Federer falls to Poland's Hurkacz in Wimbledon quarters

Roger Federer, who will turn 40 on Aug. 8, said he doesn't know if he'll return
to Wimbledon next year. 2017 photo by Mal Taam 

   Roger Federer might have played his last match at Wimbledon.

   The No. 6 seed and eight-time champion lost to No. 14 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-0 today in the quarterfinals. 

   Federer made his only Northern California appearance in a 2018 exhibition in San Jose. He underwent two operations on his right knee last year and had played only eight matches this season before Wimbledon. He said he doesn't know if he'll return to Wimbledon next year. 

   "I need to take a few days," Federer, who will turn 40 on Aug. 8, told reporters. "We'll take some time tonight, see how I feel, and then we'll see what I can do to get in better shape and be more competitive.

   "I'm happy I made it as far as I did here. Of course I'd like to play again, but at my age, you're never sure what's around the corner."

   Hurkacz, 24, had never advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament before this fortnight. He is scheduled to face No. 7 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy on Friday in a matchup of 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) players, ensuring a first-time major finalist. 

   Berrettini, 25, eliminated No. 16 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 20-year-old Canadian, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 to reach his second major semifinal. Berrettini lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the last four of the 2019 U.S. Open.

   Hurkacz and Berrettini have split two career matches, both on hardcourts.

   Nadal, 35, chose not to play at Wimbledon or in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, citing the need to recover after a demanding clay-court season.

   In Friday's other semifinal, top-ranked Novak Djokovic is set to play No. 10 seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada. 

   Djokovic dismantled unseeded Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Shapovalov, a 22-year-old left-hander, topped No. 25 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 to reach his first major semifinal.

   Djokovic is 6-0 against Shapovalov. They will meet on grass for the first time.

   Shapovalov lost in the first round of the 2016 Fairfield (Calif.) Challenger at 17 years old.

   In the men's doubles quarterfinals, No. 6 seeds Rajeev Ram, a 37-year-old volunteer assistant coach at the University of California, Berkeley from Carmel, Ind., and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain defeated No. 3 seeds and defending champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Colombia 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (2).

   Simone Bolelli of Italy and Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina beat No. 14 seeds Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Ben McLachlan (Cal, 2011-14) of Japan 7-6 (0), 6-4, 6-3.

   No. 4 seeds Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina dispatched unseeded Andre Goransson (Cal, 2014-17) of Sweden and Casper Ruud of Norway 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Granollers reached the singles final of the 2018 Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger. Goransson, 27, played in his first Grand Slam tournament. 

   Meanwhile, No. 5 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan advanced to the women's doubles semifinals with a 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory over No. 16 seeds Marie Bouzkova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Shibahara, a 23-year-old native of Mountain View in the San Francisco Bay Area, is making her Wimbledon debut this year.

   In the third round of mixed doubles, No. 7 seeds Neal Skupski of Great Britain and Desirae Krawczyk, a native of Palm Desert, Calif., eliminated alternates Arthur Fery, who recently completed his freshman year at Stanford, and Tara Moore of Great Britain 7-6 (5), 6-3. 

   No. 9 seeds Kevin Krawietz of Germany and Kveta Peschke, a Czech who will turn 46 on Friday, defeated No. 5 seeds Ram and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix by walkover. Peschke has won both women's doubles titles in the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif. — with Latisha Chan of Chinese Taipei in 2018 and Nicole Melichar, a Czech-born American, in 2019. 

   In junior matches:

   —Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay outlasted Ethan Quinn of Fresno, Calif., 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 in the first round.

   —No. 6 seeds Bruno Kuzuhara of Coconut Creek, Fla., and Quinn beat wild cards Billy Blaydes and William Jansen of Great Britain 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round.

   —Clervie Ngounoue, 14, of Washington, D.C., and Alexandra Yepifanova, an incoming Stanford freshman from Lake Worth, Fla., edged Nikola Bartunkova, 15, and Barbora Palicova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6 [15-13] in a clash of unseeded teams.

Serena, Federer say au revoir to 2021 French Open

SERENA WILLIAMS
File photo by Paul Bauman

   Serena Williams and Roger Federer, who have combined for 43 Grand Slam singles titles, exited the French Open today.

   No. 21 seed Elena Rybakina, a hard-hitting 21-year-old Moscow native who represents Kazakhstan, eliminated the erratic Williams, seeded seventh, 6-3, 7-5 in Paris to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

   Williams failed to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles crowns for the 12th time and has not reached a final in her last seven Grand Slam tournaments.

   The eighth-seeded Federer, who won Roland Garros in 2009, was scheduled to play ninth-seeded Matteo Berrettini of Italy on Monday.

   "After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation, it's important that I listen to my body and make sure I don't push myself too quickly on my road to recovery," Federer tweeted. "I am thrilled to have gotten three matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court."

ROGER FEDERER
File photo by Paul Bauman

   Federer and Williams will turn 40 in August and September, respectively. It's uncertain whether either will return to the French Open next year.

   "I'm definitely not thinking about it at all," the three-time champion of the French Open and Bank of the West Classic at Stanford told reporters. "I'm definitely thinking just about other things but not about that."

   Rybakina's victory assures a first-time Grand Slam semifinalist. In the bottom half of the draw, Rybakina will face No. 31 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, and No. 33 seed Paula Badosa, a New York native who plays for Spain, will meet unseeded Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia. 

   Pavlyuchenkova, who played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2006 at age 15, also reached the French Open quarterfinals 10 years ago at 19. 

   The quarters in the top half of the draw, featuring defending champion Iga Swiatek and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, will be determined Monday.

   In the first round of boys singles:

   —Aidan Mayo of Roseville, Calif., in the Sacramento area defeated Matthew William Donald of the Czech Republic 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2.

   —No. 16 seed Viacheslav Bielinskyi of Ukraine beat Ethan Quinn of Fresno, Calif., 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

   WTA Tour —Kristie Ahn, a 28-year-old Stanford graduate, topped British wild card Jodie Burrage 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 on grass in the first round of the Viking Open Nottingham. Ahn had been 0-5, including three ITF (minor-league) matches, since March.

   Lucky loser Marina Melnikova of Russia edged qualifier Katie Volynets, 19, of Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (6).

Osaka withdraws; Andreescu ousted in marathon

Naomi Osaka said she "never wanted to be a distrac-
tion." 2018 photo by Mal Taam

   No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan withdrew from the French Open today in the wake of her announcement last week that she would skip her mandatory post-match news conferences.

   "I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris," Osaka said on social media. "I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and message could have been clearer."

   Osaka, who has won four Grand Slam singles titles but never advanced past the third round of the French Open, added that she will "take some time away from the court."

   Meanwhile, Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia outlasted No. 6 seed Bianca Andreescu of Canada, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (2), 9-7 in 3 hours, 20 minutes. Andreescu was two points from victory serving at 5-4 in the third set, 

   Zidansek, 23, recorded her first main-draw victory at Roland Garros and first top-10 win. Andreescu, who missed last year because of a knee injury and the five-month tour shutdown, has not advanced past the second round of a major since winning the 2019 U.S. Open at 19.

