Kerber stunned; Venus makes it to quarterfinals
Top seed Angelique Kerber was knocked out of the last-16 of Wimbledon by Garbine Muguruza on Monday, ensuring she will lose her world number one ranking. Muguruza’s 4-6 ,6-4, 6-4 victory marked the ninth consecutive time Kerber has failed to beat a top-20 opponent. She last achieved that feat in 2016 and she has now been beaten by Muguruza in five straight matches.
Romanian Simona Halep could now take the world number one crown if she reaches the semifinals at Wimbledon. Halep beat Victoria Azarenka on Monday to move into the quarters, where she will face Johanna Konta.
Should Halep fail to advance to the semis, then Czech Karolina Pliskova will take over at number one next week.
Monday’s match was always destined to be close, pitting 2016 runner-up Kerber against her 2015 equivalent and there was little to choose between the pair in what was a high quality contest on Court Two. Kerber broke to go 5-4 up in the first set when at the end of a fierce rally her Spanish opponent went wide and allowed the German to serve out, securing the set with an emphatic smash.
The second set was on-serve until, with Kerber serving at 5-4 down, the tall Muguruza, who had saved three break points in the set, broke to secure it with a fine crosscourt winner.
It was just reward for Muguruza’s attacking and positive play and was warmly appreciated by her temporary coach, Conchita Martinez, the Wimbledon champion in 1994.
The German broke in the first game and led 2-0 but both struggled to hold serve and it was soon 3-3 with two breaks each.
In an epic 10-minute game, Muguruza held for 4-3 with the crowd appreciating some hugely entertaining rallies between the determined pair. Two games later Kerber dealt with two matchpoint threats, but Muguruza grabbed the third to book her place in the last eight.
She will next face Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova after the seventh seed beat Agnieszka Radwanska
6-2, 6-4 in the last 16. Seven-time major winner Venus, who clinched the last of her Wimbledon titles in 2008, beat 19-yearold Ana Konjuh 6-3, 6-2. She plays French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko next.
Ostapenko advanced to her first Wimbledon quarter-final after converting her eighth match point to defeat Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8/6). Latvian 13th seed Ostapenko, the 2014 junior Wimbledon champion, made just her second last eight appearance at a major. The 20-year-old’s triumph in Paris last month made her only the third player born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam. Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova is into her maiden Slam quarters after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win over Croatian qualifier Petra Martic.