by By Tony Banks , The Express

The woman dubbed the new Steffi Graf blasted her way into the quarter-finals with a powerserving display that yesterday blew away No9 seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4.

Lisicki, the 19-year-old who rates Graf and cyclist Lance Armstrong as her heroes, pummelled Dane Wozniacki into submission, with one of her serves reaching 121mph.

Only Serena Williams of the women at these Championships has served more aces than Lisicki's 29 - and she has now lined up a showdown with world No1 Dinara Safina.

Lisicki, who accounted for fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round while rated only 41 in the world, is making only her second appearance at Wimbledon, and said: "I know Steffi, she is a big idol of mine.

She's a really nice person - really grounded."

Lisicki also revealed her favourite reading is the biography of American cycling legend Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, who battled back from testicular cancer.

"What I love about it is his fighting spirit, " she said.

"Its an unbelievable thing to come back from cancer. He fought to get back on track. He wanted to beat the cancer and once he did that he wanted to get back because he loved his sport. It is very inspiring."

Wimbledon noise queen Viktoria Azarenka whooped her way into the last eight with a controversial and somewhat bad-tempered 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 win over Nadia Petrova.

Azarenka admitted she got wound up by Russian Petrova's constant demands for medical treatment and ice packs in the searing heat at the beginning of the day and at one point complained bitterly to a line judge. But No8 seed Azarenka said: "It was very hot and maybe she felt dizzy or something and needed some treatment. I thought she was going to retire. But she kept going so I guess she felt better.

"I'm an emotional player, I have always been like that.

Sometimes I get a little upset with a few bad calls, and there were a few. I have to keep calming myself down. It's not like sitting in the living room watching TV. You're playing in 35C, it's hot, you're playing a close match, so it's tough. The people don't often feel it."

The roof may have closed on Centre Court last night but it well and truly fell in on the 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo, who had a quarter-final spot in her grasp in the first game ever played beneath the new roof, but threw it away once again as Safina fought back to record an historic victory 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Mauresmo won the first set comfortably against the top seed but then crumbled, only to recover to lead 3-0 in the third set - and then amazingly blow it again.

The match was interrupted with Safina leading 4-1 in the second set when rain began to fall, and for the first time ever for a competitive match at Wimbledon, the long-awaited roof closure commenced.

When the duo came back, Safina closed out the set but it seemed Mauresmo, who has had a bad year with injuries, had recovered, only for a crucial break in the ninth game of the third set, when a weak forehand let her down and proved vital.

"The roof made the conditions a little different, " she said. "The ball flies a bit more. We both took a little time to adjust. For overhead shots out there it is very bright. You have to adjust quickly."

Safina, yet to lift a Grand Slam title, said: "There was an unbelievable atmosphere out there with the roof on. The break didn't affect me. I let it go to 3-0 in the third set but I was still playing well.

"I was just missing a little bit.

Luckily I could turn the match around. I put it all together and I was there in the match. I'm feeling good now - day-to-day I'm feeling better and better."

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