   Also falling were former French Open champions Garbine Muguruza, seeded 12th, and Jelena Ostapenko. 

   Eighth-seeded Roger Federer, who will turn 40 on Aug. 8, dismissed Denis Istomin, a 34-year-old qualifier from Uzbekistan, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. 

   Federer, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee twice last year, played in his first Grand Slam tournament since the Australian Open in January 2020 and his second match on clay in two years. Istomin shocked Novak Djokovic in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open. 

   Both Federer and Istomin have played at the SAP Center in San Jose. Federer defeated Jack Sock in a 2018 exhibition, and Istomin lost to Milos Raonic in the final of the 2012 SAP Open.

   Federer is scheduled to meet Marin Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion and a two-time Grand Slam runner-up, on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Croat eliminated wild card Arthur Rinderknech of France 7-6 (6), 6-1. 

   Federer is 9-1 against Cilic. They will meet for the first time since Federer won in five sets in the 2018 Australian Open final for his 20th Grand Slam singles title, a record he shares with Rafael Nadal, and second time on clay. Federer triumphed 6-4, 6-3 in the third round in Monte Carlo 10 years ago.

   In another matchup of players in their 30s, No. 31 seed John Isner, 36, beat Davis Cup teammate Sam Querrey, a 33-year-old San Francisco native, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4.

   The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) Isner hammered 22 aces to the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Querrey's nine and improved to 4-5 in the head-to-head series.

   Querrey fell to 0-4 since early February. The 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist has won one match in the French Open in the last seven years.

   Isner and Querrey reached their career-high rankings of No. 8 and 11, respectively, in 2018. 

Federer has knee surgery again, plans to return in 2021

Roger Federer slugs a forehand during his 2018 exhibition in San Jose, Calif,
Photo by Mal Taam

   Remember when Roger Federer avoided injuries and there was a men's pro tour?
   Both seem like distant memories.
   The injuries are mounting for Federer. He recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery for the second time this year and third time in four years. Federer also suffered a groin injury in his epic victory over Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January.
   Yet Federer, who will turn 39 on Aug. 8, has no plans to retire. He said he will return in 2021.
   "A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure on my right knee," Federer, whose only Northern California appearance came in a 2018 exhibition in San Jose, tweeted today. "Now, much like I did leading up to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100% ready to play at my highest level.
   "I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly, but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season."
   Federer suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in February 2016 while running a bath for his twin daughters. He also had surgery on his right knee this past February and had planned to return for the grass-court season before the tour was suspended indefinitely in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
   In Federer's only tournament of the year, he saved seven match points against Sandgren in the Australian Open before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3.
   At Wimbledon last year, Federer held two championship points before falling to Djokovic 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3). It was the longest Wimbledon final ever, lasting 4 hours, 57 minutes.
   Federer has won a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, one ahead of Rafael Nadal and three in front of third-place Djokovic.
   However, the men's and women's pro tours have been suspended until at least July 31 and July 12, respectively.
   The U.S. Open remains scheduled for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, and the French Open was postponed from May 24-June 7 to Sept. 20-Oct. 4.
   Wimbledon, which had been scheduled for June 29 to July 12, was canceled for the first time in 75 years on April 1. The Summer Olympics in Tokyo were pushed back from July 24-Aug. 9 to July 23-Aug. 8, 2021.
   Federer tops Forbes' annual list of highest-earning athletes, the magazine announced last month.  With $100 million in endorsements and $6.3 million in prize money, Federer became the first tennis player to head the list since it debuted in 1990.
   Trailing Federer in the top five are soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo ($105 million total), Lionel Messi ($104 million) and Neymar ($95.5 million) and basketball star LeBron James ($88.2 million).
   Federer is one of five tennis players in the top 100. The others are No. 23 Novak Djokovic ($44.6 million), No. 27 Rafael Nadal ($40 million), No. 29 Naomi Osaka (the highest-earning female athlete at $37.4 million), No. 33 Serena Williams ($36 million) and No. 40 Kei Nishikori ($32.1 million).

Wimbledon canceled for first time in 75 years

Roger Federer tweeted "Devastated" after Wimbledon, which he has won eight
times, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. 2017 photo by Mal Taam

   Tennis suffered its biggest blow of the coronavirus pandemic when Wimbledon was canceled today.
   It's the first time the tournament has been canceled in 75 years and the first time Wimbledon will not be played during peacetime since it began in 1877. 
   "Devastated," tweeted eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, who on Monday posted a video of himself hitting trick shots against a backboard in the snow after having arthroscopic knee surgery on Feb. 19.
   Wimbledon had been scheduled for June 29 to July 12. Next year's tournament is set for July 28 to July 11. Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics also announced Monday that the games, scheduled for July 24 to Aug. 9, would be pushed back to the same time slot in 2021.

Simona Halep, shown at Indian Wells in 2015, will
have an extra year to defend her Wimbledon title.
Photo by Mal Taam

   "So sad to hear @Wimbledon won't take place this year," women's defending champion Simona Halep tweeted. "Last year's final will forever be one of the happiest days of my life! But we are going through something bigger than tennis and Wimbledon will be back! And it means I have even longer to look forward to defending my title."
   The ATP and WTA also jointly announced that all events have been canceled through July 13, wiping out the grass-court season. The International Tennis Federation made the same decision.
   All England Club officials declined to postpone the tournament because staff, supplies and services would be unavailable and the condition of the grass would be inadequate. The club also ruled out playing the tournament without spectators.
   The All England Club is insured against cancellation, sources told ESPN. Wimbledon had been canceled only because of World War I (1915-18) and World War II (1940-45).
   The U.S. Open remains scheduled for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13. However, ESPN tennis commentator Patrick McEnroe, interviewed on the network today, estimated the chances of that happening at less than 50 percent.
   McEnroe, a 53-year-old Stanford graduate and resident of Bronxville, N.Y., in the New York area, announced Tuesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus but feels fine.
   Organizers of the French Open announced on March 17 the postponement of the tournament from May 24-June 7 to Sept. 20-Oct. 4. The unilateral move angered many players, including Vasek Pospisil of Canada.
   "This is madness," tweeted Pospisil, a member of the ATP Player Council. "Major announcement by Roland Garros changing the dates to one week after the U.S. Open. No communication with the players or the ATP .. we have ZERO say in this sport. It's time. #UniteThePlayers"

Federer has knee surgery, eyes grass-court return

Roger Federer plays in a 2018 exhibition in San Jose, Calif. Photo by Mal Taam

   Roger Federer will sit out until the grass-court season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Wednesday in Switzerland.
   "After the procedure, the doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery," the 38-year-old Federer, whose only Northern California appearance came in a 2018 exhibition in San Jose, tweeted today. "As a result, I will unfortunately have to miss Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota, Miami and the French Open. ... See you on the grass!"
   In Federer's only tournament of the year, he saved seven match points against Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
   At Wimbledon last year, Federer held two championship points before falling to Djokovic 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3). It was the longest Wimbledon final ever, lasting 4 hours, 57 minutes.
   Federer has won a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, one ahead of Rafael Nadal and three ahead of third-place Djokovic.

