Morrison KOs another favorite

WIMBLEDON, England -- Now appearing in the Upset Spotlight at Wild Wimbledon, where nearly anyone, it seems, can be a star for a day: Jeff Morrison.

He's ranked 98th, hadn't won a Grand Slam match until this week, and left West Virginia to pursue a career in tennis instead of the family trade -- waste water and sewage treatment.

Morrison subtracted another top-10 player from the second round Thursday, serving and volleying to near perfection in a 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (5) victory over French Open finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero.

It came 24 hours after -- though not on the same scale as -- losses by Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin to players ranked lower than 50th. For the first time, just three men seeded 1-10 reached Wimbledon's third round.

"The depth in men's tennis is great, and what happened yesterday showed that. You see guys going on big courts and beating seeded players," Morrison said. "It makes you realize you can achieve the same thing."

Seven seeded men were sidelined Thursday, including No. 10 Guillermo Canas, who blew six match points in losing 4-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5, 10-8 to Feliciano Lopez.

Putting a momentary stop to the tournament's topsy-turvy nature were No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and No. 4 Tim Henman, who stayed on course for a semifinal showdown.

Two-time women's champion Venus Williams won in straight sets, as did 2001 finalist Justine Henin and Monica Seles. But No. 5 Kim Clijsters bowed out to Elena Likhovtseva 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Williams and sister Serena paired to win a first-round doubles match in straight sets.

The 23-year-old Morrison lost in qualifying last week and got into the main draw when Tommy Haas withdrew because his parents were in a motorcycle accident.

Success on this stage can be fleeting: Mario Ancic, the protege of Goran Ivanisevic, beat No. 7 Roger Federer in the first round but lost to Jan Vacek on Thursday.