Djokovic, Nadal, Federer advance at Wimbledon

updated 5:38 p.m. ET June 25, 2011

WIMBLEDON, England - Second-seeded Novak Djokovic overcame a spirited challenge from Marcos Baghdatis, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the day's last match on Centre Court that lasted 3 hours, 15 minutes. It was a rematch of their 2007 quarterfinal in which Djokovic won in five sets and five hours.

Djokovic, the Australian Open champion whose 43-match winning streak was stopped by Roger Federer at the French Open, threw back his head and let out a roar after Baghdatis hit an errant forehand on the third match point. The two men embraced warmly and shared a laugh at the net.

"To pull up a win out of this match, I have to be happy with the way I (fought) through all the way," Djokovic said. "I mean, the atmosphere was just fantastic."

Djokovic, who extended his career record to 5-0 against the Cypriot, smashed his racket in anger after losing a point in the second set and received a warning from the chair umpire. He'll face No. 19 Michael Llodra of France.

"Look, I'm not going to change who I am. I can work on some things, but, you know, my temper is my temper. My character is my character," said Djokovic, whose 43-match winning streak ended with a loss to Federer in the French Open semifinals.

With Baghdatis serving at 30-all while leading 4-3 in the second set, Djokovic pushed a shot long to lose the point. Standing at the baseline, he smashed his racket, hitting it once, twice, three times against the ground. As Djokovic walked to the sideline to trade in that now-damaged piece of equipment for a fresh one, Baghdatis chuckled to himself.

Chair umpire James Keothavong - brother of British player Anne Keothavong - was less amused, warning Djokovic for racket abuse. Baghdatis won the next point, too, to pull ahead 5-3, and he served out the set with an ace two games later.

But Djokovic pulled through, even as he occasionally paused to clutch at his left leg.

"I'm not tired physically. I just didn't feel good today. ... My legs weren't working. You have those days," Djokovic said. "Luckily for me, when I needed to, I played well."

In other men's action, Federer and Rafael Nadal won in straight sets to move into the fourth round.

Six-time champion Federer beat David Nalbandian 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to move closer to equaling the record of seven Wimbledon singles titles held by Pete Sampras and 1880s player Willie Renshaw. Two-time winner and defending champion Rafael Nadal committed only three unforced errors in a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-0 victory over Gilles Muller, a 92nd-ranked wild card from Luxembourg.

Other winners included former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and last year's runner-up Tomas Berdych.

No. 5 Robin Soderling became the highest seeded man eliminated so far when he was beaten 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 by 18-year-old Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic. The 158th-ranked Tomic served 13 aces and was never broken by the Swede, a two-time French Open runner-up who reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year.

"I was very calm, but inside I was bursting," Tomic said. "I tried not to show it to him. He was getting a bit frustrated, and I knew at times I had to stay calm."

Tomic is the first 18-year-old since Michael Chang and Goran Ivanisevic in 1990 to reach the second week at Wimbledon. This was the biggest upset of the men's tournament so far and counts as a watershed moment for the player hailed as the future of Australian tennis.

"Most definitely the best achievement that I've done so far," said Tomic, who will now surpass Lleyton Hewitt as the highest-ranked Australian player. "I'll always remember this is the first time I've really done well at a Grand Slam."

Tomic's performance hasn't been a surprise to everyone. He has been practicing with Djokovic lately, and the second-ranked Serb predicted this week that Tomic could pull off a couple of upsets.

"He can be a surprise of the tournament," Djokovic said after his first-round win. "I think he's one of the most talented young players out there. He's still young. There's still a long way to go for him, but he has the game to beat some really big players."

Tomic could face Djokovic in the quarterfinals, although he first has to get past Xavier Malisse on Monday.

"I'd love to win another round," Tomic said. "It's going to be a next few days where I'm going to have to prepare mentally for it and not just backing off in the fourth round. I think I can win. I've got to go out there and believe like I did today."

Soderling, who lost the first set in 17 minutes, appeared to be ailing. He called for a trainer early in the second set and, after one point later in the set, sat down on a line judge's chair for a few seconds and wiped his face with a towel.

The sun came out and the roof stayed open on Centre Court as the tournament neared completion of all third-round matches in time for the traditional rest day on Sunday. Monday's schedule will feature all men's and women's fourth-round matches, the busiest day in Grand Slam tennis.

Federer was broken once in the first set but dominated the rest of the way on Centre Court against Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon runner-up from Argentina. Nalbandian received treatment on his right thigh several times but showed no visible sign of injury.

It was the 19th career meeting between the two, with Federer now leading 11-8.

"A guy who can beat me eight times knows how to do it nine times, and that's why I'm really pleased to come through," said Federer, whose only wobble came when he blew an easy smash on his first match point.

Federer, who lost to Berdych in the quarterfinals in 2010, said he is playing better than last year. He hasn't dropped a set so far.

"Maybe I'm just a bit more confident on my serve," he said. "And then obviously more relaxed on the baseline and on the return, and it seems like it's working. But it's only the first week, and I hope I can keep it going."

Federer's next opponent will be 18th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, a Russian who downed No. 16 Nicolas Almagro 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Nadal, who has met Federer in three finals, put on a masterful display on Court 1. In a match suspended because of darkness after the first set Friday, Nadal hit 36 winners and never lost serve against Muller - the last player other than Federer to beat the Spaniard at Wimbledon, in the second round in 2005.

Nadal, who saved two break points in the first set, was credited with zero unforced errors Saturday in the second set. Muller managed to stay even until he sliced a backhand into the net after a long rally to give Nadal a 6-5 edge in the tiebreaker. The Spaniard closed the set on the next point with a forehand winner, then won six straight games, finishing with an ace.

It's the first time Nadal has advanced to the round of 16 here without losing a set.

Nadal said he felt discomfort in his right leg, but that it was not related to the two heavy falls he took at the baseline during the match.

"I started to feel the leg a little bit more tired than usual," he said. "But I played today without problems, and now I (have) one day and a half to rest and recover. I hope it will be perfect for Monday."

That's when Nadal will face Del Potro, who beat Gilles Simon 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5), 7-5 and showed he is nearing top form after missing most of 2010 after surgery on his right wrist.

"He's a fantastic player. He's one of the best players of the world," Nadal said. "It will be a fantastic test and I have to be playing my best if I want to have chances."

Berdych, the sixth-seeded Czech, needed only seven points to complete a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 win over Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the United States. The match had been suspended because of rain with Berdych leading 4-3, 15-0 in the third set Friday.

Berdych will next play 10th-seeded Mardy Fish, the last American man left in the tournament. He advanced when Robin Haase retired at 1-1 in the fourth set because of injuries. Fish was up two sets to one, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

Ninth-seeded Gael Monfils lost to 93rd-ranked Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Kubot, who won three qualifying matches to get into the main draw, is the first Pole to reach the fourth round here since Wojtek Fibak in 1981.

Xavier Malisse, a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2002, ousted 11th-seeded Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-0, to earn a fourth-round meeting with Tomic.

No. 7 David Ferrer and No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced to a fourth-round meeting after straight-set wins over Karol Beck and Fernando Gonzalez, respectively.

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