LONDON // Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic remain on course for a semi-final showdown after enjoying comfortable straight-sets victories in today's second-round matches.
Federer was never threatened by his Spanish opponent Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and the five-time champion restricted his Centre Court admirers to just 88 minutes of entertainment as he carved out his 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 passage.
There was a less easy ride for world No 4 Djokovic on Court One as the Serbian was frequently embarrassed by Germany's Simon Greul in the opening set before taking command and securing a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 verdict.
"I am really pleased because I had a lot of ups and downs out there," said Djokovic, a former Australian Open champion. "I made things more difficult for myself than they should have been.
Djokovic, who lost in the second round here a year ago, is playing down his chances of lasting deep into the second week.
"I don't want to put any pressure on myself," he explained. "I know how hard it is to deal with and I'm glad the people are not talking about me at the moment."
He was stretching a point, though, by suggesting that he could not be regarded as favourite to win his next match against the American Mardy Fish, the 28th seed.
Fish, who prevented Djokovic from meeting his fellow Serbian Janko Tipsarevic by winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Court Two, has reached two grass-court finals in his career and Djokovic observed: "He's a big server so it's always going to be difficult against him on a fast surface. "
The singles programme on Court One was cut disappointingly short when in the first set of the concluding match Michael Llodra, of France, collided with a ball girl and then the umpire's chair and was eventually forced to retire after two spells of treatment, conceding his match to Germany's Tommy Haas after only seven games.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
