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Wimbledon: Day 5

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A look at who won, who lost and what’s next at the All England Club. World rankings in parentheses:

Who won

Serena Williams (6) beat Amelie Mauresmo, France (33), 7-6 (5), 6-1 -- Mauresmo, 28, played her best tennis in eons, and Williams, 26, expressed great respect for Mauresmo. Where does the time go?

Roger Federer, Switzerland (1) beat Marc Gicquel, France (53), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 -- With a draw opened up by Novak Djokovic’s loss, Federer looked so sublime that somebody asked if he hurried through the third set to beat the rain, and he said, “Yeah, I just wish I could turn on a button and say, ‘OK, rain’s coming, let’s just quickly win.’ ” You mean he can’t?

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Bethanie Mattek (69) beat Marion Bartoli, France (10), 6-4, 6-1 -- And in her post-match comments, the effervescent Mattek hoped that Brett Favre, whom she reveres, might un-retire. Meanwhile, her eclipse of last year’s finalist suggested a toughness that might’ve done Lambeau Field proud.

Russian women (9) -- That’s nine out of the last 32. Pretty soon, they’ll have about 32 of the last 32.

Marat Safin, Russia (75) beat Andreas Seppi, Italy (30), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 -- This could get serious.

Lleyton Hewitt, Australia (27) beat Simone Bolelli, Italy (46), 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (2) -- Hewitt, like crab grass, outlives most everything and remains in the draw. He’s the last male human not named Federer to win Wimbledon even though that happened in a different lifetime (2002).

Who lost

Ana Ivanovic, Serbia (1) lost to Zheng Jie, China (133), 6-1, 6-4 -- Sometimes you’re watching something and you get the distinct impression you need to get your eyes checked.

Bobby Reynolds (102) lost to Feliciano Lopez, Spain (35), 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 -- The 25-year-old reached the third round in his first Wimbledon main draw, and lingered as the very last male American. It’s beautiful when a moribund country can cling to a fighting hopeful and embrace noble defeat.

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David Ferrer, Spain (5) lost to Mario Ancic, Croatia (43), 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3) -- Ancic remains the answer to the trivia question, “Who’s the last person to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon?” Ferrer remains the top-10 person you’d least likely recognize if he showed up at your front door next Thursday.

What’s next

Venus Williams (7) vs. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Spain (101) -- The women’s draw has gone haywire, and its greatest champion tries to restore order.

Rafael Nadal, Spain (2) vs. Nicolas Kiefer, Germany (32) -- Nadal tries to reach the second week for the third straight year. There was a time that male Spaniards never even dreamed of such.

Jelena Jankovic, Serbia (3) vs. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark (30) -- Everyone thinks the 17-year-old Dane will reach the big time, and everyone thinks the 23-year-old Serbian, who’s already in the big time, might represent the last obstacle to a Williams-Williams final and had better beat the Dane given she’s the top-seeded woman remaining. Everyone thinks too much.

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