LONDON, June 29, 2009 (AFP) - Roger Federer clinched an 11th win in 11 meetings against Robin Soderling Monday to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals while former champion Lleyton Hewitt pulled off another trademark great escape.
      
In a repeat of the French Open final, where Federer claimed a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam title, the great Swiss won 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) over the Swede who dramatically ended Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros reign.
      
Federer, chasing a sixth Wimbledon title, will be appearing in his 25th Grand Slam quarterfinal where he'll face Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic, who fired down 35 aces in his 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 7-6 (11/9) win over Spanish seventh seed Fernando Verdasco.
      
"Today was really a serving contest, there weren't many rallies so it's hard to judge these kind of matches," said Federer who broke the Soderling serve just once.
      
"I was expecting more baseline play today. He's got nothing to lose. Grass is more dangerous than clay; that's why I knew there was danger all over. If I was able to serve well and play well, I knew I had a good chance."
      
Karlovic, the 22nd seed, has now amassed 137 aces in four rounds and will be playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final. He has yet to face a break point.
      
"On my serve I was feeling good and I'm really happy because I'm in the quarterfinal," said Karlovic.
     
 
Australian Hewitt, the 2002 champion, came back from two sets to love down for the fifth time in his career to beat Czech 23rd seed Radek Stepanek 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
      
Hewitt, the only Australian man in the draw and who put out Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro in the second round, next faces two-time runner-up Andy Roddick of the United States.
      
Roddick saw off Czech 20th seed Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-3 to make the last eight for the fifth time.
      
"It's always tough to come back from two sets down. I had to dig deep, not look too far ahead and find a way to win," said Hewitt who needed treatment on his left thigh at the end of the second set.
      
"I felt it in the first set. I got a bandage on it and there was a bit of pain."
      
Germany's rejuvenated Tommy Haas, the oldest man left in the draw at 31, reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final with a 7-6 (10/8), 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian 29th seed Igor Andreev.
      
"I served extremely well. I didn't give him many opportunities or the confidence for him to break me," said Haas.
      
"I'm having a fantastic run and I'm really pleased to be in the quarter-finals."
      
Haas, seeded 24, and who saved two match points in his third round marathon victory over Croatia's Marin Cilic, next faces Serbian fourth seed Novak Djokovic who out out Israel's Dudi Sela 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.
      
Haas defeated Djokovic to win the title at the Halle grasscourt tournament in the run-up to Wimbledon.
      
"That was a very strange match because I hadn't felt comfortable on the court at all in that final," said Djokovic, a semifinalist here in 2007.
      
"But here it's a different story. I have played really well in the last two, three matches."
      
Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain became the first wildcard since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001 to reach the last eight with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-2 win over French eighth seed Gilles Simon.
      
Famously, Ivanisevic went on to take the title eight years ago.
      
"I would like to do what Goran did," said Ferrero, whose world ranking has slipped to 70 after a succession of injuries.
      
"But it's a little bit difficult to say. I'm pretty happy about the wild card, and happy about the game that I'm playing."
      
Ferrero will next meet either third seed Andy Murray or Swiss 19th seed Stanislas Wawrinka who were playing their fourth round clash under the new Wimbledon roof.