(SECOND, MONDAY, FIRST, CHAMPION, THIRD, TITLE)
LONDON (Reuters) - Heatwave conditions heralded the start of Wimbledon`s second week on Monday as the surviving 32 men and women in the singles draws chased quarter-finals slots.
With the mercury shooting past 30 degrees as Elena Dementieva polished off fellow Russian Elena Vesnina to become the first player into the last eight, fans grabbing spots near Henman Hill`s huge video screen in advance of the Andy Murray show later sizzled in the sunshine.
Defending women`s champion Venus Williams, looking for a third consecutive title here, was able to conserve vital energy, the American third seed strolling through to the quarters when tearful Serbian opponent Ana Ivanovic retired after losing the first set 6-1.
Like the third round of a golf major, nicknamed moving day, when the top players begin to rise up the leaderboard, Wimbledon`s second Monday is traditionally the moment when the main title contenders turn it up a notch.
Men`s favorite Roger Federer, seeking to reclaim the title he has won five times, has not been absent from the second week of Wimbledon since 2002, the year before his domination of the grasscourt slam began.
Federer, on course for a record 15th grand slam title, was scheduled first on Center Court for his fourth-round match against Robin Soderling, the Swede he beat in the French Open final earlier this month.
At times during the first week Federer appeared to be playing exhibition tennis, so untroubled was his progress, Soderling`s grass scorching serve and the baking temperatures should make the cool-as-a-cucumber Swiss break sweat.
SOARING TEMPERATURES
With older sister Venus already safely through, twice champion Serena Williams was also expected to make short work of unseeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova in the furnace-like bowl of Court Two.
Murray, the 22-year-old Scot tipped as Federer`s most likely opponent in the men`s singles final on Sunday, has become a tea-time fixture at this year`s championships.
The world number three was again scheduled third on Center Court to play the second best tennis player in Switzerland, Stanislas Wawrinka, when temperatures should have dipped to more comfortable levels.
Support for Murray has grown steadily since the start of the tournament and expectation levels, like the temperatures, are soaring with acres of newsprint mapping out the Scot`s likely route to greatness.
"The biggest question mark this week is whether Murray can maintain his poise," former men`s champion Boris Becker, now a BBC pundit, said on Monday. "If he can, then he is going all the way to the final."
Lleyton Hewitt`s vocal fan club, the Fanatics, will be back on Court Two to watch the 2002 champion take on Radek Stepanek having serenaded the Australian battler into the last 16 for a sixth consecutive year on Saturday.
After a first week of record-breaking crowds, up almost 10 percent on last year, large queues of hot and bothered fans snaked toward the All England Club again on Monday with another busy day expected for the club`s first-aiders. Continued...
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