By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Kevin Anderson denied a match point dethroning defending champion Roger Federer in a four-hour thriller to reach his first Wimbledon semifinal.
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Surging through the field as smoothly as a sprinter running downhill, Roger Federer ran into a resolute 6'8" roadblock today.
A spirited Kevin Anderson fought back from a two-set deficit, denied match point in the third set and competed with defiance in the decider dethroning the defending champion 2-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11, to reach his first Wimbledon semifinal.
More: Djokovic Rolls Past Nishikori Into Semifinals
It is Federer's earliest exit at SW19 since a second-round loss to Sergiy Stakhovsky five years ago.
"I felt good actually," Federer said. "Sure, it's disappointing losing the next two sets after winning the first two and having match point. I've been there before. I know what kind of energy I need to bring to the fifth. I was able to bring that.
"To be honest, I didn't feel mental fatigue. Now I feel horribly fatigued and just awful. It's just terrible. But that's how it goes, you know. Credit to him."
The man wearing the white baseball cap tilted at an acute angle played head-turning tennis over the last three sets shocking the eight-time champion in a four-hour, 13-minute comeback thriller.
"Down two sets to love I really tried my best to just keep fighting," said Anderson, the first South African since Kevin Curren in 1983 to reach the Wimbledon final four. "I was able to scrape through the third set and the fourth set. By the end, I thought I did a great job not thinking about things too much.
"I thought I was in the flow of the match. Beating Roger Federer here at Wimbledon will be one that I will really remember especially in such a close match."
Cast on Court No. 1 for the first time since the 2015 quarterfinals, Federer was one point from a straight-sets win and his 13th Wimbledon semifinal at 5-4 in the third set.
Anderson stood tall saving match point in a 12-point hold sparking a three-game spurt to take the first set of his life against Federer.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion carried a 266-2 record when holding a two-set lead in a Grand Slam, while Anderson held an ignominious 2-20 mark when trailing two sets in a major and took the court winless against Federer in 10 prior sets.
None of that mattered much to the 2017 US Open finalist who hammered 28 aces, hit returns deep down the middle to deny the top-seeded Swiss angles, played with more poise in the final sets and even outhit Federer in crucial forehand exchanges at critical stages.
The composure Anderson exhibited playing catch-up the entire match was key to toppling the most profilic men's Wimbledon champion in the Open Era.
Empowered by self-belief, Anderson grew stronger as the match progressed.
"I just kept on fighting myself," Anderson said. "I had to keep believing. And I kept saying today was going to be my day because you really need that mind-set taking the court against someone like Roger. If you go out there with doubts or unsure of what's going to happen like I maybe did in that first set, it's not going to go your way.
"As the match went on, I just kept telling myself this is going to be my day. I just gave it my all. Obviously very ecstatic to get through that."
This was a seismic shocker with major repercussions marking the first time Federer lost a major match while holding match point since bowing to Novak Djokovic in the 2011 US Open semifinals.
"It's Roger Federer, he's the defending champion, the greatest ever so it definitely is a shock and surprise for everyone especially because he always performs on such a high level when he needs to," three-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic told ESPN's Darren Cahill after his four-set win over Kei Nishikori on Centre Court. "That's why a really amazing job by Kevin Anderson hands down. Kevin was constantly under pressure coming up with big serves and playing bold tennis."
A scrappy Anderson snapped the Swiss' streak of 85 consecutive holds when he broke in the second set and confirmed the break for a 3-0 second-set lead. Federer failed to convert a match point in the 10th game of the third set, then played a scratchy stretch missing his vaunted forehand as Anderson snapped the Swiss' 34 consecutive set streak taking the third set.
The eighth-seeded Anderson will face another towering server—either ninth-seeded John Isner or 13th-seeded Milos Raonic—for a spot in Sunday's final.
It took Federer just 26 minutes to breeze through the opening set. Untouchable on serve, the Swiss won 13 of 14 service points.
The three-time all-American at Illinois got schooled in the first set.
