Sharapova also shocked, Federer and Djokovic win
LONDON: His will be an unfamiliar name to most tennis fans, but 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios of Australia defeated two-time champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of Wimbledon 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Tuesday.
The 144th-ranked Kyrgios, a wild-card entry, hit 37 aces and delivered a between-the-legs winner on one point.
He is the first man to get to the quarterfinals in his Wimbledon debut in 10 years.
He’s also the first player ranked outside the top 100 to beat the No. 1 man at a Grand Slam tournament since No. 193 Andrei Olhovskiy defeated Jim Courier at Wimbledon in 1992.
Nadal, who owns 14 major singles titles, has appeared in five finals at the All England Club. But he lost in the second round in 2012 and the first round in 2013 – to men ranked 100th and 135th.
In each of Nadal’s first three matches this year, he dropped the first set before coming back to win.
He again fell behind against Kyrgios, but could not turn the match all the way around this time.
Kyrgios was playing in only the fifth Grand Slam tournament of his career and was the youngest man in the Wimbledon field.
In the second round last week, Kyrgios saved nine match points while beating 13th-seeded Richard Gasquet.
Maria Sharapova’s hopes of celebrating the 10th anniversary of her Wimbledon triumph with a sequel ended in a thrilling defeat by Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the fourth round.
The Russian’s chances of recapturing her 2004 title rose at the weekend when world No. 1 Serena Williams was surprisingly beaten in the third round, but she joined the list of big-name casualties after a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 defeat on Centre Court.
The below-par fifth seed fought off six match points in a gripping final set that had hearts pounding on and off the court, but finally succumbed when she fired a backhand long.
Out-hit for most of the match, 2012 semifinalist Kerber often resembled a climber hanging on to a cliff face by the fingertips as she stretched every sinew to retrieve a barrage of power from Sharapova, but she would not let go.
“It’s unbelievable, it was such a tough match, playing on a high level and it was so close,” 26-year-old Kerber, seeded nine, said after catching her breath.
“I’m so happy, she’s a great player on grass, but I was just focusing on myself and I’m so happy to be in the quarters.”
Seven-time champion Roger Federer will take on close friend Stan Wawrinka in the quarters after both men hurried to victory just in time to watch their native Switzerland tackle mighty Argentina in the World Cup.
Federer eased into his 12th Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Tommy Robredo, a victory headlined by a perfect second set.
Australian Open champion Wawrinka, the fifth seed, made his first last-eight date at the All England Club at the 10th attempt by seeing off Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7), 6-3.
Federer will start as overwhelming favourite having a 13-2 record over his 2008 Olympic Games gold medal partner.
But Wawrinka won their last encounter on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters final in April and the two have never met on grass.
Federer allowed fellow 32-year-old Robredo 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.
“I am very happy with the way I played today. Tommy got better as the match went on,” said Federer.
“I had a great first week and now I have started the second week well. I’m in another quarterfinal and you feel as if you are closer to the finish line. I am serving well, returning well and my movement is good.
“I feel OK on court. I don’t worry about what the press or the experts might say. My game is right there as long as I don’t have any hiccups or letdowns.”
In the late match on Monday, Novak Djokovic got past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
On Tuesday Milos Raonic defeated Kei Nishikori in four sets, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
In other women’s matches, third seed Simona Halep beat Zarina Dyas 6-3, 6-0 to reach the last-eight.
Nineteenth seed Sabine Lisicki needed three sets to overcome Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
In another late Monday match, Ekaterina Makarova delivered her own upset, with the 22nd seed beating Agnieszka Radwanska, the fourth seed, 6-3, 6-0.
However, Makarova was required to play again on Tuesday in the first quarterfinal of the singles events and she lost out to Luci Safarova 6-3, 6-1. (AFP)