Erakovic falls to Russians and rain
Marina Erakovic’s involvement at this year’s Wimbledon has come to an end after she and her partner Tamarine Tanasugarn lost 6-3 2-6 7-5 to Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the third round of the ladies’ doubles.
The match, which lasted over 21⁄ hours, was played over two days because of rain interruptions.
The match was suspended today with Erakovic and Tanasugarn 3-2 up in the first set. Soon after they lost the set, having their serve broken twice, they were off again as another shower hit southwest London.
The second set was a comfortable win for the Kiwi and Thai against the tournament’s fifth seeds, but there was a crucial break of serve at the end of the third set, which cost them the match.
Erakovic will now head to the United States for tournaments in Stanford and Carlsbad before returning to Wimbledon in a few weeks’ time for the London Olympic Games.
The only New Zealander left at this year’s Wimbledon tournament is Emily Fanning.
She has partnered with Ukraine’s Oleksandra Korashvili, and will tonight play Donna Vekic from Croatia and the Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round of the girls’ doubles.
Andy Murray is steeling himself for a Spanish inquisition in the men’s quarterfinals tonight.
Murray returned to the All England Club today to complete a 7-5 6-2 6-3 fourth-round victory over Queen’s Club champion Marin Cilic to impressively advance to the last eight for the fourth straight year.
With no Rafael Nadal standing in his way this time, local hopes are sky high that the fourthseeded Scot will at last end Britain’s 74-year wait for a men’s grand slam singles finalist.
But with a 5-5 win-loss record against his quarterfinal foe, world No 5 David Ferrer, Murray is refusing to fuel expectations.
The 25-year-old dismissed talk that Ferrer – who won Wimbledon’s grass court leadup event in the Netherlands – was merely a clay court specialist ripe for the picking.
‘‘He’s a clay court specialist? No, he’s not. He won last week on grass,’’ Murray said.
‘‘So he’s won, what, eight matches in a row on the grass?
‘‘He’s been in the semifinals of Australia, I think the semifinals of the US Open as well, and now he’s starting to play better on grass. I don’t see him as a clay court specialist at all.’’
Ferrer, who thumped Argentine ninth seed Juan Martin del Potro 6-3 6-2 6-3 in his raindelayed fourth-round match, has yet to drop a set at this year’s tournament, and eliminated Murray in the quarterfinals of last month’s French Open.
‘‘This year, he’s playing his best tennis, I think, of his career,’’ Murray said.
If he passes his Spanish test, Murray is likely to confront JoWilfried Tsonga in Sunday’s semifinals.
The fifth-seeded Frenchman has dropped just two service games at this year’s Wimbledon tournament, and fired 20 aces in his 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 6-4 fourthround comeback win over American 10th seed Mardy Fish.
First, though, Tsonga must overcome Philipp Kohlschreiber, the German who ended the fairytale run of American qualifier Brian Baker 6-1 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
Tsonga, who took out Federer in last year’s quarterfinals from two sets to love down, and lost to Djokovic in the 2008 Australian Open decider, is taking nothing for granted.
‘‘I am expecting him to play the best match of his life,’’ Tsonga said.
‘‘He’s never reached the semis, so of course he will play hard. I expect to have a very tough match.’’
In the top half of the draw, title holder Djokovic and sixtime champion Federer remain on a semifinal collision course.
Djokovic meets German Florian Mayer in his quarterfinal tonight, after clinically disposing of fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3 6-1 6-3 in his fourth-round mismatch yesterday.
Like Murray, Ferrer, Tsonga and Kohlschreiber, Mayer returned overnight to post a 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-2 victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Federer is up against Russian Mikhail Youzhny after beating a back injury and Belgian Xavier Malisse 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 4-6 6-3 yesterday to reach the last eight for the 33rd straight time at a major.