Former champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and French player Amelie Mauresmo have reached the fourth round of the Wimbledon tennis championships, but Australian Open winner Marat Safin is out of the event.
Hewitt scored a straight-set win over American Justin Gimelstob, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5. The third-seeded Australian next faces another American, Taylor Dent, who scored a straight-set win over Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic (6-3, 7-6, 6-3).
Safin struggled in his match against 26th-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain, with the fifth-seeded Russian falling in straight sets (6-4, 7-6, 6-3). Safin has not won a grass court tennis title in his career.
Last year's runner-up Andy Roddick scored a five-set win over Daniele Bracciali, Italy, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3. The match took two days because of darkness and rain delays.
In women's action Friday, Amelie Mauresmo defeated American Shenay Perry in straight sets 6-0, 6-2. The French player takes on 13th-seeded Russian Elena Likhovtseva, a three-set winner over Silvia Farina Elia of Italy (5-7, 6-4, 6-4).
Former French Open winner Anastasia Myskina of Russia scored a hard-fought win over 17th-seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro (6-0, 5-7, 10-8). The ninth- seeded Russian faces countrywoman Elena Dementieva, who beat American Mashona Washington (7-5, 6-1).
U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia reached the fourth round with a three-set win over Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-7, 6-2. Kuznetsova faces Bulgaria's Magdalena Maleeva, who scored a straight-set win over Antonella Serra Zanetti of Italy (6-3, 6-2).
Some information for this report provided by AP.
