June 29, 2012 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
World number three-ranked Roger Federer nearly joined world number two Rafael Nadal on the sidelines at Wimbledon, but overcame a two-set deficit to edge Julien Benneteau, 4-6, 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-1 in action on Friday. Federer moves on to play Belgium’s Xavier Malisse, a 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 winner over the number 17 seed, Fernando Verdasco of Spain. Federer is looking to tie Pete Sampras’ record of seven Wimbledon trophies and kept his Grand Slam streak of 32 straight quarterfinal appearances alive.
Benneteau defeated Federer on home soil at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Paris in 2009, and his best Grand Slam performance was making the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2006. Benneteau came within inches of victory on three occasions in the fourth set, first at 6-5, 40/40, and then at 5-5 and 6-6 in the tie-break. He went for his shots on each point, but was outdueled by Federer.
