With day six at Wimbledon at a close we take a look at the winners and losers on Super Saturday.
Of course the biggest headlines of the day belong to Sam Querrey. He ousted defending champion Novak Djokovic in four sets, in the shock of the tournament.
Johnson Makes First Grand Slam Fourth Round
Leaving that match aside there were plenty of other matches taking place, despite the rain. Another good win for American tennis came from Steve Johnson. Coming into Wimbledon on the back of the ATP 250 title in Nottingham, Johnson has barely put a foot wrong. Taking on the 2014 semi finalist, Grigor Dimitrov, the American forced a first set tiebreak with the Bulgarian. Dimitrov edged the tiebreak to take the lead.
Johnson was not going to go away though as neither men gave an inch in the second set. Once again the set headed into a tiebreak, however this time the American dominated to level up the match. Johnson was brimming with confidence and set three finally saw the American break Dimitrov. Just the one break was required in the set as Johnson set American hopes soaring.
If Johnson could win one more set, he would make the fourth round of a grand slam for the very first time. The momentum was with him in set four. The Bulgarian could do nothing as Johnson threw everything at him. Dimitrov struggled and the American broke to take the win 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-2.
Andy Murray Rolls Into Round Four
With the top seed out, Andy Murray now remains the highest ranked player in the tournament. Playing the third round match against John Millman the Brit was soon in the lead having broken the Australian’s serve.
With Murray up a break in the second set, news hit Centre Court of the result from Court One. As the crowd cheered, Murray will have seen the score. He was seen telling himself to “concentrate on the win”. The Brit promptly lost his serve as the Australian levelled up the set.
The second seed was not down for long, as he broke back and then served out the second set. Murray then raced through the third, breaking Millman more or less at will. The Brit is into the fourth round and is yet to drop a set, eventually triumphing 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.
Kvitova’s Tricky Year Continues
The surprises were not reserved for the ATP side. Two time winner Petra Kvitova was dumped out of the event in straight sets. The tenth seed found herself facing Ekaterina Makarova. The Russian kept close to Kvitova and broke the Czech’s serve right at the end of the first set. Kvitova managed to force the second set to a tiebreak but it was the Russian that edged it. 7-5, 7-6 (5).
Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber had beaten her opponent the last time they met, in straight sets without the loss of a game. Today, however Carina Witthoeft is a very different player. The all German encounter was very close in the first set. Witthoeft forced a tiebreak, which her counterpart won after an epic battle.
The second set saw Kerber dominate, losing only one game to move into the fourth round. 7-6(11), 6-1.
There are still matches to be finished – and in some cases started – so for only the fourth time in the history of Wimbledon, there will be play on the middle Sunday. Several third round ATP matches need to be finished, as well as a host of WTA matches.
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