On a sweltering day truly for mad dogs and Englishmen, a tennis turncoat waving a Union Jack in the midday sun took a step toward knighthood.
Greg Rusedski, branded a mercenary and defector on both sides of the Atlantic since he abandoned his native Canada for England in May, was dubbed Sir Gregory by suddenly grateful Brits when he drilled 36 aces Friday to set up a fourth-round match against Pete Sampras.No. 1 in his former country and now No. 1 in his adopted land, which has yearned for a Wimbledon men's champion since Fred Perry won his third straight title in 1936, Rusedski beat Olivier Delaitre 6-7 (8-6), 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in a feverish match in 1061/2-degree heat - the hottest day ever recorded at Wimbledon.
Rusedski's change of countries angered Canadian tennis officials who felt he had deserted them after years of support, and upset British players annoyed that he simply moved in and took over the top spot from Jeremy Bates. Chris Wilkinson, one of Britain's best players, was one of Rusedski's harshest critics, refusing to play Davis Cup with him.
But the Wimbledon crowds haven't shared that feeling, and have instead wildly embraced Rusedski as one of their own during his first three victories.
"I think the crowds won me the last few matches," said the 21-year-old Rusedski, who has lived in England for four years and has a British girlfriend. Born in Montreal, his mother is a native of England and his father is of Polish-Ukrainian descent, and Rusedski insists his move has nothing to do with the potential for much more lucrative endorsements in Britain.
Rusedski has done his best to win over the British crowds, tossing his sweaty wristbands and shirts into the stands after matches, waving the Union Jack and bouncing around in buoyant triumph to the fans' applause.
Rusedski, who had never gone past the third round in six previous Grand Slam tournaments since his first Wimbledon two years ago, faces his biggest test Monday in his first match ever against Sampras.
Sampras, the two-time defending champion, showed some vulnerability to a big server when he dropped a set Friday against Jared Palmer, but then rallied to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 with 18 aces to offset nine double-faults.
Fourth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic, a two-time Wimbledon finalist, served 22 aces in beating Arnaud Boetsch 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Ivanisevic, who has 71 aces in his first three matches, won 96 percent of the points in which he put in his huge first serve. He served at an average speed of 113 mph, with a fastest delivery of 129 mph, and had two games with four aces.
It was the hottest day of the year in London, with the Centre Court temperature at 3:30 p.m. measured at 1061/2 degrees.
On some courts, ballboys held umbrellas over players' heads during changeovers to protect them from the broiling sun. Players threw water over their faces and held ice to the back of their necks to try and stay cool. One woman in mixed doubles defaulted because of heatstroke.
Ivanisevic will next face another big-server, 14th-seeded Todd Martin, who rallied from a break down in the final set to beat fellow American Derrick Rostagno 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Martin had 21 aces in the match.
Rostagno was leading 2-0 in the fifth set but double-faulted in the third game to lose serve. After getting the decisive break to make it 5-4, Martin needed four match points to end the contest.
Following his serve to net, Martin hit a backhand half-volley that spun over the net for a drop-shot winner. Martin laughed, while Rostagno held out his arms in disbelief, then dropped his racket and applauded.
In the featured women's match, second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, playing the best grass-court tennis of her career, ended Zina Garrison Jackson's Wimbledon singles career with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph on Centre Court.
Known as a baseliner, Sanchez Vicario looked like a different player as she used an aggressive all-court game to beat Garrison Jackson with surprising ease in 64 minutes. The Spaniard attacked at every opportunity, coming to net whenever she could and volleying with remarkable skill.
Garrison Jackson, who lost in the 1990 final to Martina Navratilova, was making her 13th and final appearance at Wimbledon.
"This will always be a very special place for me," she said. "I've always done well here, and so I've always loved coming here. Even more special was winning junior Wimbledon (in 1981), so it's always had a very special place in my heart."
Defending champion Conchita Martinez continued her easy march through the early rounds, beating Shaun Stafford 6-1, 6-1 in 51 minutes. Martinez has lost only 11 games in three matches.
No. 8 Gabriela Sabatini rallied from 0-5 down in the first set to beat Nancy Feber 7-5, 6-1. Chanda Rubin, who won the longest women's match in Grand Slam history on Wednesday, lost 6-2, 6-4 to No. 9 Anke Huber.