Federer and Robredo into last eight

PARIS – Roger Federer moved a step closer to an elusive French Open title with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4 victory over battling Russian Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday.

But it was a far from vintage Federer on display on Court Philippe Chatrier as the world number one continued his campaign to add the Roland Garros crown to his 10-title Grand Slam collection. The Swiss top seed will now face gritty Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who clinched a 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over Italy’s Filippo Volandri, the 29th seed, for a place in the semi-finals.Federer will start as overwhelming favourite to beat ninth seed Robredo, who put out Italy’s Filippo Volandri 6-2, 7-5, 6-1.Defending champion Rafael Nadal plays his fourth-round match against Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt today.* Meanwhile, top seed and title-holder Justine Henin and top challenger Serena Williams set up a French Open quarter-finals showdown when both easily won their fourth-round ties yesterday.Henin, apart from a brief second set blip, was in total command as she brushed aside Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-2, 6-4 for her 18th straight win at Roland Garros.Williams, seeking a second Paris title five years after her first, underlined her threat by blasting past Russia’s Dinara Safina 6-2, 6-3.The two last played here in the 2003 semi-finals when Henin won a superb three-setter that saw Williams leave the court in tears as the Paris crowd backed the underdog Belgian.”Justine is really good here.Usually I don’t have to peak too soon but this will be different,” Williams said.”But I am playing the clay court game really good.”I don’t want to reflect on what happened in 2003 any more.This is a new year and we are both different people.I have matured and if the crowd gets involved I can just zone out.”All 16 remaining women were scheduled to play during the day with the quarter-final line-up set to be decided.First through minutes before Williams sealed victory was 18-year-old Czech prodigy Nicole Vaidisova who reached the last eight for a second straight year with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-1 win over Italy’s Tathiana Garbin.Last year’s losing finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova followed with an impressive 6-4, 6-3 win over Israeli Shahar Peer, a player she had lost to twice already this year, notably at the same stage in the Australian Open.Australian Open champion Williams blasted out of the blocks against Safina, the 10th seed and sister of Marat, the former men’s world number one.Vaidisova will take on the winner of the tie between Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and the remaining French hope Marion Bartoli.Kuznetsova saw off the challenge of 20-year-old Peer by winning five games in a row from 5-4 up in the first set.Peer did break back to get to 5-3, but that was as close as she got.The third seeded Kuznetsova will play the winner of the tie between Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain for a place in the semi-finals.Nampa-Reuters and AFPThe Swiss top seed will now face gritty Spaniard Tommy Robredo, who clinched a 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 win over Italy’s Filippo Volandri, the 29th seed, for a place in the semi-finals.Federer will start as overwhelming favourite to beat ninth seed Robredo, who put out Italy’s Filippo Volandri 6-2, 7-5, 6-1.Defending champion Rafael Nadal plays his fourth-round match against Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt today.* Meanwhile, top seed and title-holder Justine Henin and top challenger Serena Williams set up a French Open quarter-finals showdown when both easily won their fourth-round ties yesterday.Henin, apart from a brief second set blip, was in total command as she brushed aside Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-2, 6-4 for her 18th straight win at Roland Garros.Williams, seeking a second Paris title five years after her first, underlined her threat by blasting past Russia’s Dinara Safina 6-2, 6-3.The two last played here in the 2003 semi-finals when Henin won a superb three-setter that saw Williams leave the court in tears as the Paris crowd backed the underdog Belgian.”Justine is really good here.Usually I don’t have to peak too soon but this will be different,” Williams said.”But I am playing the clay court game really good.”I don’t want to reflect on what happened in 2003 any more.This is a new year and we are both different people.I have matured and if the crowd gets involved I can just zone out.”All 16 remaining women were scheduled to play during the day with the quarter-final line-up set to be decided.First through minutes before Williams sealed victory was 18-year-old Czech prodigy Nicole Vaidisova who reached the last eight for a second straight year with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-1 win over Italy’s Tathiana Garbin.Last year’s losing finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova followed with an impressive 6-4, 6-3 win over Israeli Shahar Peer, a player she had lost to twice already this year, notably at the same stage in the Australian Open.Australian Open champion Williams blasted out of the blocks against Safina, the 10th seed and sister of Marat, the former men’s world number one.Vaidisova will take on the winner of the tie between Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and the remaining French hope Marion Bartoli.Kuznetsova saw off the challenge of 20-year-old Peer by winning five games in a row from 5-4 up in the first set.Peer did break back to get to 5-3, but that was as close as she got.The third seeded Kuznetsova will play the winner of the tie between Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain for a place in the semi-finals.Nampa-Reuters and AFP