Williams sisters reach US Open doubles final

Serena and Venus Williams are back in the US Open women's doubles final for the first time in a decade. The fourth-seeded Americans beat No. 13-seeded Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2 in the semi-finals Thursday.

The Williams sisters are aiming for their 10th career Grand Slam doubles title as a pair and third this season. Their only US Open doubles championship came in 1999.

They are 9-0 in major doubles finals. The other semi-final, scheduled for Friday, pits the defending champions and top-seeded pair of Cara Black and Liezel Huber against the third-seeded team of Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.

Federer reaches US Open semi-finals

Top seed and defending champion Roger Federer reached the US Open semi-finals on Wednesday by defeating Robin Soderling 6-0, 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (8/6), but the Swede made him scrap for it after a dismal start. It will be a record 22nd consecutive appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final for the Swiss star who is also bidding to win a record-equalling sixth straight US Open title.

Federer will play Serbian fourth seed Novak Djokovic for a place in Sunday's final and the chance to win a 16th Grand Slam title, two more than all-time second best Pete Sampras. "It was so close towards the end and it's a great relief to come through because he played better and better as the game went on," he said.

"It was too easy at the start, but he battled his way back into it and showed what a great player he is. "It was cool when it started and being from Switzerland that was OK with me, but then it got cooler and him being from Sweden that was in his favour."

Soderling had two break points on Federer's opening serve but after failing to convert either of those, he was simply blown away by the artistry and power of the Swiss star's game. The first set was wrapped up in just 26 minutes with Soderling left shaking his head at his own inability to do anything about stopping the onslaught.

Soderling, who lost to Federer in the French Open final after pulling off the upset of the year by ending Rafael Nadal's reign at Roland Garros, finally opened his account by holding serve to draw level 1-1 in the second set. The big Swede stayed with Federer until 2-2, but then dropped serve for a fourth time and Federer raced away to take the set 6-3 after a bout of racquet-smashing from his frustrated opponent.

The third set saw Soderling steady the sinking ship and he even had two break points to lead 4-2, but they both were rubbed out by big serves from Federer. He did succeed in dragging Federer into a tie-break but fell quickly behind 4-0. It looked all over, but with nothing to lose, and finally unleashing his big serves and forehands, Soderling clawed his way back into it from 2-5 down to force a fourth set by taking the tie-break 8-6.

It was just the second set Soderling had taken off Federer in 12 matches dating back to 2004. There was just a hint of frustration from Federer over his inability to put Soderling away as the Swede stubbornly hung on to his serve in the fourth set to force a second tie-break. Both men sent down some big serves and Soderling had a set point at 6-5 to force a fifth set, but hit a forehand long and wide.

Federer then took the final two points of the match to chalk up his 40th straight win at Flushing Meadows, including one walkover. Turning to his semi-final against Djikovic, Federer said: "I've played him here the last couple of years, a final and a semi. "It will be a tough match and I am looking forward to it."

Sania-Francesca in US Open second round

Sania Mirza overcame from her defeat at the singles journey and has emerged victorious in the mixed doubles and women's doubles event of the US Open. The Indian tennis ace and Francesca Schiavone of Italy beat Ekaterina Dzehalevich and Renata Voracova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 to enter the second round of the women's doubles of the US Open.

The pair will meet Gisela Dulko and Shahar Peer in the second round of the US Open. In the Mixed doubles event, Sania Mirza and Canada's Daniel Nestor beat Akgul Amanmuradova and Ashley Fisher 6-3, 6-1 to enter the second round.

On Wednesday, Sania Mirza's US Open singles campaign wilted in the second round with 10th seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta routing the Indian 6-0, 6-0 in a grossly lop-sided match. Earlier, India's Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy moved into the second round of the US Open men's doubles event with a win over Romanian pair of Victor Hanescue and Grabriel Trifu in first round.

Federer, Nadal, Murray nab quarter-final berths

World number one Roger Federer was nearly blown off track by blustery winds, while Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal steered a steady course into the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday. Swiss top seed Federer rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain's David Ferrer, conquering not only the world number 19 but also blustery winds to line up a meeting with Aussie Lleyton Hewitt.

Despite the difficult conditions, the top four seeds all advanced to the quarter-finals. Murray, whose run to the title in Montreal last week saw him seize the world number two ranking from Nadal, defeated Czech Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-1.

