Wimbledon 2010 blog: 28 June - as it happened

5.41pm: Murray has taken the first set against Querrey 7-5. Follow the game-by-game report here for the latest . Meanwhile it's time for this blog to bid farewell. Thanks for all your emails. 5.15pm: Andy Roddick has lost the second set to the world No82, China's Yen-Hsun Lu. So, it stands 1-1 and is going to serve in the third set. The big-serving American needs to up his game. 4.35pm: "Yeee-argh!" says Serena Williams. "Angh!" says Serena. "Yeee-ang-arrgh!" And that's my secret, coded cue to abandon this blog and take my business elsewhere. Serena says "Yeee-argh" and "Angh!" because she is wrapping up her match against Maria Sharapova. The reigning champion wins 7-6, 6-4, which leaves just one singles match still to play on Centre Court. It is the fourth round clash between Britain's Andy Murray and Queens champion Sam Querrey. And I shall be covering that here . This blog shall live on and will be updated at intervals by Others. These Others will tell you whether Hewitt mounts a comeback against Djokovic and whether And Roddick wins through against Yen-Hsu Lu and whether Nadal's knee holds up against Paul-Henri Mathieu. Do not neglect the Others, for the Others know what's what. In the meantime, I'm heading over to the Murray match. Thanks again for bearing with me. 4.20pm: There is something curiously poignant about the sight of Lleyton Hewitt, tennis's scruffy, feral little street-fighter, sheltering from the sun beneath his green and purple parasol. The parasol is held by a ball-boy while Hewitt sits in his chair and scowls into the middle distance, like Just William in the guise of a coy Edwardian maiden. His catapult is broken and shoelaces are untied and his Wimbledon ambitions are hanging by a thread. Novak Djokovic is that bit sharper, that bit stronger. He keeps working Hewitt from side to side and his shots have more weight and bite. The third seed breaks in the final game of set two, just as he did in the final game of set one. Djokovic leads 7-5, 6-4. 4.05pm: Justine Henin is at the press conference following her three set to defeat to Kim Clijsters earlier today. She explains that she hurt her elbow when she fell at the net, early in the match. She says that this affected her serve and her backhand ("a little bit") and this may explain why her level dropped off as the match progressed, and why so many of those backhands just missed their mark. But she also acknowledges that Clijsters became "more intense" and piled on the pressure. Henin, remember, has never won this title and is now 28-years-old (that's 72 in human years). She hopes to come back and try again next year. Elsewhere, the championships rumble on regardless. Serena Williams goes a break up in the second against Sharapova and Lleyton Hewitt grows hot under the collar in the second set of his contest with Novak Djokovic. He wallops a shot beyond the baseline and then wallops his racket on the turf. The players are currently tied at three games apiece. 3.50pm: Facing set point at eight-nine, Maria Sharapova hits a second serve as though it's a first serve; as though it's her last serve; as though it's the only serve that will ever matter. It rifles into Williams's backhand corner and wins her the point. This desperate tactic works so well that she tries it again, except that this time she double faults. Williams steps up, belts an ace and scoops the first set 11 points to nine. Her reaction to that? "Yeee-arrrgh!" Like an angry cowboy who's just killed the rattlesnake he found in his boot. 3.45pm: Novak Djokovic sneaks the first set from Lleyton Hewitt, breaking in the final game to ease through 7-5. But wait! Over on Centre, the reigning champion Serena Wlliams has been dragged into a tiebreak by a resurgent Maria Sharapova. And the Russian has the upper hand. She scrambles to 6-4, with two set points, before Williams comes roaring back at her, forcing the errors to get back to six-all. 3.35pm: .... and we're back in front of the tennis. On Court One, Lleyton Hewitt is deadlocked at five games all with Novak Djokovic. Over on Centre, Maria Sharapova is serving to take her first set with Serena Williams into a tiebreak. In the meantime, I've been bouncing about the grounds. Outside the Aorangi Pavilion, we watch a tanned, blonde pro sign hats and oversized tennis balls for a crowd of kids. "Can you sign my hat as well?" asks one kid, and this she duly does. Afterwards, when the pro has turned away, the kid turns to his friend and whispers, "Who is it?" I'm ashamed to admit I don't know myself. The pro signs her name with what looks like a B followed by an airy squiggle. Even so, she has made some fans out there. The next time Miss B-Squiggle takes to the court she can be assured of some ardent support. Seconds later, the route takes me past a wearied male spectator. "Fuck this, I've had enough," he tells his companion. "I'm going to Henman Hill." He makes it sound like the equivalent of calling the Samaritans. I've lost my job and the wife has left me. Nothing else for it. I'm going to Henman Hill. 3.20pm: Hello. Xan's mystery helper (he's not back just yet) here, just letting you know that the third seed Caroline Wozniacki has crashed out after losing to Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-0. 