Djokovic beats ailing Federer to reach Aussie Open final

   Roger Federer was coming off a physically and emotionally draining victory in which he suffered a groin injury.
   The weather was hot and muggy.
   And he was facing a rival who's six years younger.
   So second-seeded Novak Djokovic's 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3 victory in the Australian Open semifinals in Melbourne early Thursday (California time) was hardly shocking. The only surprise was that the third-seeded Federer had three break points to lead 5-1 in the first set.
   "Today was horrible, to go through what I did," Federer, whose only Northern California appearance came in a San Jose exhibition in 2018, told reporters. "Nice entrance. Nice send-off. And in between, it's one to forget, because you know you have a 3% chance to win. Once you see it coming, that it's not going to work anymore, it's tough."
   Federer, 38, saved seven match points in a 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-3 win over American Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals.
   Federer has never handed an opponent a walkover in more than 400 Grand Slam matches or retired from any of his more than 1,500 tour-level matches.
   "I just want to say, respect to Roger for coming out tonight," Djokovic said. "He was obviously hurt. Wasn't at his best."
   Djokovic, who won his seventh Australian Open singles title last year, improved to 27-23 against Federer, a six-time Australian Open singles champion.
   Djokovic will face the winner of today's match between fifth-seeded Dominic Thiem and seventh-seeded Alexander Zverev (12:30 a.m., ESPN). Djokovic is 6-4 (3-1 on hardcourts) against Thiem and 3-2 (2-1 on hardcourts) against Zverev.

Federer saves seven match points, tops Sandgren

Roger Federer said he was "incredibly lucky" to defeat Tennys Sandgren tonight
in the Australian Open quarterfinals. 2017 photo by Mal Taam

   Third-seeded Roger Federer saved seven match points tonight in a 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8), 6-3 victory over unseeded American Tennys Sandgren, the runner-up in the 2017 Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger, in the Australian Open quarterfinals in Melbourne.

   Federer, 38, escaped three match points while serving at 4-5 in the fourth set and four in the tiebreaker.

Tennys Sandgren almost became the lowest-ranked American
to reach the Australian Open semifinals since Patrick McEnroe
in 1991. File photo by Paul Bauman

   "I was incredibly lucky today," Federer, whose only Northern California appearance came in a 2018 San Jose exhibition, said in an on-court interview. " ... I don't deserve this one, but I'm standing here and obviously very, very happy."
   Federer took an 8 1/2-minute medical timeout off the court for a groin problem at 0-3 (one service break) in the second set.

   Sandgren, an Australian Open quarterfinalist in 2018, out-aced Federer 27-5, the biggest discrepancy of the Swiss star's career.
   The 28-year-old Sandgren, at No. 100, almost became the lowest-ranked man to reach the Australian Open semifinals since No. 114 Patrick McEnroe in 1991 and the first American to advance to the final four in Melbourne since Andy Roddick in 2009.

   Federer is set to play second-seeded Novak Djokovic, the defending and seven-time champion. Djokovic eliminated 32nd-seeded Milos Raonic, an Australian Open semifinalist in 2016, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (1).
   Djokovic, 32, is 26-23 against Federer. Djokovic has won four of the past five meetings, including his epic victory in last year's Wimbledon final. Djokovic saved two championship points in the 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3) win. At 4 hours, 57 minutes, it's the longest Wimbledon final ever.

Dimitrov shocks Federer in U.S. Open quarterfinals

Grigor Dimitrov beat Roger Federer for the first
time in eight matches. File photo by Paul Bauman

   For the second consecutive year, Roger Federer wilted before the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

   Last year, it was against 55th-ranked John Millman in extreme humidity in the fourth round.

   On Tuesday night, it was against 78th-ranked Grigor Dimitrov, who had been 0-7 against the Swiss star, in the quarterfinals.

   Dimitrov, ranked a career-high No. 3 as recently as November 2017, beat the third-seeded Federer 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

   "Grigor was able to put me away," Federer, who was seeking a record-breaking sixth U.S. Open singles title, told reporters. "I fought with what I had."

   Federer, 38, took a rare medical timeout after the fourth set for pain in his upper back and neck. He put up little resistance in the fifth set and finished with 60 unforced errors to Dimitrov's 41.

   "He started slowing down a little bit," the 28-year-old Dimitrov, who's known as "Baby Fed" because of his one-handed backhand and artistry on the court, said in an on-court interview. "For sure, in the end, he was not 100 percent of himself."

   Dimitrov, who had lost six of his last seven matches entering the U.S. Open, will jump to at least No. 25 on Monday. In his third Grand Slam singles semifinal, he is scheduled to meet fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Friday. The 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Medvedev, 23, beat 23rd-seeded Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

   In Medvedev's last three tournaments before the U.S. Open, he reached the finals in Washington, D.C., and Montreal and won his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. 

   Wawrinka won his third and last Grand Slam singles in the 2016 U.S. Open but underwent two knee operations in 2017. 

   Medvedev and Dimitrov have split two career meetings, both in 2017.

   In the women's quarterfinals, eighth seed and six-time champion Serena Williams demolished 18th-seeded Wang Qiang of China 6-1, 6-0 in 44 minutes. That tied Simona Halep's third-round victory over Viktoria Kuzmova in Madrid for the shortest WTA match of the year, wtatennis.com reported.

   Williams, a 37-year-old part-time resident of Silicon Valley, is set to play fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine on Thursday. 

   Svitolina, who reached the San Jose quarterfinals as the top seed this summer, eliminated 16th-seeded Johanna Konta, the champion of the 2016 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, 6-4, 6-4.
   Williams is 4-1 against the 24-year-old Svitolina, but they have not met since 2016.

   In junior singles:

   –Aidan Mayo, a 16-year-old product of Roseville in the Sacramento area, defeated Juan Bautista Torres of Argentina 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the second round.

   –Fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China dominated Allura Zamarripa of Saint Helena in the Napa region 6-0, 6-2 in the second round.

   –Katie Volynets, 17, of Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area, outplayed Carole Monnet of France 6-1, 6-3 in the first round.

   In the first round of junior doubles:

   –Sixth-seeded Pablo Llamas Ruiz of Spain and Gauthier Onclin of Belgium beat Cash Hanzlik of Portland, Ore., and Mayo 6-2, 6-2.

   –Nicolas Alvarez Varona of Spain and Bautista Torres defeated Hugo Hashimoto of San Jose and Benjamin Kittay of Potomac, Md., 7-5, 7-5.

   –Top-seeded Alexa Noel of Summit, N.J., and Diane Parry of France beat India Houghton of Belvedere Tiburon in the San Francisco Bay Area and Carol Young Suh Lee of Northern Mariana Islands 6-1, 6-4.

   –Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei and Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand topped identical twins Allura and Maribella Zamarripa 7-5, 5-7 [10-2].

