Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came from two sets down to send Roger Federer packing from Centre Court in their Wimbledon quarter-final.
Swiss blows two-set lead for first time in grand slam career
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came from two sets down to send Roger Federer packing from Centre Court in their Wimbledon quarter-final.
The Frenchman looked to be heading for a swift exit as Federer, chasing an eighth semi-final appearance in the last nine years at SW19, opened a 6-3 7-6 lead in little over an hour.
But Tsonga, the 12th seed, launched his comeback by taking the third set 6-4 courtesy of a solitary break.
And he added the next two, both 6-4 in exactly the same fashion, to complete the turnaround in three hours and eight minutes and book a semi-final date against second seed Novak Djokovic.
"It was amazing today. I played unbelievable,'' Tsonga said. "To come from two sets down - that's crazy.
"He is the biggest champion in my sport. He's achieved lots of things and he's the best player in the world.
"I'm just so happy to win against him especially on grass because it's maybe his favourite surface.
"Now I'm here in the semi-finals and I just can't believe it.''
Different
It had all looked so different when six-time champion Federer, needing one more Wimbledon title to draw level with Pete Sampras' record, started superbly, breaking Tsonga's serve twice in taking the opening set.
The second was a tighter affair and Tsonga made Federer serve to stay in the set at 5-4. The Swiss went to 30-0 with possibly the point of the championships so far, ending with Federer swiping the ball into an empty court after some remarkable survival tennis from his opponent.
A tie-break was required, and it was soon 6-1 to Federer, after an ace. Tsonga saved the first set point with a booming forehand and the next with a neat stop volley, but not the third.
Federer, in his 29th consecutive grand slam quarter-final, toyed with 12th seed Tsonga in the opening game of the third set, clinching it to love with a made-to-measure drop shot.
But then came the Tsonga comeback.
A backhand fizzed off Tsonga's racquet and across court to help him advance to 15-40 on Federer's serve at 1-1.
Two fiery serves brought Federer back to deuce. The first was challenged by Tsonga, to the crowd's amusement as replays showed the ball was neither long nor wide. Yet the next challenge came from Federer on break point and this time the verdict favoured Tsonga, whose crisp passing shot had flicked the line.
After beating Rafael Nadal at Queen's, where he pushed Andy Murray hard in the final, there was no doubt Tsonga's game was in fine order.
At 5-4, the man from across the Channel served for the third set. He hooked a forehand wide to the left, speared another too far right, but nevertheless came from 0-30 down to take the game on his fourth set point.
A love service game at the start of the fourth set should have allowed Federer to settle down.
But Tsonga responded in kind and then engineered three break points.
Some of the heaviest hitting imaginable pummelled Federer out of the third of those. Again, Tsonga had the early break.
A cry from the crowd of "Come on Federer" sounded despairing. Serene in the early stages, as the fourth set neared its denouement suddenly the great champion was anything but.
There was no way through on the Tsonga serve and back-to-back aces gave Tsonga the fourth set.
Another Tsonga break of the Federer serve came right at the outset in the decider.
The upset which seemed unfeasible after the second set had become a probability.
Serving superbly and not allowing Federer a break point in the set - as had been the case in the second, third and fourth sets - Tsonga reached 5-4, serving for the match, and never looked like wobbling.
Dance
Federer chipped a backhand over the baseline, Tsonga held to love, and duly treated the crowd to his famous victory dance, lapping up their standing ovation.
With a day to recover, Tsonga promised he would be ready for Friday's clash with Djokovic.
"I will recover. I have time. I play on Friday. It's going to be enough (time),'' he said.
"It's going to be a difficult match but I have my chance. I will try to come on court like today and try to win.''