2.40pm: Kim Clijsters breaks to 5-3 after Henin lashes yet another backhand long and steps up to serve for the match. It is not quite over for her rival, who coaxes a superb half-volley backhand pass to clamber to 15-30. But this is too little, too late for Henin, who begun the contest in scintillating form only to fade slowly away in the afternoon heat. Kim Clijsters, steady and dependable, wins 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Having been forced to run this and way and that, Henin appears to have developed a taste for it. She gathers her bags and then scurries hurriedly for the locker room, leaving Clijsters to soak up the applause of the Court One crowd. Over on Centre, the heavenly Roger Federer is through and the devil is safely behind him. The reigning champion wraps up a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Austria's Jurgen Melzer to advance to the quarter-finals. There he will meet Daniel Brands or the 12th-seed Thomas Berdych. He will, naturally, like his chances in either match-up. OK, I'm heading away for a brief spell. Back shortly. My doughty colleagues in the Guardian office will update this blog should anything major occur, be it shock upsets or shockingly pulchritudinous ball staff. Different strokes for different folks. 2.30pm: Three all in the final set and Kim Clijsters invites Justine Henin to run. She sends lures to the right and to the left and Henin chases first one and then the other. What Henin wants to do when she gets there is belt herself a clean winner. But her shots keep finding the net and her scampering dashes are to no avail. Clijsters edges ahead 4-3 but we are still on serve. In the meantime, today's sermon from Roger Federer appears to be building to its conclusion. The reigning champion now leads Melzer 6-3, 6-2, 5-3 and the Austrian imp is clinging on by his fingernails. Another few minutes and he will be cast out. 2.20pm: They are on serve in the deciding set on Court One, scurrying to their seats at the changeover to shelter beneath green and purple parasols. Has Justine Henin started to fray? Maybe she is simply wilting in the afternoon heat. The timing on her ground-strokes is a nanosecond out, which means that the ball is going into the net, or beyond the baseline. At one stage it misses her racket entirely. She needs to regroup, because right now Clijsters is out-steadying her. It's two games all. 2.10pm: Kim Clijsters forges through the second set to win it 6-2, forcing the contest with Justine Henin into a decider. We'll stick with this one for a bit now. And if we see any particularly gorgeous ball girls (or boys, let's not discriminate) we shall be sure to sound the alarm. 2.05pm: With a casual, insouciant grace, Roger Federer pockets the second set to lead Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-2. The match on Court Two has reached its conclusion, with Venus Williams trumping Australia's Jamila Groth 6-4, 7-6. With that one over, the Court Two reporters prepare to retreat to the press centre. They are hot and they are sweaty and they mop at their brows as they make for the cool. "It's a shame that one finished," one mutters to his colleague. "There was this ball girl standing right next to me. Absolutely gorgeous." I'm betting the ball girl is saying much the same thing to her friends, right this second. Sports reporter, sweating. Right next to me. Absolutely gorgeous. Could hardly concentrate on fetching the balls. 1.55pm: Is it blasphemy or is it witchery? Jurgen Melzer slides a sinister, left-handed ace to the ad-court. Federer thinks it's out and he stares at the line as though the line, too, might have gone to the bad. But the call stands and Federer must walk. Melzer holds serve, but he is still a break down in the second, trailing 3-6, 2-3. And over on Court One, Kim Clijsters is starting to find a way into her match against Justine Henin. She reaches 15-40, with a double break point, and then the normally reliable Henin backhand rips into the net. Clijsters breaks to lead 3-2. 1.40pm: Roger Federer is at the pulpit. He speaks softly but with terrific emphasis, getting his message across via imperious forehands and backhands, painting the lines and leaving his opponent stranded. Jurgen Melzer tries to return fire but he keeps fluffing his lines; his brains overheating beneath his reverse baseball cap. At set point, the artful Roger connects with another forehand that skips happily off the net and drops dead on the turf, leaving Melzer to perform an impotent soft-shoe shuffle at the far baseline. First set to Federer, six games to three. In the meantime, Henin and her wounded elbow look to be causing Clijsters all manner of headaches. Henin takes the first set 6-2. 1.25pm: Justine Henin moves to 4-1 thanks to a crisp backhand volley and then a nervy double fault from Kim Clijsters. It is all going her way out there, but something is amiss. Her elbow is hurting and every one of those sweetly timed shots seems to aggravate it further. So Henin - sublime, delicate Justine Henin - returns to her seat and requests a medical time out. And perhaps some smelling salts to bring her back round. 1.15pm: Roger Federer floats to an early 2-0 lead on Centre while, away on One, Justine Henin leads Kim Clijsters by the identical score. Clijsters is a boisterous, bustling presence but she is being undone by Henin's deft angles and gorgeous, looping backhand. But then, 0-30 down, Clijsters bashes a forehand passing shot and Henin's feet go out from under her. That's the problem with Henin: she's brilliant but she's fragile. Clijsters, by contrast, is industrious and sturdy. She holds on to make it 1-2. 