Djokovic tops Federer in epic Wimbledon final

Novak Djokovic poses with the trophy and Serbian flag after winning
the 2015 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer made Wimbledon and Grand Slam history today in an epic final.
   In the end, Djokovic was too tough mentally.
   Saving two championship points and winning all three tiebreakers, Djokovic prevailed 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3) in 4 hours, 57 minutes for his second consecutive Wimbledon crown.
   It was the longest Wimbledon final ever, breaking the mark of 4:48 in Rafael Nadal's 2008 triumph over Federer, and the first in tennis history with a fifth-set tiebreaker.
   Wimbledon instituted a tiebreaker at 12-12 in the fifth set in October to prevent marathons such as 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Kevin Anderson's 2018 semifinal victory over 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) John Isner – which lasted 6 hours, 36 minutes and went to 26-24 in the fifth – and Isner's 2010 second-round win over Nicolas Mahut – which spanned 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days and went to 70-68 in the fifth.
   The other Grand Slam tournaments have had various fifth-set tiebreakers for years but have never needed them in a men's final. The Davis Cup uses tiebreakers in every set except the fifth.
   "I'm just obviously thrilled and overjoyed with emotions to be sitting here in front of you as a winner," Djokovic, the first man since 1948 to save championship points and go on to win, told reporters. "It was one shot away from losing the match, as well. This match had everything. It could have gone easily his way. He was serving extremely well, I thought, the entire match."
   The fifth set lasted 1 hour, 22 minutes. The second-seeded Federer broke serve to lead 8-7 on a cross-court passing shot after the top-seeded Djokovic, who has perhaps the best return of serve in history, made a backhand stab return of a strong first serve.

Roger Federer, volleying in Indian Wells in 2017,
held two championship points today. Photo by
Mal Taam

   Federer earned two championships points serving at 40-15 in the next game, but Djokovic won the next four points to break serve for 8-8. On the first championship point, Djokovic hit a deep return of a second serve, and Federer sailed a forehand wide. On the second one, Djokovic returned a first serve and won the point with a forehand cross-court passing shot.
   Djokovic escaped two break points to hold serve for 12-11, and Federer held at love.
   Djokovic led 4-1 in the decisive tiebreaker, then both players held serve to give Djokovic his first championship point at 6-3. Federer uncharacteristically mis-hit a forehand, finally ending the dramatic match.
   The crowd strongly favored Federer.
   "I like to (transmute) it in a way," Djokovic said. "When the crowd is chanting 'Roger,' I hear 'Novak.' It sounds silly, but it is like that. I try to convince myself that it's like that."
   This was the first five-set Wimbledon final since Djokovic beat Federer 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 in 2014 in 3 hours, 56 minutes.
   After going eight tournaments without a Grand Slam singles title, the 32-year-old Djokovic has won four of the last five. He has 16 overall, four short of Federer's record and two shy of Nadal's total.
   Federer, who will turn 38 on Aug. 8, said he's not concerned about Nadal and Djokovic possibly passing him.
   "I take motivation from different places. Not so much from trying to stay ahead because I broke the record, and if somebody else does, well, that's great for them. You can't protect everything anyway," said Federer, who made his Northern California debut in a San Jose exhibition last year.
   "I didn't become a tennis player for that. It's about trying to win Wimbledon, trying to have good runs here, playing in front of such an amazing crowd in this Centre Court against players like Novak and so forth. That's what I play for."
   Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have won the past 11 Grand Slam titles. The last player other than them to triumph was Federer's Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the 2016 U.S. Open.
   Djokovic improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 against Federer in Wimbledon finals. The loss came against Andy Murray in 2013, ending a 77-year drought by British men at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon crowns.
   Djokovic is now 26-22 against Federer with four consecutive victories and nine wins in their past 11 meetings.
   Federer was bidding to become the oldest Grand Slam men's champion in the Open era, which began in 1968. Ken Rosewall was 37 years, 2 months old when he won the 1972 Australian Open.
   This might have been Federer's last realistic chance to add to his Grand Slam total. He wilted in the extreme heat and humidity in the fourth round of last year's U.S. Open, the heat during the Australian Open can be brutal, his only French Open crown came 10 years ago, and he'll be almost 39 at Wimbledon next year.
   Djokovic, meanwhile, figures to win many more Slams.

Federer tops Nadal, will face Djokovic for crown

Roger Federer, practicing at Indian Wells in March, continued to defy the aging
process with his four-set victory over Rafael Nadal in today's Wimbledon semi-
finals. Photo by Harjanto Sumali 

   The first thing Roger Federer said after his victory today was "I'm exhausted."
   So maybe the guy is mortal after all.
   Continuing to defy the aging process, Federer subdued Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 3 hours, 2 minutes in the Wimbledon semifinals.
   Federer, who will turn 38 on Aug. 8, converted his fifth match point in his first meeting with Nadal on grass since the Spaniard's 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 victory in the 2008 Wimbledon final that some consider the greatest match ever.
   Inevitably, this one fell short of that standard, but it did feature some epic rallies, especially on two of the match points against Nadal, 33.
   "I'm exhausted," Federer, seeded second, told the BBC afterward. "It was tough at the end. Rafa played some unbelievable shots to stay in the match.
   "I thought the match was played at a very high level, and I enjoyed it. The crowd was amazing. The battles with Rafa are always very special, so it was nice."
   Nadal, who also won the 2010 Wimbledon title, has not reached the final at the All England Lawn Tennis Club since 2011.
  "I had my chances," Nadal, seeded third, told reporters. "He played little bit better than me, I think. Probably I didn't play as good as I did in the previous rounds, and he played well. So he deserve it. Congrats to him."
   Federer, who made his Northern California debut last year in a San Jose exhibition, improved to 16-24 against Nadal with six victories in their last seven matches.
   Federer, who has won a record eight Wimbledon singles titles, will face another archrival, top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic, in Sunday's final (6 a.m. PDT on ESPN). Djokovic, a four-time Wimbledon champ, beat 23rd-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
   Federer has won a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, and Djokovic, 32, ranks third with 15. After Sunday, the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic will have won the past 11 majors. The last player other than them to prevail was Stan Wawrinka in the 2016 U.S. Open.
   Djokovic is 25-22 against Federer with three consecutive victories and eight wins in their last 10 matches. This will be their third Wimbledon final. Djokovic won 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 in 3 hours, 56 minutes in 2014 and 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours, 56 minutes in 2015.
   In today's women's doubles semifinals, third-seeded Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic beat top-seeded Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France 7-6 (5), 6-4.
   Hsieh and Strycova will play fourth-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Yifan Xu of China. Dabrowski and Xu topped second seeds and defending champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

Roger, Rafa to meet 11 years after Wimbledon epic

Roger Federer, left, and Rafael Nadal shake hands after Federer's 6-2, 6-3
victory in the fourth round of the 2017 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Photo by Mal Taam

