Hobbling Andy crashes out
LONDON. — Sam Querrey sent hobbling defending champion Andy Murray crashing out of Wimbledon Tennis Championships yesterday, reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final at the 42nd attempt. One year after knocking out 2015 champion Novak Djokovic in the third round, 29-year-old Querrey, the world number 28, won 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-1. World number one Murray’s challenge petered out when he began limping off his right leg.
LONDON. - Sam Querrey sent hobbling defending champion Andy Murray crashing out of Wimbledon Tennis Championships yesterday, reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final at the 42nd attempt.
One year after knocking out 2015 champion Novak Djokovic in the third round, 29-year-old Querrey, the world number 28, won 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-1.
World number one Murray’s challenge petered out when he began limping off his right leg, his movement severely compromised by a recent hip problem. Querrey will face former US Open champion Marin Cilic for a place in the final.
Eventually Croatian fire melted the Luxembourg ice. After Gilles Muller’s marathon upset of Rafael Nadal on Manic Monday, another five-set war proved a bridge too far against Cillic who advanced to his first Wimbledon semi-final yesterday.
It was understandable that Muller would run out of steam after his near five-hour tussle against Nadal as Cilic dominated the final set, which was an unfair reflection on the tightness of the overall contest that finished 3-6, 7-6, 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 in three and a half hours.
Both men relied upon their serves, which cancelled each other for the most part, but in terms of temperament and personality their clash made for a fascinating contrast in styles.
Muller was stone-faced, emotionally inscrutable while Cilic’s heart was practically tattooed on his sleeve.
In other men’s quarter-final matches yesterday, Roger Federer turned his 100th Wimbledon match into an exhibition as he outclassed Milos Raonic 6-4 6-2 7-6(4) to reach the semifinals for a record 12th time.
Three-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic’s painful year continued as he retired with an elbow injury during his quarter-final against Czech Tomas Berdych yesterday.
The second seed had lost the opening set and was down a break in the second when he walked to the net and shook his opponent’s hand.
The retirement, with the score at 7-6(2) 2-0, came shortly after the 30-year-old Serb called a medical timeout.
Meanwhile, Querrey was over the moon after he upset the top-seeded Murray yesterday.
“I’m still in a state of shock. I’m glad I hit that last serve in,” said Querrey who finished with 27 aces and 70 winners.
“I didn’t start the best but I just kept swinging away and found my groove in the last two sets.”
Querrey is the first American man in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick finished runner-up at Wimbledon in 2009.
“It feels great. It’s a dream come true to be in the semi-final at Wimbledon, it’s very special,” Querrey added.
There was no sign of the drama to come at the start of yesterday’s match.
Murray (30) was supreme in the first set, carving out the key break for 2-0 and taking the opener on the back of just two unforced errors.
The Scot was a break to the good at 4-3 in the second before Querrey unexpectedly reeled off three straight games to level the quarter-final, firing 16 winners, twice as many as the top seed.
Murray restored his lead after Querrey played a sloppy tie-break in the third set.
However, the champion’s afternoon on Centre Court began to unravel as his movement became increasingly limited.
Limping badly off his right leg, Murray was being run ragged and was broken three times in a 22-minute fourth set.
The fifth set followed a similar plot line, lasting 27 minutes as Murray won just one point off the American’s serve.