Nadal, the second seed despite his current No.3 world ranking, downed France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-5, 6-2, and fourth-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over France's Jeremy Chardy. Federer stretched his career lead over Ferrer to 9-0, but for a while it looked like the Spaniard might notch that first win against his mighty opponent.

He broke Federer for a 5-3 lead, then held at love to pocket the first set. Federer went down an early break in the third, but this time he immediately broke back and cruised home from there. Federer admitted that he wasn't sure his tried-and-true formula of staying calm in the face of adversity would allow him to turn things around this time.

"Today I didn't think I was going to because I thought David was playing a great match," Federer admitted. "That's why the satisfaction is maybe greater now." Federer said he struggled in the early going with his footwork - a key in the windy, unpredictable conditions.

"I think I got it together and started to play better and better," he said. "In the end when it goes your way, all of a sudden you can actually use the wind to your advantage in a big way." Federer, who lost in the quarter-finals of the Montreal Masters last week, was delighted to be looking forward to another match.

After notching his first career French Open crown and then taking his Grand Slam tally to a record 15 at Wimbledon, Federer took some time off as he and his wife, Mirka, welcomed the birth of twin daughters. "That's why this win today was perfect," he said. "Gives me another opportunity to play another match."

Murray said he knew before he took the court that patience would be crucial. "I saw a little bit of Federer's match before I was going on," he said. "You know, you can't play to the lines. You're going to mis-hit some shots. It's just important to not get too frustrated."

Nadal, who missed Wimbledon in a break of more than two months because of tendinitis in both knees, looked sharper than he had last week in Montreal - where he lost in the quarter-finals - or in his opener here against Andreas Seppi. "Very pleased with my performance," he said. "I think I played much better than yesterday."

In Friday's quarters, Federer will face an old rival in Australian veteran Hewitt, who overcame American Sam Querrey 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 to earn a shot at the Swiss superstar. "He's the benchmark," Hewitt said. "He's obviously the in-form player at the moment and the guy to beat on any surface, especially after winning the two last big majors.

"We have had so many big matches over the years in a lot of situations. It's always a privilege to play Roger." Murray will face French lucky loser Julien Benneteau, a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) winner over Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Nadal will face Czech Tomas Berdych, who beat Aussie Chris Guccione 6-4, 6-3, while Djokovic will tackle another Frenchman, ninth-seeded Gilles Simon, who downed eighth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4.

Sania wins ITF Lexington Challenger tourney

India's ace tennis player Sania Mirza, seeded second, continued her good show as she upset top-seed Frenchwoman Julie Coin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to clinch the $50,000 ITF Lexington Challenger title. With this win, the 22-year-old rose three places to 80th in the latest WTA singles rankings. However, she dropped 10 places to 49th in the WTA doubles list.

Sania kept her cool in the scintillating final in front of sizeable Indian community as she sealed the first set via tie-breaker after squandering a 5-2 lead and facing 5-all. Mirza had a great start as she broke Julie Coin in the very first game of the match, and also consolidated the break to take an early 2-0 lead.

Coin, however, got herself back in the groove by clinching the third game and then went on to break Mirza's serve to level the proceedings at two games apiece. Both of them held their serve till the eighth game of the opening set when Coin broke Sania to gain 5-3 lead.

Mirza was in no mood to surrender as she fought her way back by holding on to two under-pressure service games to force the opening set into a tie-break. Coin gained a crucial 5-2 lead in the tie-breaker but it was Sania's day as she came back hard to win four points in a row to seal the first set 7-5 in her favour.

Top-seed Coin fought hard as she took an early break to go ahead 2-1 in the second set which was as exciting as the first but Sania levelled the scores to break straight back. Sania broke Coin for a 5-3 lead and served for the match, but was broken back by Julie. However Sania broke the Coin serve in a marathon tenth game to register an impressive win.

Interestingly, this was only the second ITF $50,000 event that Sania had participated in, the first being way back in 2003 when she was still making a name for herself on the pro tour.

Roger Federer wins sixth Wimbledon title

Roger Federer made history on Sunday when he defeated brave Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 16-14 to win a sixth Wimbledon title and claim a record 15th Grand Slam crown in a classic final. But the Swiss second seed was given a huge fright by the American sixth seed who led by a set, had four set points in the second and didn't drop serve until the final, heartbreaking game of the match.

