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Mario Ancic and Marat Safin, whose careers once teetered on the brink of terminal decline, are poised to cast their magic spells over Roger Federer’s dream of a record sixth successive Wimbledon title.
Croatian Ancic, a former top 10 player, was the last man to beat Federer on grass, six long years and 63 matches ago. He will tackle the top seed and world number one in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.
Safin, an ex-world number one, was responsible for relieving Federer of his Australian Open title in 2005.
That tournament represented the last time the charismatic Russian made it to the last eight of a Grand Slam and should he and Federer come through their last eight clashes, they’ll collide in a mouthwatering semi-final.
Despite the misery of that 2002 first round defeat against Ancic here, Federer insists that having comfortably won the duo’s five matches since, the events of six years ago are history.
“I underestimated Mario back in 2002. I was a little shellshocked,” said Federer who reached the quarter-finals with a straight sets win over Lleyton Hewitt.
“It taught me not to underestimate any opponent, no matter where they’re from, what technique they have, what ranking they have.”
Ancic, who missed Wimbledon in 2007 because of glandular fever, is bidding to reach a second All England semi-final but he insists the events of 2002 are now irrelevant.
“He was not Roger Federer at that time. I can sit here and talk about how I beat him, but actually it wasn’t Roger Federer as we know him today,” said the unseeded Croatian who made the last four in 2004.
“He was the up and coming, top 10 player who was struggling at Grand Slams. I think from the year after when he won Wimbledon he exploded and today he’s a completely different player.”
It may not get any easier for Federer should he face Safin.
The enigmatic Russian, ranked 74 at the start of the tournament, faces Spain’s Feliciano Lopez in what will be his first quarter-final at the All England Club since 2001.
“It was so long ago that it was still black and white television,” joked Safin who followed up his second round win over third seed Novak Djokovic with a last 16 triumph against Swiss 13th seed Stanislas Wawrinka.
Second seed Rafael Nadal, the four-time French Open champion who has been runner-up to Federer in the last two years, faces Britain’s Andy Murray who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final with a thrilling five-set win over French eighth seed Richard Gasquet.
Murray, bidding to be the first home men’s champion since Fred Perry in 1936, believes he can overturn his 3-0 career record with the Spaniard.
“When I’ve played Rafa in the past on faster courts, I’ve had chances against him and I’m definitely a better player than I was before and fitter,” said the Scot who will enjoy the support of a packed 15,000-capacity Centre Court.
“The Wimbledon crowd is always very respectful to everybody. When I go on court, I feel the people are with me always, so that’s very nice,” said Nadal bidding to be just the third man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.
The fourth quarter-final pits the two oldest men left in the draw against each other – Germany’s Rainer Schuettler and Arnaud Clement of France.
Schuettler, 32, reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final with a 6-4 3-6, 6-4 7-6 (7-4) over Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic.
Clement, 30, the world number 145, also made it through to a first quarter-final with a 6-3 7-5 6-2 over Croatian 19-year-old Marin Cilic.
The winner will meet either Nadal or Murray for a place in the final.
“It’s a very good chance for me and a very good chance for him, too,” said Clement who won the men’s doubles with compatriot Michael Llodra here in 2007.
“I know Rainer very well. I lost against him in the Australian Open first round this year. I have a chance to play a semifinal here if I play a good match against Rainer.”
Wimbledon men’s singles quarter-final head-to-head record (prefix denotes seeded player; year, tournament, surface, round, winner, result):
1-Roger Federer (SUI) v Mario Ancic (CRO)
Federer leads 5-1
2008 French Open Clay R32 Federer 6-3 6-4 6-2
2006 Wimbledon Grass Q Federer 6-4 6-4 6-4
2006 French Open Clay Q Federer 6-4 6-3 6-4
2005 Miami Hard R16 Federer 6-3 4-6 6-4
2005 Rotterdam Hard S Federer 7-5 6-3
2002 Wimbledon Grass R128 Ancic 6-3 7-6 (7/2) 6-3Marat Safin (RUS) v 31-Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
Lopez wins 4-1
2007 Miami Hard R64 Lopez 7-5 7-6 (7/2)
2005 Wimbledon Grass R32 Lopez 6-4 7-6 (7/4) 6-3
2004 Madrid Hard R32 Safin 7-5 6-7 (5/7) 6-3
2004 Athens Olympics Hard R32 Lopez 7-6 (7/4) 6-3
2002 Hong Kong Hard R16 Lopez 7-6 (7/2) 7-5Rainer Schuettler (GER) v Arnaud Clement (FRA)
Schuettler leads 4-1
2008 Australian Open Hard R128 Schuettler 6-4 6-2 6-7 (3/7) 6-4
2006 Davis Cup (GER v FRA) Hard RR Schuettler 6-4 6-3
2003 Lyon Carpet F Schuettler 7-5 6-3
2002 Paris Carpet R64 Clement 7-5 6-3
1999 Stuttgart Clay R64 Schuettler 6-3 6-412-Andy Murray (GBR) v 2-Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Nadal leads 3-0
2008 Hamburg Clay R16 Nadal 6-3 6-2
2007 Madrid Hard R16 Nadal 7-6 (7/5) 6-4
2007 Australian Open Hard R16 Nadal 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
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