Applying what he learned, Anderson made educated aggression adjustments to start the second.
Swinging with more menace, Anderson cracked three deep returns earning break points in the second game.
Attacking behind a mis-hit ball, the US Open finalist drew a backhand error breaking for 2-0 and snapping Federer's streak of 85 consecutive service games held.
It was the first time Federer surrendered serve since the 2017 semifinals.
The 36-year-old Swiss broke back in the fifth game.
Down a mini-break at 0-2 in the tie break, Federer reeled off five straight points, eventually seizing his third set point on an Anderson error for a two-set lead.
The good news for Anderson: He serve with more authority, punished deep returns that sometimes pushed Federer back and pushed the champion to a tie break for the first time in 10 sets.
The bad news: Despite all that good work the 32-year-old South African was down two sets to the Grand Slam king riding a streak of 34 consecutive sets.
Streaking through a second straight love hold, Federer won 16 of 18 service points bursting to a 4-3 third-set lead.
Shuffling left, Federer buzzed a forehand down the line for match point. Anderson erased it and rambled through a 12-point hold leveling after 10 games.
That defiance sparked the break as Anderson read a second serve, pounced and torched his two-hander down the line breaking for 6-5.
Minutes after saving match point, Anderson stood tall again.
The 6'8" South African dug out of a love-40 hole denying three break points—all on second serves—including Federer netting a relatively routine forehand down the line that he will rue, to draw even at deuce.
Thumping a 133 missile down the middle, Anderson took the third set—the first set he'd ever taken from Federer—snapping a streak of 10 straight sets lost to the Swiss.
Deadlocked at 3-all in the fourth, Anderson hit a frozen rope forehand return for double break point. The big man's backhand tripped off the tape and skipped into the court. Federer tried to adjust but flattened a forehand into net as the hustling Anderson had the break and a 4-3 fourth-set lead.
Serving to force a fifth set, Anderson threw down his 17th ace for a second set point then fired a forehand down the line forcing a decider after two hours, 44 minutes.
Cleaning up his game considerably, Anderson made only five unforced errors in the third and fourth sets after tripling that total in the opening two sets. More importantly, he was beating the Grand Slam king in key forehand rallies.
For the first time since squandering a two-set lead and bowing to Milos Raonic in the 2016 semifinals Federer would go the distance.
Federer owned a 266-2 when holding a two-set lead in Grand Slams, but the master of so many Grand Slam final Sundays could lift his level against an explosive opponent swinging freely.
"Just today, when I needed it, I couldn't get it up," Federer said. "That's why it's an average performance and not a good one. So if I would have won in straight sets, then it could have been all right, you know, because I would have had a great first set, and second set was whatever it was.
"So, no, I didn't see it coming. From that standpoint, I felt great in practice, good in the warmup. I'm feeling the ball well. Even now losing, I still felt like the feeling is there."
Wife Mirka and coach Severin Lüthi stood in the support box as Federer rallied from love-30 down with a tense hold for 4-3.
Staring down break point in the eighth game, Anderson saved it with a stinging serve eventually fighting through a gritty game to level.
Wimbledon pressure can provoke jitters even in iconic champions and the combination of pressure and Anderson's rousing returns tightened tension.
"I wasn't too concerned. Even at 10-All in the fifth, it's all good," Federer said. "I still felt like all he needed to do was give me a few second serves, finally pick the right sides again, things could change. I wasn't, how do you say, horribly negative the whole game.
"It's just not one of my best days, but they don't happen very often either. It's one of those average days you have to try to win the match, and I just couldn't get it done today. So it's disappointing."
Federer overhit his first double fault of the match to face break point in the 23rd game. Falling back off a forehand, the champion netted the shot gifting the break and a 12-11 lead.
Serving for his first Wimbledon semifinal two hours after saving match point, Anderson unleashed his 28th ace. A biting body serve set up a flat forehand down the line for double match point.
More than two hours after denying match point, Anderson blasted one final big serve and thrust his arms in air completing a stirring career conquest.