In an extraordinary conclusion, the last set was the longest ever played in a men's Wimbledon final. Federer, 27, now has six Wimbledon titles, five US Opens, three Australian Opens and a French Open trophy, and has surpassed Pete Sampras's mark of 14 majors.

He will also reclaim his world number one spot from Rafael Nadal, who beat him in a five-set final here last year, on Monday. Sampras, and fellow greats Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg were on hand to watch Federer's bid for history, as were Hollywood giants Woody Allen and Russell Crowe, such was the attraction of the Centre Court blockbuster.

Federer, in a record seventh straight Wimbledon final and 20th Grand Slam title match, saw Roddick save four break points in the 11th game of the opening set and he immediately paid a heavy price. The Swiss went wide with a crosscourt drive, which put him set point down, and then repeated the error to hand the American the opener 7-5.

Roddick, whose only Grand Slam title came at the 2003 US Open, lost the 2004 and 2005 finals here to Federer, just two of his 18 defeats in 20 career meetings with the world number two. But on Sunday he wisely adopted the same game plan he employed in his semi-final win over Britain's Andy Murray, a powerful mix of trademark big groundstrokes punctuated by regular visits to the net.

Serve again dominated the second set before Roddick stretched to a 6/2 lead, and four set points, in the tiebreaker but Federer fought back and levelled the final when the American unleashed a wild backhand. Roddick was now under siege, saving a break point in the sixth game of the third set before another tiebreaker was required.

Federer went to three set points, two of which Roddick saved, but the Swiss opened up a two sets to one lead when a Roddick service return fell comfortably into his hitting zone and he despatched a fierce forehand winner. Roddick, playing in his first Grand Slam final since the 2006 US Open, refused to surrender and broke Federer to lead 3-1 in the fourth set on his way to levelling the final.

Federer again failed to convert a break point in the second game of the decider before he was forced to fight off two on his own serve in the 17th game. But eventually Roddick, always having to chase the game, wilted in the 30th game of the decider when he ballooned a weary forehand long.

Serena captures third Wimbledon title

Serena Williams clinched her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam crown with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory over sister Venus, the defending champion, on Saturday. The victory added to her 2002 and 2003 wins at the All England Club and shattered Venus's hopes of a hat-trick of titles and sixth overall which would have taken her level with Billie Jean King.

Saturday's final was the fourth all-Williams title match-up at Wimbledon and eighth in all Grand Slams with the win giving Serena the edge in head-to-head meetings at 11-10. Of the eight major finals the sisters have faced each other in, Serena has won six.

"It feels so amazing. I'm so blessed. I feel like I shouldn't really be holding the trophy, Venus should be holding it, she always wins," said Serena who currently holds three of the four Grand Slam titles. "I can't believe I have won 11 majors. It's a real honour."

Venus, 29, admitted Serena had been the better player of the two. "She was just too good today. She had an answer for everything and played the best tennis," said Venus after a final fittingly staged on US Independence Day. "I don't think the loss has set in yet, that's why I'm still smiling. But I have had some great times here and I'm looking forward to coming back next year."

Serve dominated the first set with 27-year-old Serena fighting off the only two break points in the eighth game and it was the younger of the two sisters who seized control of the tie break. Serena went to three set points by forcing Venus to scramble from side to side before putting away a powerful crosscourt forehand.

Venus saved the first set point but was powerless when a pinpoint lob from her sister left her stranded at the net. It was the first set Venus had dropped at Wimbledon since the third round in 2007, a run of 34 consecutive winning sets.

Serena, who had saved match point in her marathon semi-final win over Elena Dementieva, carved out her first set point when Venus double-faulted to hand her a 4-2 lead and revenge for last year's final defeat to her sister looked likely.

Second seed Serena held to love, backed-up by her 12th ace of the match, to lead 5-2. She then wasted three match points in the eighth game but clinched the title when Venus netted with a forehand.

Haas rolls back years to reach first Wimbledon semis

Tommy Haas rolled back the years as the former world number two defeated fourth seed Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon for the first time on Wednesday. At 31, Haas is the oldest man left in the draw, but the 24th seed showed he can still cut it at the highest level with a superb display of grass court tennis.

