By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
With Wimbledon upon us, let’s take a look at the highlights from the 2014 edition of The Championships with this review of the seven most memorable matches.
June 26 – Australian wild card Nick Kyrgios, ranked No. 144, saves nine match points and comes back from two sets down to defeat No. 13 seed Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 10-8 in three hours, 53 minutes in the second round of Wimbledon. Kyrgios saves 14 of the 16 break points he faces and hits 86 winners in the biggest win of his career to date. The only other male player to save as many match points in a Grand Slam singles victory was Vincent Spadea against Florent Serra in the 2004 Roland Garros first round.
June 27 – Second-seeded Li Na of China is defeated by unseeded Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová of the Czech Republic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) in the third round of Wimbledon. Not known at the time, the loss ultimately becomes the final match of Li’s career, announcing her retirement almost three months later, citing her lingering knee injuries.
June 28 – Top seed and five-time champion Serena Williams is upset in the third round of Wimbledon 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to No. 25 seed Alizé Cornet. Three days later, Williams is eliminated in the doubles competition in bizarre fashion with sister Venus Williams when she is forced to withdraw after losing three games to Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Vögele while being in a disorientated state, not able to serve, toss or pick up balls in what is described as a “viral illness.”
July 1 – In one of the most stunning upsets in Wimbledon history, No. 144-ranked Nick Kyrgios of Australia, a wild card entry into the tournament, upsets top-ranked and second-seeded Rafael Nadal 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the fourth round of Wimbledon, firing an impressive 37 aces. Kyrgios becomes the lowest ranked player to defeat the world No. 1 at a Grand Slam since 1992 when No. 193-ranked qualifier Andrei Olhovskiy upsets No. 1 Jim Courier in the third round of Wimbledon. Writes John Branch in the New York Times of the Kyrgios upset, “All limbs and panache, Kyrgios battered Nadal with big serves, boundless reach and boyish enthusiasm. Ranked 144th in the world, but rising fast, Kyrgios looked immune to the pressure. Rather than succumb to Nadal’s stonewall defense, as most opponents eventually do, he relentlessly attacked it, building strength and confidence on the way.”
July 2 – One year after becoming the first British man in 77 years to win Wimbledon, Andy Murray loses in the Wimbledon quarterfinals to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2, Dimitrov advancing into the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. Milos Raonic of Canada also advances into a Grand Slam semifinals for the first time in his career by outslugging No. 144-ranked Nick Kyrgios 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4 7-6(4), slamming 39 aces and winning at one point an outstanding 34 straight points on serve between the third and fourth sets. Raonic becomes the first last Canadian man to reach the Wimbledon semifinals since Robert Powell in 1908.
July 5 – In a 55-minute display of ferocious power tennis, Petra Kvitova easily wins her second Wimbledon singles title with a 6-3, 6-0 domination of 20-year-old upstart Genie Bouchard. Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion from the Czech Republic, slams 28 winners and constantly barrages the 20-year-old Canadian with her left-handed groundstrokes.
July 6 – Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 to win his second Wimbledon title and regain the No. 1 ranking. The title is the seventh major title for Djokovic and prevents Federer from winning a record eighth Wimbledon title. Djokovic leads two-sets-to-one and 5-2 in the fourth set, but loses five games in a row to bring the match to a fifth set.
Look for these matches on the “This Day In Tennis” mobile app available at www.TennisHistoryApp.com. One can also buy my book “On This Day In Tennis History” here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257421/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_IATIvb1RYQCFA
