Federer's 38th straight grass win 3 short of mark

June 16, 2006|By Tribune news services

No. 1 Roger Federer won his 38th straight match on grass, edging Richard Gasquet of France 7-6 (7), 6-7 (7), 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Gerry Weber Open, a Wimbledon tuneup in Halle, Germany. If Federer wins the tournament, he'll equal the record of 41 straight grass-court wins set by Bjorn Borg from 1976 to '81.

The top-seeded Federer made 41 unforced errors, allowing Gasquet to extend the match to three sets. Federer will next play Olivier Rochus, who beat Marat Safin of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Maria Sharapova beat Li Na of China 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the DFS Classic in Birmingham, England.