and against Zheng, the world No. 133, the Serb’s game was so off-colour that luck never had a chance to enter into the equation. Ivanovic made 17 unforced errors, won only 46 percent on her first serve and converted just one of seven break points. “Trust me, it's not easy to lose,” she said, “but you also have to realize that the world won't end.” Mauresmo at least had the consolation of losing to two-time Wimbledon winner Serena Williams, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, while her fellow Frenchwoman went out with a whimper rather than a bang, falling in straight sets to another American Bethanie Mattek 6-4, 6-1. In the men’s draw, after the shock defeats to Andy Roddick and Jamie Blake, Bobby Reynolds was left carrying the flag for America. He could only carry it for four sets against No. 31 seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain, eventually going down 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. “I guess at the beginning of the tournament I wouldn't have thought that it would be me the last one standing for the men,” he said. Marat Safin put in a typically Safinesque performance. After an imperious display to beat Novak Djokovic on Wednesday, the Russian did all he could to keep Andreas Seppi in the match and give the fans on Court 1 value for money, alternating winners and unforced errors. As the clock ticked round to 9.30 pm, Seppi netted a return and “dangerous floater” Safin picked off his second seed in three days, beating the Italian No. 29 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. No. 5 seed Ferrer lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) to Mario Ancic, a player 38 places below him in the world but who is still the last person to defeat five-time champion Roger Federer here at Wimbledon. Speaking of whom, the good ship Federer continues to navigate untroubled, but a Lleyton Hewitt-sized iceberg awaits him in the fourth round. Federer’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Frenchman Marc Gicquel looked like little more than a training run, while Hewitt’s 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) victory over Simone Bolelli was barely any tougher. “It's always a challenge playing Lleyton. He's a great player, a guy I really enjoy watching as well. He's a great competitor,” Federer said. “We go back a long way. We played each other when we were 15 for the first time. I saved a match point and won in the end. So we go way back.” Five matches of the day
1. Mario Ancic v David Ferrer (5)
Ancic and Ferrer both produced their best display of the tournament. It seemed the darker it got, the more adventurous the shots became until the Croat finally closed the match out 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3).
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2. Ana Ivanovic (1) v Zheng Jie
It was like watching Maria Sharapova implode all over again, but it was no less compelling as the world’s best player came unstuck against the unheralded world No. 133 6-1, 6-4.
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3. Marat Safin v Andreas Seppi (29)
48 hours after trouncing the world No.3 Novak Djokovic, Marat Safin struggled to get past the 29th seeded Andreas Seppi in gloomy conditions on No.1 Court, 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.
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4. Roger Federer (1) v Marc Gicquel
Watching the defending champion ease pass his opponent with an array of exquisite touches, one wondered why anyone ever thought prior to the tournament that Federer's best days were behind him.
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5. Amelie Mauresmo v Serena Williams (6)
A real clash of the titans. The two big hitters had been out of sorts recently, but great players always raise their game on big occasions.
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