? Tomic to play practice partner Novak Djokovic in last eight
? Xavier Malisse no match for 18-year-old Australian
He crept into Wimbledon unnoticed amid a fierce debate about his country's lack of top class tennis players but yesterday Bernard Tomic became the youngest man to reach a quarter-final here since Boris Becker 25 years ago.
Tomic had already beaten number five seed Robin Soderling in straight sets to reach the last 16. Yesterday he beat the Belgian Xavier Malisse in similarly emphatic fashion to march into a quarter-final with his friend and sometime practice partner Novak Djokovic, who overcame Michael Llodra in straight sets.
"I never thought I'd be here in the second week, especially in the quarter-finals. What a feeling and what a tournament it's been for me," said Tomic, who was born in Stuttgart to BosnianCroatian parents but moved to Australia when he was two.
In 1986, of course, Becker had already announced his arrival to the tennis world in the most dramatic way possible by winning the tournament a year earlier as a qualifier.
But Tomic's achievement, as the first qualifier to make it to the quarter-final stage since 2000, is still impressive. He was within a couple of points of going out in qualifying and battled back from two sets to love and a break down in the second round against Igor Andreev.
Tomic has practiced with Djokovic "many times" and said he was "a cool guy...one of the nicest out there". But he still believed he could win, if the number two seed had an off day: "We'll know from the first return he hits."
In his last 16 match against Michael Llodra, Djokovic appeared to be getting back into his stride, with his return working as it did during his recent 43 match winning streak, after Saturday's racket abusing frustrations.
It was as thought Djokovic wanted to put that match, where he had to scrap against Marco Baghdatis and the vast majority of the Centre Court crowd to beat the popular Cypriot, out of his mind as fast as possible.
The Serbian won his first service game to love inside two minutes and was 3-0 up within five, during which time his opponent won only one point - and that was on a challenge. The only surprise was that it took a further 23 minutes to clinch the first set 6-3.
Llodra, a classic serve and volleyer bidding to reach his first Grand Slam quarter final at the age of 31, managed to compose himself and worked his way back into the match but couldn't find a way past a pumped up Djokovic.
He looked a lot happier afterwards than he did on Saturday and was quick to return the compliments of Tomic.
"It's going to be a great match for both of us. He is a youngster coming up that has incredible talent and incredible potential. He is going to be a top player some day."
On a day when Djokovic and Murray sailed through, Roger Federer found the going rather tougher against Mikhail Youzhny than his 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 scoreline would suggest.
Federer had won his last six encounters with Youzhny in straight sets and beforehand there was little here to indicate the Russian would do any better today. But he stuck doggedly to his task and had Federer rattled early on.
Despite being 1-4 down in the opening set tie- break, the Russian won six of the next seven points to take the first set - the first Federer has dropped at Wimbledon this year.
Federer took the second but, in a bizarre opening to the third, gifted Youzhny three break points. But he saved the lot and was able to break himself in the very next game.
For for the first time, Federer was able to put some daylight between himself and his dogged opponent. But having sailed so serenely through the first week, he may benefit from a more testing match.
"It was a tough first set to lose. He did well and it was a good match," said Federer afterwards, though he added he was "happy" with his performance. He also claimed the move from his usual home on Centre had thrown him: "It's always somewhat tricky coming to play on Court One, I'm not used to the surroundings," he said.
Federer will now face an increasingly confident Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals. "He has got the weapons to be a huge threat on grass. It's a tough draw but I'm ready for it."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/27/bernard-tomic-wimbledon-2011
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