The German will face five-time champion Roger Federer in the last four as he bids to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time in his 13-year career. If he can somehow shock Federer, he would be one win away from becoming the oldest Wimbledon champion since Arthur Ashe in 1975. It is seven years since Haas was rated as the second best player in the world but a succession of injuries, including a recurring shoulder problem, have forced his ranking outside the top 30 since those heady days.

Things began to look up for Haas at the French Open last month when the Florida-based star pushed Federer all the way in a dramatic five-set match. After beating Djokovic in the final of the grass court tournament in Halle last month, Haas had spent over 10 hours on court at Wimbledon, much of it in sweltering heat, to get to this stage for the first time.

After 10 games of impeccable serving from both players, Haas earned the first break. The German was attacking the net with increasing success and he took the first set with a perfect smash. The second set followed a similar pattern. Djokovic struggled to make an impact on Haas's serve, then dropped his own serve to go 5-6 down.

Haas finally faltered as he served for the set and Djokovic broke back before earning three set points in the tie-break. Even that couldn't halt Haas. He saved all three break points and went for the kill, taking the set with some sublime serve and volley play.

Djokovic refused to go quietly and the Serb broke for a 4-3 lead before serving out the third set. Yet as the temperature rose on Court One, Djokovic began to wilt and Haas broke in the fourth game to move 3-1 ahead. That was one blow too many for Djokovic as Haas closed out a famous victory.

Roger Federer into Wimbledon quarter-finals

Roger Federer thrived in 35-degree temperatures to clinch an 11th win in 11 meetings against big-serving Swede Robin Soderling on Monday and reach the Wimbldon quarter-finals. In a repeat of the French Open final, where the great Swiss clinched a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title, Federer won 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) over the man who dramatically ended Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros reign.

Federer, chasing a sixth Wimbledon title, will be appearing in his 25th Grand Slam quarter-final where he'll face Croatia's Ivo Karlovic, who has fired 102 aces in three rounds, or Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco.

Soderling, who also lost in straight sets in the second round here in 2008 to Federer, paid heavily for a sloppy service game when he cracked to trail 4-5 courtesy of a netted forehand. Federer clinched the opener when the Swede went long with a second service return.

The Swede dropped just three points on serve in the second set, but Federer was the more composed in the tie-breaker, refusing to give Soderling the pace on which he thrives. Soderling finally carved out his first break points of the match in the ninth game of the third set, but Federer stood firm to lead 5-4.

The Swede 13th seed glanced a chance at 5/4 in the tie-breaker, but Federer went to 5/5 and then match point when his opponent served a third double fault. The match was Federer's when the Swede went wide with a dispirited drive.

Germany's rejuvenated Tommy Haas, the oldest man left in the draw at 31, reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final with a 7-6 (10/8), 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian 29th seed Igor Andreev.

Haas, seeded 24, and who saved two match points in his third round marathon victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic, next faces either Serbian fourth seed Novak Djokovic or Israel's Dudi Sela.

Djokovic was a semi-finalist in 2007 while Sela is the first Israeli in the last 16 here in 20 years. A win for the world number 46 would make him the first Israeli man or woman to make a Grand Slam quarter-final in the Open era.

Later Monday, third seed Andy Murray faces Swiss Olympic doubles gold medallist Stanislas Wawrinka as he continues his bid to become the first British men's champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, takes on Czech Radek Stepanek while two-time runner-up Andy Roddick meets Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. Hewitt was the only Australian man in the main draw. Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero takes on Gilles Simon of France.

Sania out of women's doubles

Sania Mirza's run in Wimbledon women's doubles ended when she and Chia-Jung Chuang of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) went down 2-6, 3-6 to Russia's Alla Kudryavtseva and Monica Niculescu of Romania in the second round on Saturday. The 15th-seeded Indo-Taiwanese pair frittered away opportunities and could convert only one of their seven break points. They in return were broken four times in the 87-minute match.

Sania and Chuang dropped their serve twice in the first set while wasting five chances to break their opponents. The two, however, with an early break in the second set showed signs of a fightback, but Kudryavtseva and Niculescu broke back in the fourth game to make it 2-2.

Another break in the sixth game put Kudryavtseva and Niculescu 4-2 ahead and they soon made it 5-2 with an easy hold in the next game before serving out the set and the match in the ninth. Sania with American Bethanie Mattek reached the doubles quarter-final here last year where they lost to eventual winners Venus and Serena Williams.

