Tennis: Drums beat for Fernando

One of the key points of focus at Wimbledon for New Zealanders will be the progress of two players with distinct Auckland connections - Chile's Fernando Gonzales and Greece's Eleni Daniilidou.

The Greek ended the Wimbledon hopes of French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in Wimbledon's first big upset before taking on 26th seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy today. Gonzalez removed the tall Swede and 11th seed Joachim Johansson, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Gonzalez won the Heineken Open in Auckland this year and Daniilidou was back-to-back champion in the women's ASB Classic in 2003 and 2004. Assuming she beats Pennetta, she will progress into the fourth round - equalling her best Wimbledon result - and will move further into a draw that includes seeds Mary Pierce (12), Venus and Serena Williams (seeded 14th and 4th respectively), Nadia Petrova (8th) and the number two seed, Russia's Maria Sharapova.

Gonzalez is in the part of the draw also containing top seed Roger Federer and Australia's Lleyton Hewitt.

Meanwhile, brooding Russian Marat Safin skulked off court one, his Wimbledon dreams shredded by a Spanish left-hander who serves and volleys. A rare species back home where clay is king, 26th seed Feliciano Lopez won 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 in less than two hours.

It all proved too much for the combustible Safin, the fifth seed, who angrily thrashed one ball clean out of the arena after missing two break points in the first set.

"I couldn't really find my game against him today... what do you want me to do? I cannot play my best tennis every day," Safin said.

Safin ran out of weapons long before the end of a surprisingly one-sided contest. After dominating the first set the 23-year-old Lopez secured the second set tie-break 7-4 with an angled volley that had even Safin nodding his head in appreciation. The third set was a formality.

Lopez faces stiffer resistance in the fourth round against last year's beaten semifinalist Mario Ancic.

The 21-year-old Croat obliterated French teenager Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

Meanwhile, Hewitt scurried through, edging out unseeded American Justin Gimelstob 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 in an entertaining centre court tussle. Second seed Andy Roddick was a relieved man. The American finished off Daniele Bracciali 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3 in a bad-tempered match spanning two days, shortly before the heavens opened. Leading two sets to one overnight, an agitated Roddick dropped the fourth set before regaining his composure to sweep aside the Italian.

"It was big to get through. It would have been a devastating loss," said Roddick, who upset Bracciali on Thursday by marching off court with the light fading.

Amelie Mauresmo continued her impressive progress, waltzing into the fourth round with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over American Shenay Perry.

Russian Anastasia Myskina came through a third-round thriller against Jelena Jankovic, who also played in Auckland last summer.

The feisty 2004 French Open champion won the first set in 19 minutes, squandered three match points in the second and clawed back a 5-1 deficit in the third.

With the rallies growing ever more intense, Myskina came through the helter-skelter epic 6-0, 5-7, 10-8 - the final set lasting a mammoth 86 minutes.

The ninth seeded Myskina plays compatriot Elena Dementieva, who defeated Mashona Washington 7-5, 6-1, setting up a repeat of last year's French Open final.

The small army of Russians in action included US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, the fifth seed getting a fright against 16-year-old Czech Nicole Vaidisova before winning 7-5, 6-7, 6-2. Elena Likhovtseva defeated Italian Silvia Farina Elia 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and now plays Amelie Mauresmo.\

- AGENCIES