My mind wandered.” During this wandering she confessed to thinking about what she was going to have for dinner. The Wimbledon champion’s only chance of salvation clearly lay in his ability to stretch that hip but he served too poorly to do that.Four of the swelling Russian contingent are through to the last 16 of the women’s singles, but so are four Americans – the usual suspects, the Williams sisters, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport. He has won this tournament many times and he deserves everything the fans give him here. He is a great guy.”My game today was a lot to do with his game Usually I can control these kind of matches Today I couldn’t I never got a grip on the match. This is what is so worrying for me, I didn’t play like I can, which is why I am disappointed. Now I am looking forward to getting on the grass.”Kuerten dropped his first service game but after that did not permit Federer even the chance of a break point and there was a majestic inevitability about the outcome, with the Brazilian’s exquisite placement leaving Federer so unsure of himself that he once lost his footing completely.

“I am having a lot of problems in my hip, I needed the trainer to minimise the pain,” he explained. It is possible that the hip will be the deciding factor in whether Kuerten gets much further in his quest for title number four.”I was happy to finish in three sets because I was feeling a bit weak,” said the Brazilian “Finishing in three sets was my only chance Luckily, everything worked just perfect. My hip is a problem that is going to take a long time to go away It is a condition I have to face every match. If I had to face a five-set match it would be very difficult.”Though there were no physical setbacks on his part, Federer complained about a slippery court and the fast conditions, with the ball flying, but he is a gracious enough professional to have acknowledged the real reason why he is heading home today: “It is down to [Kuerten's] performance.”I was definitely not happy with my game, but I tried,” Federer added “He didn’t give me much of a chance He wasn’t missing much He deserved it. “I couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said, “especially facing a guy like Roger.” Guga needed the attention of a trainer in the second set for the pain in his hip, a lingering legacy of the operation he underwent just over two years ago.The injury forced his retirement from a tournament in Barcelona a month ago and he had not played since then. This time there was no falling flat on his back in the dust, no drawing of giant hearts in the clay with his racket handle. Bath: M Catt; A Higgins, M Tindall (O Barkley, 77), R Fleck, A Crockett; C Malone, M Wood (H Martens, 80); D Barnes, J Humphreys (capt; L Mears, 55), D Bell (M Stevens, 48), S Borthwick, D Grewcock (R Fidler, 80), A Beattie, I Feaunati, M Lipman (J Scaysbrook, 80).Wasps: M Van Gisbergen; J Lewsey, F Waters (M Denney, 79), S Abbott, T Voyce, A King, R Howley; T Payne, T Leota (B Gotting, 53), W Green, S Shaw, R Birkett, J Worsley, L Dallaglio (captain), P Volley.Referee: C White (Somerset).

Gotting has nowhere near the physical presence of Leota but at least he could find his jumpers. A few minutes later Bath replaced their hooker and captain Jonathan Humphreys – in this case because the 35-year-old was worn out.As the match entered the final quarter, Wasps found their inspiration when Volley flattened Malone as he passed. Voyce transferred the ball to Abbott and the centre made it to the left-hand corner Game, set and the match. As Tom Voyce began to find some space in what had been a claustrophobic arena, Catt and Andrew Higgins collided as they attempted to tackle the wing.