Federer crashes out as Djokovic reaches 10th Wimbledon semis

Roger Federer faced serious questions over his future on Wednesday after crashing out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals, just five weeks shy of his 40th birthday.

Eight-time Wimbledon champion and 20-time Grand Slam title winner Federer lost 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 to a Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, a player 15 years his junior. It was only Federer’s 14th defeat at the tournament in 119 matches and his first straight-sets loss since an opening round exit against Mario Ancic in 2002.

It was the first time he had lost a set 6-0 at Wimbledon.

“I noticed the mis-hits, awkward looking points from Roger and obviously the last set of course, 6-0,” said former champion Boris Becker commentating on Federer’s performance.

“He would never ever say if there was a niggle, but I don’t know if we will ever see the great man again here.”

World number 18 Hurkacz had never got beyond the third round of a Grand Slam before this Wimbledon.

However, boosted by having defeated world number two Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the last 16, he was a break up on a sluggish-looking Federer in the sixth game of the opening set.

The Swiss star, who underwent two knee surgeries in 2020 and was bidding to be the oldest man in the Wimbledon last-four in over a half a century, carved out a break for 2-0 in the second set. He couldn’t hang on and Hurkacz levelled in the seventh game from 1-4 down before dominating the tiebreak.

Federer looked punch drunk and he was quickly down 0-2 in the third set before Hurkacz wrapped up the decider in just 29 minutes in front of a stunned Centre Court.

He is only the second Polish man to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon -- Jerzy Janowicz being the other in 2013.

“It’s super special to have played Roger here, it’s a dream come true,” said Hurkacz.

“He’s done so many special things here.”

World number one and five-time champion Novak Djokovic reached his 10th Wimbledon semi-final and 41st at the Grand Slams.

Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling 20th major, defeated Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

He will face Canada’s 10th seed Denis Shapovalov, who beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4, for a place in Sunday’s final.

It was 34-year-old Djokovic’s 100th career grass court victory. Djokovic became only the third man to capture all four majors more than once with his second French Open victory last month.

Now he is halfway to becoming the first man in the Open Era and only the third in history to complete a calendar Grand Slam of all four majors.

“I’m aware of certain stats, I love this sport with all my heart, body and soul and have been devoted to it since I was four,” he said.

Djokovic raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set before 29-year-old Fucsovics got on the board.

The world number 48, bidding to become the first Hungarian man since 1948 to make the semi-finals at Wimbledon, saved five set points.

However, the rearguard action was too late to prevent the champion edging ahead.

The top seed broke for the only time in the second set in the ninth game which was enough for a two sets lead.

Djokovic had spent three hours fewer than the muscular Fucsovics in getting to the last-eight and his freshness showed when he crucially broke in the first game of the third set and then fought off two break points in the sixth.

Shapovalov fired 17 aces and 59 winners past Khachanov to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.

The left-handed Canadian will be a huge underdog against Djokovic having lost all six matches against the world number one.

Sania-Bopanna go down fighting in mixed doubles: India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna went down fighting here on Wednesday as they lost their mixed doubles pre-quarterfinal match 3-6, 6-3, 9-11 to the Dutch-Slovenian pair of Andreja Klepac and Jean-Julien Rojer at the Wimbledon Championships.

The match was played over two days. The Sania-Bopanna pair had lost the first set 3-6 on Tuesday before the match was suspended. The unseeded pair, however, hit the tennis court on Wednesday with a sense of purpose and won the second set with the margin they had lost the first set.

The final set was closely fought and comprised 20 games before the Indians wilted.

The Indian pair had fired 16 aces as compared to five by their opponents. They had

Many of the mixed doubles matches are close encounters, and this proved to be no different.

There were only three breaks throughout the match. There was one break in the first set, one in the second set - which was won by Sania-Bopanna - and one in the final set. With their loss, the Indian challenge at the tournament has come to an end.

Agencies