Wild card Ferrero outplays Simon

France's Gilles Simon in action during his straight sets defeat to Juan Carlos Ferrero. Juan Carlos Ferrero became the first wild card since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 to make the quarter-finals at Wimbledon after clinically dispatching eighth seed Gilles Simon 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-2. The Spaniard played solid tennis throughout the contest and stood firm while his opponent crumbled mentally around him. After injuries kept him out of action for the best part of six months, 2003 French Open champion Ferrero had slipped to 115 in the world at the time when direct acceptance was decided for Wimbledon, but he then went on to reach the semi-finals at Queen’s (the furthest he has even been on grass) and will now be back into the top 40 when the rankings are updated next Monday. Simon, meanwhile, had been on a terrible run coming into the tournament, barely able to string two wins together over the past few months, but he put this behind him to make a run to the fourth round here, dropping only one set on the way. Confidence is an enormous factor in his game however, and it was clear from the off that he was going to struggle today. “Get your first serve in!” “I’ve never served so badly before”, “He always chooses the right side to go, that really hacks me off” and finally, “I’m so unhappy”. This was Simon’s impromptu press conference, held over the course of the first set as he squandered an early break, battled his way back, served for the set and even had a set point, only to go down 7-4 in the eventual tiebreak. He was looking morosely towards the French enclave in the press box containing his coach Thierry Tulasne (himself a former world No.10) and 1997 Wimbledon finalist Cedric Pioline, who seemed more concerned with watching the Centre Court scoreboard as the Amelie Mauresmo – Dinara Safina match ebbed and flowed. While this soul-searching and chest-beating was going on, Ferrero quietly went about his business at the other end, putting in the kind of phlegmatic performance that took him to the top of the ATP rankings six years ago. The 29-year-old stuck to his game plan, and the breaks continued to come. To his credit, Simon tried everything that he could and sent down services ranging from 129 mph to a mere 64 mph at one point, but Ferrero won 29 of his 38 receiving points on the Frenchman’s second serve, while his own first service was good enough to carry him through. He broke once mid-way through the second and again early in the third, by which time Simon was going through the motions and mentally was already in the hard-court season that will suit his game better. For Ferrero, meanwhile, the dream is still alive. And to think that he needed a wild card to just to make it into the first round. Court 3 - Gentlemen's Singles - 4th Round Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP 77 6 6 Gilles Simon FRA (8) 64 3 2

Simon keeps it simple

Gilles Simon The French challenge in the men’s singles now rests exclusively with 24-year-old Gilles Simon who is their lone survivor after his straight sets win over Victor Hanescu of Romania. Looking totally at ease on grass, Simon beat Hanescu 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 27 minutes to reach the fourth round for the first time. It is the second time this year that Simon has reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam after being a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open where he lost to Rafael Nadal. The eighth seed prospered in all areas of the court and his ace count of 11 was one of the reasons why he could feel so comfortable. By getting to the third round, Hanescu matched his best performance at Wimbledon. But the wide range of Simon’s attack, which allowed him few opportunities, ensured that he would go no further. The only time Hanescu was able to dig in and challenge Simon was in the second set when the Romanian led 5-4 on serve. But the Frenchman ran off three games for the set helped by an inch-perfect forehand down the line to break serve. Simon has never won three matches in succession on grass but today demonstrated he is in good enough form to earn a place in the second week. Court 3 - Gentlemen's Singles - 3rd Round Victor Hanescu ROU (31) 2 5 2 Gilles Simon FRA (8) 6 7 6

Alves gives Simon a tough scrap

Gilles Simon In something of a David and Goliath contest, eighth seed Gilles Simon finally triumphed against Brazilian Thiago Alves after two hours 37 minutes of play, winning in four sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. On paper, the Frenchman should have made mincemeat of the Brazilian, ranked 111 places beneath him. And the opening game of the match had the crowd believing it would be thus. The scene was set as Simon thumped down a trio of aces followed by a neat approach to net and volley to snap up the first game in the blink of an eye. But this was a script that the (p)lucky loser had simply not read. Alves only earned his debut place at the tournament courtesy of Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal. Intriguingly, he was also a lucky loser at the French Open, but he lost in the first round. In this, their first encounter, Alves quickly showed how he likes to run around the ball to use his favoured forehand. And he put its power to good use, the echo of its energy reverberating around the court. By the 11th game, the 24-year-old Simon was looking a little bemused at the level of quality on the opposite side of the court, and his defensive backhand strategy of pumping the ball back across the net and waiting for Alves to make an unforced error was not working. Alves took his chance for the first break, and followed it up with a strong service game for the first set. In the second set, the 27-year-old Alves had a couple of advantageous net cord calls in his favour, including one to save break point. But it was the Frenchman who eventually broke, and he looked to the skies in relief at finally making the points pay. Simon’s service game for the set wasn’t easy, but the eighth seed got there. The fourth game of the third set saw Alves earn a break point with that fearsome forehand, with which he then whipped up a delight of a lob for a 3-1 lead. But Simon’s break back was immediate. In the last game of the set, Alves ran deep to retrieve a Simon smash, but ran into a ballboy and the back wall. He needed an ice pack for his racket wrist, but was soon playing the game again, though he dropped the third set a couple of points later. By now, Simon was finding more of his superior form, and with dark, and deeply-focused, eyes revealing his intense concentration, he forced the break in the fifth game for a gutsy 3-2 lead. This was a lead he was not to relinquish, finally allowing him to serve out the match. Court 3 - Gentlemen's Singles - 2nd Round Thiago Alves BRA 7 3 4 4 Gilles Simon FRA (8) 5 6 6 6