Sania's challenge in the singles is already over, losing in the second round to good friend Sorana Cirstea of Romania. The Hyderabadi is still alive in the mixed doubles event where she is partnering compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi.

Sania loses in doubles, Bhupathi advances in Aegon International

India's Sania Mirza and Chia-Jung Chuang of Chinese Taipei bowed out of the Aegon International tennis with a first-round defeat against fourth-seeded Australians Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs 5-7, 4-6 on Tuesday. Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahamas advanced to the men's doubles second round, defeating Australian Stephen Huss and England's Ross Hutchins 4-6, 7-6 (4), 10-3.

Second seed Bhupathi and Knowles will face American Travis Parrott and Slovak Filip Polasek, who got the better of Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili and Dmitry Tursunov 4-6, 6-3, 10-4. Top seed Leander Paes and Czech Lukas Dlouhy will take on Polish Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in the first round.

Dementieva begins Wimbledon run-in with victory

Olympic champion Elena Dementieva began her warm-up for Wimbledon with a swift 6-2, 6-2 win over fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko at the Eastbourne International on Monday. With the 35-year-old event including a men's tournament for the first time, second seed Dmitry Tursunov of Russia had to battle hard to beat Italian Fabio Fognini 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Former women's world number one Ana Ivanovic's struggle to get back to the top continued when she lost a seesaw match with Russian seventh seed Nadia Petrova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Serbian Ivanovic, who has dropped to 13th in the rankings, was in sight of victory at 4-1 up in the third set but double-faulted to allow Petrova to break and then surrendered meekly.

"I think I could have played a lot better and that is why I was a little bit disappointed because I was practising really well," said Ivanovic, who parted company with coach Craig Kardon last week. Top seed Dementieva, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, looked to have a fight on her hands when Kirilenko saved three breakpoints in a 14-minute opening game which went to deuce seven times.

Kirilenko, who had lost in seven previous first rounds this year, buckled however as the set progressed and allowed Dementieva to go 5-2 ahead.

Sania in semis of Aegon Classic

Sania Mirza's impressive run at the Aegon Classic continued as the Indian ace sealed a semi-final berth by beating 16th seed Hungarian Melinda Czink in straight sets on Friday. The unseeded Indian survived some anxious moments in the dying minutes of the match before pulling off a 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the quarter-finals of the $220,000 WTA event being played in the build up to the Wimbledon.

Sania will next face winner of the other quarter-final match between 13th seed Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova and unseeded Polish Urszula Radwanska. Sania went ahead by breaking Melinda at love in the fourth game. The Hungarian double faulted and the Indian pounced on the first chance and held next game to surge to a 4-1 lead.

Melinda struggled with her serve and a flurry of double faults again helped Sania's cause as the Indian capitalised on her rival's error to get one more break in the sixth game and served out the set in the game. The double fault bug bit the Indian too in the second set as she committed two in the fourth game to hand a 3-1 lead to the Hungarian.

Sania though returned the compliment in the next game when she converted the second breakpoint and held her serve in the next to make it 3-3. The Hyderabadi broke Melinda in the ninth game to create that little vital gap but squandered a match point in the next game to let Melinda draw parity.

Again she survived few anxious moments in the 12th game before stretching it to a tie-breaker, where she outplayed her rival to make the next round. With this win Sania also equalled the win-loss record against Melinda 1-1 as she had lost her first match against the Hungarian when the two had clashed in Kolkata in 2005.

Sania in WTA Aegon Classic pre-quarters

Sania Mirza quelled a late challenge from world number 49 and 11th seed Anne Keothavong to sail into the pre-quarterfinals of the $220,000 WTA Aegon Classic on Wednesday. The unseeded Indian beat the British number one 6-1, 7-6 (5) in the second round after battling it out for one hour and 27 minutes.

Sania will now run into the winner of the match between local wild card Elena Baltachs and Russian fifth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the last-eight stage. Sania dominated the first set and did not give any chance to Anee, whom the Indian broke thrice to take lead.

However, Anee shrugged off the rustiness in the second set and put up a brave fight to stretch it to a tie-breaker, where Sania held her nerves and converted her second match point. Sania had beaten Tatiana Poutchek in the first round on Tuesday night.

