Ancic thrills in epic duel with Ferrer

Mario Ancic, the last man to beat Roger Federer here, might yet become the next to do so. The giant Croatian, who would meet Federer at the quarter-final stage if both make it through the fourth round, earned his place in the last 16 with a thrilling victory, secured in the Centre Court gloaming last night, over the fifth seed David Ferrer. Ancic eventually prevailed, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.

It was their second encounter on grass in a week, Ferrer having won their quarter-final at 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, on his way to winning his first grass-court title. A week earlier, Rafael Nadal had won at Queen's. Spanish tennis had waited 36 years for a grass-court title, and then, like the number 87 from Wimbledon Park to Trafalgar Square, two came along in indecently quick succession.

The 26-year-old Spaniard thus arrived at Wimbledon entitled to feel confident, although he has never got beyond the round of 16 here. Ancic, though he missed the championships last year with glandular fever, has a much better All-England Club pedigree. In 2004, unseeded, he reached the semi-final, in which he was beaten by Andy Roddick.

Both men contributed equally to a contest that had the Centre Court crowd in raptures, which was just as well given the increasingly chilly wind. Spectators found comfort under coats and blankets, instead of in bars and restaurants, and were rewarded with some wonderful tennis. They were also rewarded with a memorable decibel count, as some truly extraordinary grunting and gasping developed. It was like a couple of men making monster noises to scare a child, each trying to outdo the other.

Still, they had plenty to grunt and gasp about. Ancic has a huge serve, and seems to play with his heart as much as his long limbs, much like his mentor, Goran Ivanisevic. Ferrer, whose best Grand Slam finish is a US Open semi-final last year, returned heroically. And both covered every inch of grass in a series of spectacular rallies.

The third-set tie-break summed up the pendulum swings of the match. Ferrer, needing to win, reached a 5-2 lead before Ancic clawed his way back to 5-5. Yet Ferrer held both his nerve and his serve to keep proceedings alive, much to the delight even of some visibly shivering spectators.

The fourth set followed suit, with Ferrer saving one break point at 1-2, and Ancic saving no fewer than four at 3-3. If Dickie Bird had been in the umpire's chair, the match would have been stopped for bad light long before then, but they pressed on, before finally escaping to the warmth of the locker-room at almost 20 past nine.

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