Roger Federer made a shock exit at the hands of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wimbledon day nine, when he looked to be cruising towards yet another semifinal.
The Fed Express was in full flow in the opening exchanges and snatched the first two sets. Federer had never lost a Grand Slam
match after being two sets up, but Tsonga roared back with frightening power to make the match one of the shortest five-set quarterfinals played at the Championships. The Muhammad Ali look-alike delivered the knockout blow to the six-time champion with just over three hours played.
If Federer is to match Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles, he will have to do it after his 30th birthday. The last time someone achieved that feat was in 1975, when 32-year-old Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors.
There were no other casualties for the 'awesome foursome'. The world's media was waiting for Rafael Nadal to sink Mardy Fish and open up a world of angling-related puns. He did just that, and reaffirmed his status as favourite for the title.
Pippa Middleton popped into Centre Court today and took her place amongst the fans, having not been an invited guest of the Royal Box.
Andy Murray coolly eased past Feliciano Lopez in straight sets. His mother's infatuation with Lopez has been well documented and Murray is doing his best to make sure she shares in the embarrassment.
Leading into the game he said: "If I win she'll shower me with praise - but if he wins she will just shower him!"
Judy Murray will be thrilled that he son faces another Spaniard, Nadal, in the semis. Watch this space because if Murray wins, Britain is going to go ballistic.
Novak Djokovic put his poodle problems behind him and survived a brief scare to put Aussie teen Bernard Tomic back in his place, winning in four sets. If he beats Tsonga on Friday, he'll overtake Rafael Nadal as the world No 1.
Kiwi Marina Erakovic might have been knocked out of the women's draw last week, but she's still going strong in the doubles with Tamarine Tanasugarn. The pair faced the American combo of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in the quarterfinals, and came from a set down to win 13-11 in the third.
Huber is somewhat of a doubles veteran at Wimbledon, and a feisty one at that. It's a good thing Erakovic avoided anything like this.
- HERALD ONLINE
Tennis: Quiet, Please! Wimbledon Day 9
Roger Federer made a shock exit at the hands of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wimbledon day nine, when he looked to be cruising towards yet another semifinal.
The Fed Express was in full flow in the opening exchanges and snatched the first two sets. Federer had never lost a Grand Slam
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