NOTEBOOK \ From the All England Club
Looking good: Serena Williams moved one Wimbledon win away from another Grand Slam quarterfinal against Justine Henin. Williams didn’t want to look ahead just yet Friday. “I have a very tough fourth-round match,” Williams said after beating Milagros Sequera of Venezuela 6-1, 6-0 in the third round. “I have to get over that hump first.” Williams lost to the top-ranked Henin in the quarterfinals of the French Open this month, and the Belgian went on to win her third straight title at Roland Garros. At Wimbledon, Williams is just getting started. “I’m ready to play now,” she said after beating Sequera in 43 minutes. “This is great. I couldn’t be more ready to compete in any event.” Williams struggled in the first round and complained of a tight hamstring. After winning her second-round match, she said it was no longer bothering her. “My hamstring is a lot better, which I’m really excited about,” said Williams, the surprise Australian Open champion who compiled a 27-3 edge in winners Friday. “It’s the first time it’s felt this good. So it’s just, you know, all coming together.” That could be dangerous for Daniela Hantuchova, Williams’ next opponent. The 10th-seeded Slovak beat No. 19 Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. “I know it’s definitely going to be a tough match,” Williams said. “She’s serving well, moving well. She’s really fit. I’m serving well, I’m moving well, and I’m really fit. It’s going to be exciting.” Henin now meets No. 15 Patty Schnyder after beating Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1, 6-3.
The real No. 1: Even Roger Federer still gets excited for matches, especially against former Grand Slam champions such as Marat Safin. “It’s such a big occasion for both of us, because for me it’s to prove I’m the real No. 1 and for him it’s proving he can still be No. 1,” Federer said after beating the Russian 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (2). “So it’s a big match and a very prestigious match.” On Friday, Federer dominated Safin for much of the contest, earning his 51st straight win on grass in the process. “I don’t know if I played phenomenal,” Federer said. “I just think I played the right way against Marat today.”
Associated Press