| The Miami Herald Jul. 3--WIMBLEDON, England -- After a staggering run of sunny days and women's upsets, order was restored at Wimbledon on Wednesday. The sky was gray, umbrellas went up during rain delays, Roger Federer picked apart his opponent with killer grace, and the ever-hopeful British fans had their dreams crushed again as Rafael Nadal outmuscled the newly buffed Andy Murray. SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS Federer showed no trace of trepidation as he took the court against Mario Ancic for their quarterfinal. The 6-5 Croat was the last man to beat Federer on the lawn of the All-England Club, back in the first round in 2002. But those were different times. On Wednesday, Federer won 12 of the first 14 points, glided around the court as if on roller blades and closed out the first set in 20 minutes. His serve was superb. The Swiss No. 1 cranked 15 aces and won 61 of 71 points on serve during his 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 victory It was his 64th straight victory on grass and his 39th in a row at Wimbledon. Afterward, the 12-time Grand Slam champion, in a gold-crested cardigan, addressed the media in his amazingly polite, but bordering-on-cocky, way. "I'm on such a great winning streak on grass", said Federer, seeking his first major title of the season. "I feel so comfortable on this Centre Court that my confidence level is obviously very high. I was in complete control. I was never really under pressure. I'm very happy I didn't have to burn unnecessary energy. I've been playing very consistent, moving great, and I'll have a chance to win this tournament for the next five or 10 years. "My game's made for grass. There will always be tough, dangerous opponents, but I found a way to win always." Well, OK, then. Ancic won't argue. Even when the Croat was playing at his best, during a 16-minute marathon first game of the third set, Federer took him to 10 deuces and four break points before Ancic finally clinched it. Not that it mattered in the end. NO ROOM FOR ERROR "He makes you play the hardest you can, and there's not one point you get for free", Ancic said. "In that first game of the third set, I had to fight so, so much to win that game. That shows how difficult it is against him. Every point has to be perfectly done." Murray was equally effusive about Nadal after their match, which the young Scot lost 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. British fans were abuzz and in the mood for another thriller after Murray's five-set victory against Richard Gasquet. They figured maybe Murray's magic would continue on this damp day, and thousands of fans sat on the wet grass of Henman Hill to watch on a giant screen. But the Spaniard outclassed Murray from the start, and you could sense the puffed chests of British fans begin to deflate. The match was played at Nadal's frenetic pace, which threw Murray off-guard. After the victory over Gasquet, Murray pulled up his sleeve, flexed a muscle and pointed to his biceps. There would be no such gesture after being blown off the court by the more muscular Nadal. NADAL GETTING BETTER "He played so much better than me", Murray conceded. "His forehand was ridiculous. He's hitting the ball so close to the line, so hard, it was difficult for me to get into a rhythm. I felt rushed on every point. It's amazing how fast he moves his arm and how much control he has over it." Murray said Nadal has tweaked his topspin, making it even tougher to handle. In the past, he played topspin high over the net and the ball bounced up, but now, "he's just hitting the ball lower over the net with the same amount of spin, so it shoots through the court and makes it harder." He also said Nadal's forehand is "the heaviest shot" in tennis. The Spaniard is trying to become the first man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back since Bjorn Borg in 1980. Asked what part of his game he was happiest with against Murray, he said: "Everything. That was probably my best match here." Nadal faces the winner of the Rainer Schuettler vs. Arnaud Clement quarterfinal, which was halted due to darkness tied at one set apiece. Schuettler, the 94th-ranked German, won the first set 6-3, and Clement, the 145th-ranked Frenchman, won the second set 5-7. Federer's next opponent is mercurial Russian Marat Safin, a former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion who has found a second wind after dropping to No. 75. He held off Spanish lefty and Nadal's best friend, Feliciano Lopez, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-3. Safin was known to complain about Wimbledon, everything from the weather to the price of strawberries. SAFIN BACK ON TRACK But he's not complaining anymore after becoming the first Russian man to reach the semis in 40 years. "I also start to think I lost it completely because the way I played the past year, losing first rounds left and right, then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I started to play better and the confidence started to come", he said. "I'm surprised I'm still here."
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