Federer wins maiden French Open title

Roger Federer gloriously completed a career Grand Slam on Sunday by capturing a record-equalling 14th major with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 win over Robin Soderling in the French Open final. The 27-year-old world number two finally won a Roland Garros crown at the 11th attempt and in his fourth successive final having come up heartbreakingly short in the last three showdowns against Spanish nemesis Rafael Nadal.

His victory, ironically over the Swedish 23rd seed who shocked four-time Nadal in the last 16, took him level with great friend Pete Sampras as the holder of 14 Grand Slam titles. He also moved into a select group made up only of Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi as men who have won all four of the Grand Slam events.

"It was probably my greatest victory, I was under big pressure. I did it and it's phenomenal," said Federer who broke down in tears after being presented with the trophy by Agassi, the 1999 champion, and while the Swiss national anthem was played.

Soderling, who has now lost 10 times in 10 meetings with Federer, admitted the Swiss was a deserving winner. "Roger was too good for me today, he played much better. He is a worthy winner and for me he is the best player in history," said Soderling. "He gave me a lesson in how to play tennis."

Any doubts over Federer's ability to overcome his Paris jinx were quickly dashed as the Swiss star, playing in a record-equalling 19th Grand Slam final and riding a tidal wave of support, dominated Soderling. He broke the first game on a Soderling double fault and was soon a second break to the good to lead 4-0 when a sweetly-timed drop shot left the Swede stranded behind the baseline.

Soderling, the first Swede in the Roland Garros final since his coach Magnus Norman finished runner-up to Gustavo Kuerten in 2000, stopped the rot with a hold to trail 4-1, but Federer quickly nipped further ahead to 5-1. Soderling's uncompromising forehand, which was a dagger to the heart of Nadal, was looking more like a blunt instrument in the damp and chilly conditions.

His service game crumbled again in the seventh game as Federer claimed the opening set. It had taken just 23 minutes with the Swiss losing just two points on serve. The final was then delayed by a worrying security breach during the fourth game of the second set with Federer ahead 2-1.

A spectator, dressed in red, waved a flag of the Barcelona football club in the world number two's face before he was wrestled off Court Philippe Chatrier by security guards. But the Swiss star wasn't disrupted from his elegant stride, either by the intruder or the rain which started to steadily fall.

Although Soderling slowly rediscovered his service power, it was Federer who was comfortably dictating the points and he fired down four aces in the tie-break to open up a two-sets lead. He was a break ahead in the third set to lead 1-0 before Soderling carved out, and squandered, his first break point of the match in the fourth game.

Federer then sent down his 16th ace of the tie to stretch to 4-2. He came out to serve for a place in history but faltered to 30-40 with a wild, running forehand. With pregnant wife Mirka looking anxiously on, he averted the crisis and went to match point with a confident volley and claimed victory when Soderling netted a service return after 1hr 55min on court.

Federer slumped to the Paris clay in celebration and in tears as he secured his place as arguably the greatest player of all time.

Paes, Dlouhy win French Open men's doubles

India's Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic won the French Open men's doubles title on Saturday with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Wesley Moodie of South Africa and Belgium's Dick Norman.It was 35-year-old Paes's fifth men's Grand Slam doubles title having won twice here in 1999 and 2001 with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi, 1999 Wimbledon with Bhupathi and the 2006 US Open with Martin Damm.

"Dick and Wesley served really huge and made it difficult for us. They did a great job in getting to the final," said Paes who has now won 40 career doubles titles. Paes and Dlouhy first teamed up at Roland Garros last year, losing in the last 16 to eventual champions Pablo Cuevas and Luis Horna. They then finished runners-up to Mike and Bob Bryan in the 2008 US Open final.

"We started playing together at Roland Garros last year. We lost then to the champions so we made it a point that we would come back and try and win it this year," added Paes, who has also won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Roger Federer kept his dream of a maiden French Open title alive

World number two Roger Federer kept his dream of a maiden French Open title alive when he battled past Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro 3-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a nail-biting semi-final on Friday. The Swiss, playing in his 20th consecutive grand slam semi-final, was one set from defeat when he turned on the style to set up a final with Swede Robin Soderling, who ushered out four times champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

"I am a bit lucky but I fought," said Federer, who will on Sunday equal Ivan Lendl's record of 19 grand slam final appearances. "I have an outstanding record against him (Soderling) but he played a fantastic match against (Fernando) Gonzalez," he added after the Swede earlier won in five sets against the Chilean.