1.05pm: Centre Court is bathed in heavenly light as Roger Federer glides out of the locker room. He is clad in celestial white, his hair is wafting in the warm breeze and he directs a beatific smile at the congregation that has gathered in rows A through Z to hear his wisdom. He's like some airbrushed young televangelist, come to thump his Bible and cast out the devil. And look: he has even brought the devil on court with him today. Jurgen Melzer wears a reverse baseball cap and a sour scowl. Before long he will start to howl and convulse and all good Christians shall thrill to his endless, endless torment. The day's torment, however, is not confined to Centre. Over on Court 12, Jelena Jacovich's Wimbledon is over. The fourth seed has just pulled out with a back injury, after trailing Vera Zvonereva 1-6, 0-3. 12.55pm: Venus Williams surges to 30-40 courtesy of some truly brutal hitting down the centre of the court: centre right, then centre left. Facing set point, Jamila Groth approaches the net with an endearing sense of optimism behind a forehand and is inevitably hand-cuffed on the volley. First set to Williams, 6-4. 12.45pm: Jamila Groth slides a second serve ace to maintain parity against Venus Williams: they are now tied at three games apiece. It is a different story over on Court 12, where Vera Zvonereva has just battered Jelena Jancovich to take the first set 6-1. Neither story, it must be said, is especially riveting. There is a sense that we are kicking our heels and spinning our wheels until Henin and Clijsters step out on Court One. In other news: the reporter to my right has found his grey flannel trousers. Or did we cover that already? 12.20pm On Court Two, they are ready to go. Venus Williams wins the toss, serves first against Australia's Jamila Groth and is promptly rocked back on her heels by a well-timed return. Groth is refreshingly un-intimidated out there. She's winding up and teeing off and rushes to 15-30 before Williams smothers the challenge with some brutish deliveries. Game to Williams. 11.55am: The boys and girls of the junior competition come out to play on the lesser courts, which gives us time for some rambling preambling. First up on Centre (at 1pm) is reigning champion Roger Federer and 16th-seed Jurgen Melzer, a recent semi-finalist at Roland Garros. But the real pick of the day's early matches is surely set for Court One where the spectators are gathering for the battle of the Belgians, the clash of the comeback queens. Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters are tied at 12 matches apiece in a rivalry dating back more than 10 years. Clijsters has won their last two encounters, but only just, on final set tiebreaks. There is no way of telling which way this one will go. Following Federer on Centre we have Serena Williams versus Maria Sharapova and after that comes Andy Murray against Sam Querrey. The big-serving American recently took over from Murray as the champion at Queens. And yet he has yet to win a set from the Scot in three previous matches. Past evidence suggests that Querrey's lumbering, locomotive style play right into Murray's hands. Also on Court One, we have a potentially enticing tussle between third-seed Novak Djokovic and the 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt before the curtain (if there really was a curtain) comes down with Rafael Nadal, who takes on Paul-Henri Mathieu. Nadal has played the Frenchman nine times before and emerged victorious . But he enters the second week looking worryingly fragile, having been bedeviled by niggling injuries and mauled by his past two opponents. All being well, Nadal will go through. But his infernal, ground-down knees may yet prove his undoing. 11.30am: The second Monday should really open with a curtain. It's day seven of the Wimbledon championships ad the stage is set for the fourth-round contests in both the men's and women's singles. Over the next few hours the show-courts play host to Federer and Nadal, Clijsters and Henin, Venus and Serena, Roddick, Djokovic and Andy Murray. But what this opera needs is a red velvet curtain. They could pull it back to show all the players lined up on Centre Court, perhaps playing an overture on their racket strings. Instead, the crowds are still flowing in and the courts remain largely empty. In the press centre behind Centre Court, the reporters sit typing angrily at their keyboards while the TVs at their heads are tuned to In the Night Garden and Animal Park. A middle-aged journalist calls his dry cleaner to explain that it's OK, crisis averted; he has now found his grey flannel trousers. For those who have been eavesdropping on this drama for the past few days (The Mystery of the Missing Trousers), this is a considerable relief. My fear, this time last Friday, was that the monkeys might have got them. 11.15am: Xan Brooks will be with you shortly for today's live blog. Day seven at SW19 brings us Roger Federer's latest attempt to find form against Jürgen Melzer of Austria. They'll be followed on Centre Court by Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova before Britain's only remaining reason to be cheerful, Andy Murray, looks to move past the Queen's winner, Sam Querrey, to reach his third consecutive Wimbledon quarter-final. On Court No1, Kim Clijsters takes on fellow comeback kid Justine Henin in the Battle of Belgium, followed by Novak Djokovic's showdown with the in-form Lleyton Hewitt – who, incidentally, is the last person to beat Roger Federer on grass. Provided there are no preposterous final sets, they'll then make way for Rafael Nadal's match with Paul-Henri Mathieu of France. A full lowdown on the day's play is available here . In addition to this blog, the hardworking Mr Brooks will also be filing a game-by-game report from the Murray match later on.