   Some consider it the greatest tennis match ever.
   In the 2008 Wimbledon final, Rafael Nadal subdued Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8), 9-7 in 4 hours, 48 minutes. The epic was immortalized in the 2018 documentary "Strokes of Genius."
   Federer and Nadal – who rank first and second with 20 and 18 Grand Slam singles titles, respectively – will meet on grass for the first time since then in Friday's second Wimbledon semifinal. That will follow the 5 a.m. PDT matchup between Novak Djokovic, who ranks third with 15 major singles crowns, and Roberto Bautista Agut. ESPN will televise both matches live.
   Nadal, 33, is 24-15 against Federer, 37. The Swiss maestro has a 2-1 edge on grass, having beaten Spanish star in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals.
   Federer, who made his Northern California debut in a San Jose exhibition last year, has won a record eight singles titles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club and Nadal two.
   "He has improved so much over the years on this surface," the second-seeded Federer, who topped eighth-seeded Kei Nishikori 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, told reporters. "He's playing also very different than he used to. Haven't played each other in a long, long time on this surface. He's serving way different. I remember back in the day how he used to serve, and now how much bigger he's serving, how much faster he finishes points.
   "A lot of (people were) saying, 'Oh, it's the end,' by 2008. Similar to me in '09. We're still here, so it's nice to play each other again."
   Nadal, seeded third, beat unseeded Sam Querrey, a 31-year-old San Francisco native, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semifinals for the second consecutive year. Querrey, 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters), had 22 aces and only three double faults.
   "It's a great feeling to be back in the semifinals, be able to play at this level," Nadal said. " ... (I'm) very happy the way that we managed to be in that round. Now to play against Roger always is a unique situation. Excited to be back on this court against him after 11 years. Means a lot for me and probably for him, too."
   Djokovic, the top seed and defending champion, needed only 1 hour, 57 minutes to dispatch 21st-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 6-2 6-0, 6-2.
   Bautista Agut, a Spanish veteran seeded 23rd, eliminated 26th-seeded Guido Pella, a left-hander from Argentina, 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal. Bautista Agut missed Wimbledon last year with groin and abdomen injuries.
   Djokovic is 7-3 against Bautista Agut, who has won the last two encounters, this year on hard courts in three sets in Doha and Miami. The players have never met on grass.
   In the third round of mixed doubles, top-seeded Bruno Soares of Brazil and Nicole Melichar of Stuart, Fla., beat unseeded Andy Murray and Serena Williams, a part-time Silicon Valley resident, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
   Murray was playing in his third tournament, all in doubles, since undergoing hip surgery in January. He won the first of his 45 tour-level singles titles – 14th in the Open Era and fourth among active players behind Federer, Nadal and Djokovic – at 18 in the 2006 SAP Open in San Jose and repeated the following year.

Barty, Vondrousova to meet for French Open crown

Amanda Anisimov, who won her first professional title at 15 in the 2017 Sacra-
mento Challenger, lost to Ashleigh Barty 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 today in the French
Open semifinals. 2018 photo courtesy of JFS Communications

   Amanda Anisimova led Ashleigh Barty by a set and 3-0 today in the French Open semifinals.
   But Anisimova's first Grand Slam final must wait.
   Barty, an Australian seeded eighth, rallied in the second and third sets to defeat the unseeded Anisimova, a 17-year-old American who ousted third seed and defending champion Simona Halep in the quarterfinals, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 on a windy, rainy day in Paris.
   "She just outplayed me, basically," Anisimova, who won her first professional title at 15 in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger, told reporters.
   In a matchup of first-time Grand Slam singles finalists, the 23-year-old Barty is scheduled to play unseeded Marketa Vondrousova, a Czech left-hander who will turn 20 on June 28, on Saturday at 6 a.m. PDT (NBC).
   Vondrousova, has not lost a set in the tournament, beat 26th-seeded Johanna Konta, the champion of the 2016 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, 7-5, 7-6 (2). Vondrousova can become the first teenager to win the French Open since Iva Majoli of Croatia in 1997.
   Vondrousova reached the girls doubles final in the 2014 French Open with CiCi Bellis, who grew up in Atherton in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bellis, the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2017, is hitting after undergoing four operations on her right wrist, arm and elbow in the past year.
   Barty, ranked eighth, has not dropped a set in two career matches against Vondrousova, ranked 38th. This will be their first meeting of the year and first on clay.
   Second-seeded Rafael Nadal will play either top-seeded Novak Djokovic or fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem for the men's title on Sunday at 6 a.m. (NBC).
   Nadal, seeking his 12th French Open singles crown, dispatched third-seeded Roger Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to improve to 24-15 overall and 6-0 in the French Open in their storied rivalry.
   Federer, 37, has won a record 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles, and Nadal, 32, ranks second with 17.
   Thiem leads Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 3-1 in a match suspended by rain. Play will resume on Saturday at 3 a.m. PDT (Tennis Channel). The forecast calls for partly cloudy weather on Saturday and rain on Sunday.
   Barty won the Wimbledon girls singles title at 15 in 2011 and reached three Grand Slam women's doubles finals in 2013. But it was too much success too soon, and Barty left tennis in 2014 for nearly two years to play professional cricket.
   Barty won 17 of the first 18 points against the 51st-ranked Anisimova, who was born in New Jersey to Russian parents and moved to Florida at 3, to lead 5-0. After losing the set, Barty dropped the first 12 points of the second set to trail 3-0 but managed to pull it out. She then overcame an early break in the third set and converted her sixth match point.
   "I played some really good tennis. I played some pretty awful tennis," Barty said. "I'm just proud of myself for the way I was able to fight ands scrap and hang in there and find a way when I kind of threw away that first set."

Collins crushes Kerber; Federer, Stephens fall

Danielle Collins, playing at Indian Wells last March, demolished second-seeded
Angelique Kerber 6-0, 6-2 today in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Photo by Mal Taam

   Danielle Collins didn't just beat Angelique Kerber.
   She crushed her.
   Collins, a 25-year-old American, dismissed the second-seeded Kerber 6-0, 6-2 in 56 minutes today in the Australian Open in Melbourne to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
   Collins overwhelmed Kerber, who won the 2015 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford and 2016 Australian Open for the first of her three major singles titles, with blistering groundstrokes.
   Collins slugged 29 winners to Kerber's six. Both players committed 17 unforced errors.
   "I had a solid warmup, and I was feeling great," Collins, from Tampa, Fla., said in an on-court interview. "My coaches gave me a great game plan, and I executed it well.
   "They said, 'You're physically stronger than her, and you can rally with her. It's up to you.' I was feeling my shots today, so I decided to put the pedal to the metal and put pressure on her."
   Collins, a two-time NCAA singles champion from the University of Virginia, had never won a main-draw match in a Grand Slam tournament until this week. She reached the semifinals in last year's inaugural Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose and the quarterfinals in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger.
   Collins will take on resurgent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia. The unseeded Pavlyuchenkova, who played for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2006 at 15, beat fifth-seeded Sloane Stephens, a 25-year-old Fresno product, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-3.
   Another former Australian Open champion, Maria Sharapova, also lost. Ashleigh Barty, seeded 15th, eliminated Sharapova, the 30th seed and 2008 titlist, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to become the first Australian to reach the quarters in Melbourne since Jelena Dokic in 2009.
   Sharapova was coming off a three-set victory over defending champion Caroline Wozniacki.
   Barty will play Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion who breezed past 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 6-1 in 59 minutes. Anisimova won her first professional title in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger at 15.
   On the men's side, 14th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, 20, ousted third seed and two-time defending champion Roger Federer 6-7 (11), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (5) to become the first Greek to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. Tsitsipas saved four set points in the second set.
   Federer, who has won a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, failed to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive Slam and the semifinals for the fourth major in a row.
   Unseeded American Frances Tiafoe, playing on his 21st birthday, beat 20th seed and friend Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-5, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 7-5 to gain his first major quarterfinal.
   Tiafoe, the son of immigrants from Sierra Leone, celebrated by taking off his shirt, slapping his right biceps again, getting down on his knees, lowering his head and slapping the court. He had to compose himself before speaking in an on-court interview.
   "I told my parents 10 years ago that I was going to be a pro to change their lives and my life," said Tiafoe, who will earn at least $330,000 (U.S.). "Now I'm in the quarters of a Slam. It's unbelievable."
   Tiafoe, who won the $100,000 Stockton (Calif.) Challenger in 2016 and ousted fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson in the second round of the Australian Open, will take on Rafael Nadal, the second seed and 2009 Australian Open champion who outclassed unseeded Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-1, 7-6 (4).
   In doubles, fourth-seeded Bob and Mike Bryan and ninth-seeded Raquel Atawo and Katarina Srebotnik advanced to the men's and women's quarterfinals, respectively.
   The 40-year-old Bryans (Stanford, 1997-98) defeated Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia Lopez 6-3, 7-6 (4).
   Atawo (Cal, 2001-04), a 36-year-old Sacramento resident, and Srebotnik, a 37-year-old Slovenian, topped Romanians Irina Bara and Monica Niculescu 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Fed tops Serena; Bryan back; Stephens stumbles; etc.

   Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Frances Tiafoe and Serena Williams 4-2, 4-3 (5-3) today, lifting Switzerland to a 2-1 victory over the United States in the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia.
   It was the first meeting between Federer, who has won a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, and Williams, who needs one more major singles crown to tie Margaret Court's mark of 24.
   Both Williams and Federer are 37. Williams has a residence in Silicon Valley, and Federer made his Northern California debut in a San Jose exhibition last March.
   Bryan returns -- Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Milos Raonic of Canada edged top-seeded Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, 40-year-old identical twins, 3-6, 6-4 (10-7) in the first round of the Brisbane International.
   Bob Bryan played for the first time since hurting his hip in the Madrid final in May. He underwent surgery on Aug. 2.
   All four players have Northern California connections.
   The Bryans led Stanford to the NCAA team title in both of their years there (1997-98).
   Lindstedt, 41, played at Fresno State before transferring to Pepperdine and reaching the 1998 NCAA doubles final, in which he and Kelly Gullett lost to the Bryans.
   Raonic, 28, never lost a set in the SAP Open in San Jose, winning the last three titles (2011-13) before the tournament ended a 125-year run in NorCal.
   Stephens ousted early -- Johanna Konta of Great Britain eliminated third-seeded Sloane Stephens, who grew up in Fresno, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the Brisbane International. Konta won the 2016 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.
   Riffice scores big upset -- Wild card Sam Riffice, a Florida freshman from Roseville in the Sacramento area, stunned fourth-seeded Filip Peliwo of Canada 1-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the second round of the $50,000 Orlando (Fla.) Open. Peliwo won the 2012 Wimbledon boys singles title.
   USTA National Winter Championships -- Ria Bhakta of Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area and Mason Nguyen of El Dorado Hills in the Sacramento region reached the girls 14 and boys 12 singles final, respectively, in Tucson, Ariz.
   Both players are seeded ninth. Bhakta will meet fifth-seeded Kinaa Graham of Austin, Texas, and the Nguyen will play fourth-seeded Maxwell Exsted of Savage, Minn.
   Three boys and two girls from NorCal reached the 18s quarterfinals in Orlando. Advancing were ninth-seeded Zachery Lim of Fairfield, 10th-seeded Aryan Chaudhary of Santa Clara, unseeded Karl Lee of Sacramento, fourth-seeded Connie Ma of Dublin and unseeded India Houghton of Belvedere Tiburon.
   Moving into the boys 16 singles quarterfinals in Orlando were fifth-seeded Luke Casper of Santa Cruz and 17th-seeded John Kim of Sunnyvale.

Zverev booed after beating Fed; Bryan in doubles final

Alexander Zverev, shown in 2016, said he was "really upset"
by the London crowd's reaction after he beat Roger Federer
in the semifinals of the ATP Finals. Photo by Paul Bauman

   For the second time in less than three months, a young player was booed after defeating an icon in a big tournament.
   Third-seeded Alexander Zverev toppled second-seeded Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (5) today to reach the final of the Nitto ATP Finals in London.
   Zverev, a 21-year-old German, halted play after hitting a second serve at 4-4 in the tiebreaker when a ballboy accidentally dropped a ball during the point. According to the rules, the point must be replayed. With another first serve, the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev fired an ace.
   The pro-Federer crowd at O2 Arena thought Zverev, the son of the former Soviet pro with the same name, was using gamesmanship.
   "I was a little bit sad at the end with the booing and reaction of the crowd," Zverev, the first German since Boris Becker in 1996 to reach the title match of the ATP Finals, told reporters. "I was very emotional afterwards. The booing went into cheering kind of afterwards, which kind of helped me.
   "I was really upset afterwards in the locker room -- I'm not going to lie. I had to take a few minutes for myself."
   Federer, who made his Northern California debut in a March exhibition in San Jose, supported Zverev afterward.
   "It's unfortunate that this happened," said the 37-year-old Federer, who fell to 3-3 against Zverev. "Sascha doesn't deserve it."
   The controversy was reminiscent of the U.S. Open final in September, when the crowd booed 20-year-old winner Naomi Osaka during the award ceremony after Serena Williams had been assessed a game penalty for her third code violation.
   Zverev is scheduled to face top-seeded Novak Djokovic on Sunday not before 10 a.m. PST (ESPN2). Djokovic, seeking his sixth crown in the tournament, dismissed fourth-seeded Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2 to improve to 35-2 since the start of Wimbledon.
   This is the first time Djokovic has reached the title match in the ATP Finals without dropping a set.
   Djokovic beat Zverev 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday in the round-robin phase of the ATP Finals to improve to 2-1 (2-0 on hardcourts) in the head-to-head series.
   In Sunday's doubles final at 7:30 a.m. (Tennis Channel), fifth-seeded Mike Bryan (Stanford, 2017-18) and Jack Sock will meet eighth-seeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France.
    Bryan and Sock, this year's Wimbledon and U.S. Open champions, topped fourth-seeded Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-3, 4-6 [10-4]. Herbert and Mahut, who won the French Open in June, edged second-seeded Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Colombia 6-3, 5-7 [10-5].
   Herbert and Mahut routed Bryan and Sock 6-2, 6-2 in 53 minutes on Friday in round-robin play.
   Bryan, 40, hopes to become the oldest doubles champion in ATP Finals history. He is 4-2 in finals in the tournament, all with twin Bob.
   WTA Tour -- Unseeded Maegan Manasse (Cal, 2014-17) and Jessica Pegula of the United States nipped third-seeded Desirae Krawczyk of the U.S. and Giuliana Olmos, a product of Fremont in the San Francisco Bay Area who plays for Mexico, 1-6, 6-4 [10-8] to win the $150,000 Oracle Challenger Series -- Houston.
   It's by far the biggest title of the 23-year-old Manasse's career and her first with Pegula, the daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owners Terrence and Kim Pegula.