"He (Soderling) has a lot of credit since he is the one who knocked out Rafa, who was the man to beat in this tournament," added the 13-times grand slam champion, who has beaten the Swede in all their nine previous encounters. Federer, looking to equal Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles, got off to a miserable start as Del Potro relied on his big serve and punishing forehand to dictate the play.

Backed by a 15,000 capacity Centre Court crowd, he prevailed after three hours 29 minutes on his second match point to book his place in a fourth consecutive final on the Paris clay. Federer had started confidently, moving Del Potro around the court and setting up two break chances in the second and fourth games.

The Argentine saved them with an ace and a service winner before taking control of the match, stepping into the court to dominate the points. He broke for 3-2 when Federer netted a forehand and the same error from the Swiss in the ninth game gave Del Potro the first set after 38 minutes.

The 20-year-old Argentine had never taken a set from Federer in five previous matches. The Swiss forced a tiebreak in the second after all games went with serve and that is when he showed glimpses of his brilliant best. He won the tiebreak 7-2 when Del Potro sent a forehand long, triggering a prolonged roar from the crowd.

It failed to unsettle the towering Argentine, who broke in the first game of the third set and continued to look comfortable on his service games. At 15-15 in the seventh game, it looked like Federer was warming Del Potro up at the net, simply feeding the Argentine with the ball instead of finding a passing shot.

Del Potro won the game when Federer sent a chipped forehand long. As the clock ticked past the two-hour mark, the Argentine bagged the set, his Swiss opponent firing a forehand wide. Federer then started to mix up his game with sliced shots and was rewarded for his tactical change when the Argentine dropped serve in the fourth game of the fourth set by firing a forehand long to the delight of the partisan fans.

He broke again in the sixth game, following up on serve to send the contest into an unpredictable decider. With his teeth now sinking firmly into his prey, Federer stole his opponent's serve in the first game of the fifth set as Del Potro's game continued to crumble.

The Argentine briefly regained his poise in time to break back for 3-3, only to drop serve again with a double fault. Federer could sense victory and kept his composure. Del Potro saved one match point on his own serve but was helpless on the second when Federer followed a big first serve with a forehand winner to end the match.

Federer silences Monfils to book semis spot

World number two Roger Federer was back to his brilliant best as he eased past local favourite Gael Monfils 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 to book his place in the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday. The Swiss will play his 20th consecutive grand slam semi-final against either Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro or Spain's Tommy Robredo, seeded 16th.

After three successive matches in which he dropped sets, Federer finally found his groove on Wednesday, much to the frustration of Monfils. Federer, the hot favourite after four-time champion Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the fourth round, saved a set point in the first-set tiebreak before clinching it 8-6 with a forehand volley winner.

It was then much easier for the Swiss, who is gunning for the only major title to have eluded him. He broke Monfils in the first and third games of the second set, moving the 11th-seeded Frenchman from left to right and often finishing off the points at the net.

Monfils called on the trainer at change of ends before the decider as he appeared to be in distress. Federer, who is chasing a record-equalling 14th grand slam crown, snatched the decisive break in the ninth game when the Frenchman netted a forehand.

He put him out of his misery on his first match point with a backhand winner after two hours 10 minutes. "I was very nervous before this match, yesterday and today," said Federer. "But I have a lot of experience. I know that when I step on the court, I will play well. Or very well."

Federer ran into a spot of bother when he contested a call following a Monfils dropshot that appeared to be wide. He was briefly booed by the 15,000-capacity Centre Court crowd but normal service quickly resumed. "It is very important to me, to have the crowd with me," he said.

Federer keen to avoid burden of expectation

Roger Federer is just three wins away from both a career Grand Slam and joining Pete Sampras as a 14-time major winner, but he's desperate to avoid sinking beneath a tidal wave of expectations. With four-time champion Rafael Nadal, who defeated the great Swiss star in the last three finals here, beaten for the first time at Roland Garros, Federer has been widely-tipped to cruise to a first French Open title.

That would make him only the sixth man in history to have won all four Grand Slam titles. But the 27-year-old insists that Rafa or no Rafa, there is still work to be done on the claycourts which have, year in, year out, resembled more of a scrapyard for him than a playground.

