Tennis stars grit teeth at Wimbledon

<p>&#160;<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; ">Maria Sharapova has had better days, Roger Federer more mobile ones and local sun-hat sellers more profitable ones as Wimbledon's manic Monday turned into a bit of a damp squib after several days of nerve-shredding drama。</span><a href="http://www.retrojordansshoe.net">retro jordans</a>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">Beaten comfortably by Germany's Sabine Lisicki, top seed Sharapova's dream of a French Open/Wimbledon double ended in tatters under miserable grey skies and her world No.1 ranking looks almost certain to follow。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">At least Federer is still standing, although for a while against erratic Belgian Xavier Malisse that seemed an effort in itself for the six-times champion。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">Struggling with a bad back in chilly conditions on Centre Court, the king of cool needed two undignified injury time-outs during a 7-6 6-1 4-6 6-3 victory that continued his remarkable run of grand slam quarter-final appearances。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">He remained on course for a semi-final against defending champion Novak Djokovic who thrashed fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3 6-1 6-3.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">The pigeons were again looking nervously about after the safe return of Rufus, the club's harrier hawk employed to scare them away who was stolen last week。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">Feathers fluttering down from the Centre Court roof during second seed Victoria Azarenka's 6-1 6-0 win over Ana Ivanovic may have been proof that Rufus, who resumes work on Tuesday, had been missed。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">While the women's quarter-final line-up is complete, five men's fourth-round matches were unfinished due to persistent rain in south west London。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">Home favorite Andy Murray must try to finish off Marin Cilic on Tuesday after taking a one-set lead and fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will resume a set down against Mardy Fish。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova also beat the rain to set up a juicy last-eight clash in the women's singles。</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 24px; padding-top: 7px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 7px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; ">Williams, seeking a fifth Wimbledon singles title to equal the total of her sister Venus, scrambled through to the quarter-finals for the 10th time with a 6-1 2-6 7-5 win over powerful Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova。</p>