Federer beats Anderson; both advance in ATP Finals

Roger Federer, playing in a March exhibition in San Jose, reached the semifinals
of the ATP Finals for the 15th time. Photo by Mal Taam

   Roger Federer avenged a loss to Kevin Anderson at Wimbledon, defeating the 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) South African 6-4, 6-3 today in the Nitto ATP Finals in London.
   Both the second-seeded Federer, who made his Northern California debut in a March exhibition in San Jose, and the fourth-seeded Anderson, a quarterfinalist in the now-defunct SAP Open in San Jose in 2012, finished 2-1 in Group Lleyton Hewitt to reach Saturday's semifinals. Sixth-seeded Dominic Thiem and seventh-seeded Kei Nishikori were eliminated with 1-2 records.
   Federer, who has won a record six titles in the ATP Finals, advanced to the semis for the 15th time. Anderson, who rallied from two sets down and saved a match point to stun Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July, became the first South African to move into the semis of the elite tournament since it began in 1970.
   Federer will face the second-place finisher in Group Guga Kuerten, and Anderson will meet the group winner. In Friday's round-robin finales, third-seeded Alexander Zverev (1-1) is scheduled to meet eighth-seeded John Isner (0-2) not before 6 a.m. PST, and top-seeded Novak Djokovic (2-0) will play fifth-seeded Marin Cilic (1-1) not before noon.
   In a doubles round-robin finale, fifth-seeded Mike Bryan (Stanford, 1997-98) and Jack Sock (2-0) will meet eighth-seeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut (1-1) not before 9:45 a.m.
   Tennis Channel will televise all four of Friday's matches live beginning at 4 a.m.

Millman, who has starred in NorCal, shocks Federer

Australian John Millman, shown en route to the title in the 2015
Aptos (Calif.) Challenger, stunned Roger Federer in four sets to-
night in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Note to readers: If you enjoy my coverage of Northern California tennis, please donate on my homepage. Here's why I need your support. Thank you.
   Roger Federer appeared to be on his way to a routine victory over an unseeded opponent.
   But John Millman had other ideas.
   In what ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe called "one of the biggest upsets in tennis history," the 55th-ranked Millman defeated the second-seeded Federer 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) tonight in the fourth round of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
   Federer, who has won a record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, had two set points on his serve for a two-sets-to-none lead. 
   Millman, a 29-year-old Australian who trained with Federer for this year's grass-court season, was playing in the fourth round of a major for the first time. He had been 0-10 against top-10 players.
   "I'm probably in a little bit of disbelief," Millman said in an on-court interview after the three-hour, 34-minute battle at Arthur Ashe Stadium that ended shortly before 1 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday. "I have so much respect for Roger and what he's done for the game. He's been a hero of mine. He definitely was not at his best tonight ... but I'll take it."
   Federer committed 10 double faults, converted only 49 percent of his first serves and had 77 unforced errors against 65 winners.
   Both players' shirts were drenched in the 83 percent humidity, but the conditions hurt the 37-year-old Federer more. A retractable roof over the stadium was completed two years ago.
   "I just thought it was very hot tonight," Federer said after losing to an unseeded player in the U.S. Open for the first time. "(It) was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn't get air. There was no circulation at all. For some reason, I just struggled in the conditions tonight. It's one of the first times it's happened to me. John dealt with it better than me. He comes from one of most humid places on earth, Brisbane."
   Millman, meanwhile, played brilliantly after overcoming his nerves.
   "I felt like a deer in the headlights to begin with," said Millman, who finished with eight aces, only one double fault, 47 winners and 28 unforced errors. "My feet were not moving, and Roger was moving me around the court. Then I found my feet, and I started to be more aggressive. I started serving really well and capitalized on Roger having an off-serving day."
   Millman, a fitness fanatic and consummate professional who has been hampered by injuries (especially shoulder) during his career, has won two Northern California Challengers (Sacramento in 2010 and Aptos in 2015) and reached the final of another (Tiburon in 2014).
   Millman will add at least $475,000 (not counting $8,250 for losing in the first round of men's doubles) to his career earnings of $1,853,718. He will take on No. 6 seed and two-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic, a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 winner over Joao Sousa of Portugal, on Wednesday.
   Djokovic routed Millman 6-2, 6-1 in 65 minutes on grass at Queen's Club in London in June in their only previous meeting. In his next tournament, Djokovic won Wimbledon for the fourth time.
   In another men's quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows, No. 7 seed Marin Cilic will meet No. 21 Kei Nishikori in a rematch of the 2014 U.S. Open final. Cilic, the champion four years ago with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory, and Nishikori advanced with straight-set victories.
   The 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) Nishikori leads the head-to-head series 7-4, but the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Cilic has won three of the last four encounters.
   In the women's draw, two former champions of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, one in singles and one in doubles, will meet in the quarterfinals.
   No. 14 Madison Keys, who won the Bank of the West singles title and reached the U.S. Open final last year, dismissed No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova, the 2013 Stanford singles champion, 6-1, 6-3.
   And No. 30 Carla Suarez Navarro, who took the 2014 Stanford doubles crown with fellow Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, eliminated No. 22 Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3.
   Suarez Navarro was playing on her 30th birthday. Sharapova, 31, has won five major singles titles, including a career Grand Slam.
   The 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) Keys is 3-0 against the 5-foot-4 (1.62-meter) Suarez Navarro. Each match has been on hardcourts or grass and gone to three sets.
   Also in the bottom half of the women's draw, No. 20 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan will play unseeded Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine in the first major quarterfinal for both players.
   Osaka outlasted No. 26 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in a matchup of 20-year-olds. Tsurenko, 29, topped Marketa Vondrousova, a 19-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic, 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2. Tsurenko knocked off No. 2 seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2 in the second round.
   Osaka beat Tsurenko 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals of a $25,000 hardcourt tournament in Irapuato, Mexico, in 2014 in their only previous encounter.
   Meanwhile, No. 3 seeds Mike Bryan (Stanford, 1997-98) and Jack Sock of the United States advanced to the men's doubles quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 16 Dominic Inglot of Great Britain and Franko Skugor of Croatia.
   In the first round of junior singles, two boys from the Sacramento area defeated French players, but two girls from the San Francisco Bay Area lost to Ukrainian qualifiers.
   Jenson Brooksby, 17, of Carmichael defeated qualifier Valentin Royer 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, and Keenan Mayo, 18, from Roseville beat Clement Tabur 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
   Brooksby, who won the USTA Boys 18 National Championships last month, will play Jonas Forejtek of the Czech Republic. Forejtek surprised No. 8 seed Naoki Tajima of Japan 6-1, 6-3.
   Mayo will face No. 4 seed Nicolas Mejia, a Colombian who defeated Eliot Spizzirri of Greenwich, Conn., 7-6 (2), 6-2.
   Brooksby plans to enroll at Texas Christian in the fall of 2019 or in January 2020, and Mayo is headed to Illinois.
   On the girls side, Daria Snigur ousted No. 15 seed and 2017 quarterfinalist Katie Volynets, 16, from Walnut Creek, 6-3, 6-4. Also, Dasha Lopatetskaya downed Connie Ma, 15, of Dublin 7-5, 6-0.