"I'm used to any kind of a situation, so (Nadal's defeat) doesn't affect me in a big way," said Federer who battled back 6-7 (4/7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to beat German veteran Tommy Haas in the fourth round on Monday. "You are aware of it. You try and stay in the draw, but at the end of the day you're focusing on your shots and your match and on how you play and the game plan against that player."

If Federer can get past French 11th seed Gael Monfils on Wednesday and then either Juan Martin Del Potro or Tommy Robredo in the semi-finals, he may start thinking that finally the tennis gods, at least those in this south-west corner of Paris, are on his side.

"I think if you make it to the final then it's a different scenario because whoever I play then I probably have a decent record against which wouldn't be the case with Rafa, knowing that he has all the experience and the confidence of winning here," said Federer. "Definitely it changes it up if I were to make the final. But we're not there yet."

Federer, with five Wimbledon, five US Open and three Australian Open victories, has known nothing but heartache in Paris. Nadal has swept past him in the last three finals while in 2004, the year before the Spaniard began his remarkable domination, Federer lost in the third round to an inspired former champion Gustavo Kuerten.

That defeat was the last time he failed to get at least to a semi-final at a Grand Slam. Federer also insists that Nadal will be back and warns players like Robin Soderling, whose defeat of the champion sent shockwaves through tennis, they need to keep proving they can compete.

"It's not an easy task, because how often does it happen in your life?," said the world number two. "It happens just a few times, and it's hard to back them up. I went through it when I beat Sampras at Wimbledon and then lost to Tim (Henman). I didn't play that bad against Tim, but you just realize that not only Sampras can play tennis, but Henman can and there are so many other players that play so well.

"Just because you beat this one particular player, it doesn't mean you're going to now beat everybody easily. You have to keep on playing dream tennis, and that's a hard thing to do sometimes." Wednesday's second quarter-final sees fifth-seeded Argentine Del Potro facing Spanish 16th seed Robredo who is playing in his fourth last eight clash here.

This is Del Potro's first Roland Garros quarter-final and follows similar runs at the US Open and Australian Opens. Del Potro, just 20 and the youngest man left in the men's tournament, takes a 1-0 career lead over the 27-year-old Robredo into his tie. "He is specialized on clay, and so far his season has been excellent," said Del Potro.

Robredo reached the last eight here in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and the has the most claycourt wins this season with a 25-6 record.

Holder Ivanovic blames dizziness for defeat

Holder Ana Ivanovic relinquished her French Open crown after suffering dizzy spells in a 6-2, 6-3 defeat by Belarussian teenager Victoria Azarenka on Sunday. The Serb, who has suffered a dip in form since winning at Roland Garros last year and has slipped from number one to eighth in the world, said she had started to feel unwell after the first point in the fourth game when she was a break down.

"I just suddenly started feeling so dizzy, and I completely lost my balance," Ivanovic told a news conference after the fourth-round defeat. "Ever since then it was really hard. I struggled with looking up. I started feeling very dizzy, and I was struggling a little bit to find my balance."

After struggling with a knee injury before the claycourt grand slam and with rivals Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova in blistering form, Ivanovic's departure was never going to make the sort of splash men's champion Rafael Nadal's exit did.

"I don't know if I can say that I'm surprised that I beat Ana, because I think I deserve to beat her. I played very well," said Azarenka. "I didn't let her play her game. I was just being I think too aggressive. "It's the first time I ever made the quarter-finals (of a grand slam). It's something really big for me. It's a new step, and I'm just really looking forward for the challenge to see how well I with do in my next step."

The ninth-seeded Azarenka, who has won three titles this year, took command after breaking in the third game and clinched the first set when Ivanovic's forehand clipped the netcord and bounced back into her side of the court. The 19-year-old Belarussian surged to a 5-2 lead in the second before Ivanovic, her title hanging by a thread, fought back with a couple of excellent passing shots and a dropshot to break.

Despite the crowd cheering "Ana, Ana", her resistance was short-lived as Azarenka served out the match to set up a quarter-final against world number one Safina, who has torn through the draw dropping just five games along the way. "She was just killing people so far," said Azarenka. "I just need to get ready, really well and play my best tennis to beat her."