July 02, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 27, 1429

LONDON, July 1: 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 mouth-watering 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 shell-shocked,” 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,” stated 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.—AFP