Querrey surprises Murray.
LONDON - The first portentous sign of trouble for Andy Murray, surprisingly enough, came right as the two-time Wimbledon champion constructed an ample lead over Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
The top-seeded Murray flicked a cross-court backhand passing shot so forcefully, placed it so perfectly, that Querrey barely got his racket on the ball, sending a volley well wide. With that, Murray was up by a set plus a break in the second. As he headed to the sideline for the changeover, though, Murray limped, bothered by a sore left hip.
As the match wore on, the hitch in Murray’s step became more pronounced, his shots less effective. And Querrey, an American seeded 24th, took full advantage, hitting 27 aces and dominating down the stretch to stun Murray, and a partisan Centre Court crowd, with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1,
6-1 victory, earning a spot in the initial Grand Slam semifinal of his career.
“I am still in a little bit of shock myself,” Querrey said.
Another quarterfinal surprise arrived later Wednesday, taking out yet another member of the sport’s Big 4 and owner of multiple Wimbledon titles: Novak Djokovic stopped playing because of a right elbow injury while trailing 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, 7-6 (2), 2-0. Djokovic’s elbow was massaged by a trainer during a medical timeout after the opening set.
Time off has paid dividends for Roger Federer, who missed the last half of 2016 to allow his surgically repaired left knee heal and then skipped the claycourt season this year. He, Djokovic, Murray and Rafael Nadal combined to win the past 14 Wimbledon titles, but only Federer remains in the field.
The 35-year-old Federer, who has won seven of his record 18 Grand Slam championships at the All England Club, is the grasscourt tournament’s oldest male semifinalist since Ken Rosewall in 1974 at age 39. Federer produced a straightforward 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Milos Raonic, the man who beat him in last year’s semifinals.
On Friday, Federer will face Berdych for a berth in the final. Querrey meets 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia, who got past 16th-seeded Gilles Muller 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 with the help of 33 aces. Muller eliminated Nadal in the fourth round.