Anderson stuns Federer in Wimbledon marathon

Kevin Anderson of the host Sacramento Capitals serves
in a 2012 World TeamTennis match. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Eleven years ago, Kevin Anderson lost to fellow prospect Scoville Jenkins in two close sets in the final of a $15,000 Futures tournament in the Sacramento suburb of Loomis.
   Jenkins retired three years later at age 23. He is now the associate head coach at the University of Wisconsin.
   The 6-foot-8 (2.03-meter) Anderson, meanwhile, has risen to No. 8 in the world.
   Anderson took another big step in his career today, shocking top seed and defending champion Roger Federer 2-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
   Anderson, seeded eighth, saved a match point while serving at 4-5 in the third set of the 4-hour, 14-minute battle.
   In another dramatic quarterfinal, second-seeded Rafael Nadal subdued fifth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro 7-5, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in 4 hours, 48 minutes.
   Although the 32-year-old Anderson is from South Africa, he is practically American. He starred at the University of Illinois, where he met his American wife, and lives in Gulf Stream, Fla.
   "I have already gotten tons of messages from support back home," Anderson, the first South African man to reach the Wimbledon semifinals since Kevin Curren in 1983, told reporters. "Obviously at this sort of event, playing against an opponent like Roger is going to have a lot of coverage. Again, I really hope it's an example of sticking to your dreams and keep believing in yourself. ... It's not easy coming from South Africa; it's very far from the tennis scene. ... "
   The Loomis final is not Anderson's only tie to Northern California. He won the 2006 NCAA doubles title at Stanford and in 2012 reached the quarterfinals of the SAP Open in San Jose and played part-time for the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis. The SAP Open and Capitals folded after the 2013 season.
   Against Federer, Anderson belted 28 aces and prevented the Swiss star from breaking his own record of 34 consecutive sets won at Wimbledon.
   "He's got a nice, big serve that he can rely heavily on," said Federer, who had never lost a set in four career matches against Anderson. "There's nothing really that shocked me because I've seen Kevin play many, many times in the past. Even if the matches have been maybe sometimes one-sided ... you always know he can pick it up, and all of a sudden you won't see breaks for some time."
   Anderson will face 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner, seeded ninth, on Friday in a bid to reach his second Grand Slam final. Nadal drubbed Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the U.S. Open last September.
   Isner, 33, beat 13th-seeded Milos Raonic 6-7 (5), 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-3 to reach his first major semifinal.
   Like Anderson, Isner played in the final of a $15,000 Futures tournament in the Sacramento region in 2007. Isner won the title in Shingle Springs, his first as a professional.
   Raonic never lost a set in the SAP Open, winning the last three crowns.
   Isner is 8-3 against Anderson with victories in their last five matches. This will be their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament.
   Nadal will play resurgent Novak Djokovic, seeded 12th. Djokovic defeated 15th-seeded Kei Nishikori 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2016 U.S. Open.
   Djokovic has won Wimbledon three times (2011, 2014 and 2015), and Nadal has captured the title twice (2008 and 2010).
   You might say Djokovic, 31, and Nadal, 32, have a rivalry. Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 26-25. Nadal has won the last two matches, which followed seven consecutive victories by Djokovic.
   This will be the pair's first Grand Slam encounter since Djokovic won in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the 2015 French Open and their first meeting at Wimbledon since Djokovic triumphed in four sets in the 2011 final.
   In today's women's doubles quarterfinals, unseeded Alicja Rosolska of Poland and Abigail Spears of Colorado Springs, Colo., ousted top-seeded Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France 7-6 (4), 6-3.
   Babos and Mladenovic won this year's Australian Open for their first major title together. Mladenovic also won the French Open with compatriot Caroline Garcia in 2016.
   The women's singles semifinals are set for Thursday. No. 11 seed Angelique Kerber will meet No. 12 Jelena Ostapenko at 5 a.m. California time, followed by No. 13 Julia Goerges against No. 25 Serena Williams. ESPN will televise both matches.

Players to watch at Wimbledon

   Wimbledon begins Monday at 4 a.m. PDT on ESPN and continues through July 15. Here are six men and six women to watch (seeding in parentheses):

ROGER FEDERER
Photo by Paul Bauman

MEN

   Roger Federer (1) -- Favored to win record-extending ninth Wimbledon title before turning 37 on Aug. 8. Northern California connection: Made NorCal debut in March, beating Jack Sock in exhibition before sellout crowd of 17,496 at SAP Arena in San Jose.
   Rafael Nadal (2) -- Won Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010 but hasn't survived fourth round there since 2011. NorCal connection: None.
   Marin Cilic (3) -- U.S. Open champion in 2014 has lost to Federer in two of past four Grand Slam finals, including 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 last year at Wimbledon while hobbled by foot blister. NorCal connection: None.
   Novak Djokovic (12) -- Three-time Wimbledon champion (2011, 2014, 2015) held match point in loss to Cilic in Queen's Club (London) final last Sunday as he rebounds from right elbow problems. NorCal connection: None.
   Milos Raonic (13) -- Runner-up to Andy Murray in 2016 lost to Federer 6-4, 7-6 (3) in Stuttgart final on grass two weeks ago, then withdrew from second-round match at Queen's Club with right pectoral strain. NorCal connection: Never lost a set in 13 career matches in SAP Open in San Jose, winning last three titles (2011-13) before tournament was discontinued.
   Borna Coric (17) -- Ended Federer's grass-court winning streak at 20 matches to win Halle (Germany) last Sunday, but Wimbledon is best-of-five sets. NorCal connection: None.

SIMONA HALEP
Photo by Paul Bauman

WOMEN

   Simona Halep (1) -- After winning first Grand Slam title in French Open, withdrew from Eastbourne this week with Achilles' injury. NorCal connection: Lost in first round of 2011 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford in only San Francisco Bay Area appearance.
   Garbine Muguruza (3) -- Wimbledon defending champion was upset by Barbora Strycova in second round on grass in Birmingham last week. NorCal connection: Reached singles semifinals last year and quarterfinals in 2014 and won doubles title in 2014 with fellow Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro in only two Stanford appearances.
   Sloane Stephens (4) -- After never playing in Grand Slam final, 25-year-old has reached two of last three, winning U.S. Open. NorCal connection: Grew up in Fresno. Lost in first round at Stanford in 2012 in only Bay Area appearance as pro.
   Petra Kvitova (8) -- Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014 won Birmingham last week, then withdrew from Eastbourne with hamstring injury. NorCal connection: Lost 6-2, 6-0 to local favorite CiCi Bellis, then 18, in Stanford quarterfinals last year in Bay Area debut.
   Venus Williams (9) -- Five-time Wimbledon champion (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008) and four-time runner-up (2002, 2003, 2009, 2017) has lost in first round of last two Grand Slam tournaments. NorCal connection: Eight-time Bank of the West finalist, winning in 2000 and 2002 and losing in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2016. Made pro debut in tournament at 14 in 1994, when it was held indoors in Oakland.
   Serena Williams (25) -- New mother can tie Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. NorCal connection: Won Stanford in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Scheduled to play in inaugural Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic, July 30-Aug. 5 at San Jose State.