Vintage Fedex storms into quarters
3 July 2014 5:29 AM IST
Seven-time champion Roger Federer eased into his 12th Wimbledon quarterfinal on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Tommy Robredo, a victory headlined by a perfect second set. The fourth-seeded Swiss allowed his fellow 32-year-old just three points off his serve in the first set and then none at all in the second with the 17-time Grand Slam title winner claiming 20 out of 20 points on service. In all, Robredo won just 14 points on the Federer serve as the Swiss star went level with Boris Becker in joint second place for most match wins at the tournament on 71.
It was Federer’s 11th win in 12 meetings with 23rd seed Robredo and avenged his loss to the Spaniard in the fourth round of the US Open last year. Federer finished with 11 aces and 41 winners and has still to drop a set in the tournament in marked contrast to 12 months ago when he was knocked out in the second round. Federer faces compatriot Stan Wawrinka for a place in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova suffered more Wimbledon heartache as the French Open champion crashed to a shock 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 defeat against Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the fourth round on Tuesday. Sharapova famously won Wimbledon aged 17 in 2004, but she has struggled to emulate that feat for much of the last decade and this was another dispiriting experience for the Russian as the ninth seed sealed a stunning Centre Court triumph on her seventh match point.The world number five arrived at the All England Club fresh from her second Roland Garros title, but she has now failed to make it past the last 16 in seven of her last eight appearances at Wimbledon.
Kerber, who reached the last four in 2012, will face Canadian 13th seed Eugenie Bouchard, a winner against the German in the French Open fourth round recently, on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals.
‘Every single set was so close so I’m just happy that I won against Maria. She’s a great player,’ said Kerber after her second win in six matches against the Russian. ‘I’m so happy to be in the quarters now. I had it before the match in my mind that the last few Grand Slams I lost in the fourth round. When I had the three match points in a row and it was deuce, I just tried to focus on myself and say ‘believe in your game’. At the end it worked,’ she added.
Sharapova’s exit means four of the top five seeds in the women’s draw have been eliminated following the earlier departures of Serena Williams, Li Na, Agnieszka Radwanska. Her demise also leaves Serena in 2002 as the last woman to follow victory at the French Open by winning Wimbledon. In a women’s tournament producing major shocks at every turn, this was one of the biggest, especially given Kerber went into the match with a dismal 0-8 record against top-10 opponents at the majors.
All that is history now and Kerber is determined to build on this epic triumph in her first Grand Slam quarter-final since the left-hander’s run to the last four at Wimbledon two years ago. ‘It was great match. I think the people enjoyed it out there. Right now I will focus on my next round. Against Eugenie it’s a tough match. I will play aggressive, play my game and enjoy the match and enjoy every single moment here,’ she added.
Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistan partner Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi did all they could but still failed to get past the determined pair of Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock in the rain-hit second round clash. The contest, spilling over to the second day, became lively after Bopanna and Qureshi won the fourth set to level the scores but ended up losing 7-6(3) 6-7(5) 3-6 6-4 5-7 against the Canadian-American combine.
It was Federer’s 11th win in 12 meetings with 23rd seed Robredo and avenged his loss to the Spaniard in the fourth round of the US Open last year. Federer finished with 11 aces and 41 winners and has still to drop a set in the tournament in marked contrast to 12 months ago when he was knocked out in the second round. Federer faces compatriot Stan Wawrinka for a place in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova suffered more Wimbledon heartache as the French Open champion crashed to a shock 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 defeat against Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the fourth round on Tuesday. Sharapova famously won Wimbledon aged 17 in 2004, but she has struggled to emulate that feat for much of the last decade and this was another dispiriting experience for the Russian as the ninth seed sealed a stunning Centre Court triumph on her seventh match point.The world number five arrived at the All England Club fresh from her second Roland Garros title, but she has now failed to make it past the last 16 in seven of her last eight appearances at Wimbledon.
Kerber, who reached the last four in 2012, will face Canadian 13th seed Eugenie Bouchard, a winner against the German in the French Open fourth round recently, on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals.
‘Every single set was so close so I’m just happy that I won against Maria. She’s a great player,’ said Kerber after her second win in six matches against the Russian. ‘I’m so happy to be in the quarters now. I had it before the match in my mind that the last few Grand Slams I lost in the fourth round. When I had the three match points in a row and it was deuce, I just tried to focus on myself and say ‘believe in your game’. At the end it worked,’ she added.
Sharapova’s exit means four of the top five seeds in the women’s draw have been eliminated following the earlier departures of Serena Williams, Li Na, Agnieszka Radwanska. Her demise also leaves Serena in 2002 as the last woman to follow victory at the French Open by winning Wimbledon. In a women’s tournament producing major shocks at every turn, this was one of the biggest, especially given Kerber went into the match with a dismal 0-8 record against top-10 opponents at the majors.
All that is history now and Kerber is determined to build on this epic triumph in her first Grand Slam quarter-final since the left-hander’s run to the last four at Wimbledon two years ago. ‘It was great match. I think the people enjoyed it out there. Right now I will focus on my next round. Against Eugenie it’s a tough match. I will play aggressive, play my game and enjoy the match and enjoy every single moment here,’ she added.
Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistan partner Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi did all they could but still failed to get past the determined pair of Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock in the rain-hit second round clash. The contest, spilling over to the second day, became lively after Bopanna and Qureshi won the fourth set to level the scores but ended up losing 7-6(3) 6-7(5) 3-6 6-4 5-7 against the Canadian-American combine.
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