Hurkacz survived a second set tiebreak to beat Federer in straight sets, while Djokovic eased past Marton Fucsovics in Wimbledon quarterfinals.
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Hubert Hurkacz stunned the eight-time champion Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6, 6-0 to reach the semifinal of Wimbledon on Wednesday. He had beaten World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and has now produced a major upset against 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer. Hurkacz becomes the second Polish man in history to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam. Back in 2013, Jerzy Janowicz reached this stage here. Federer was bidding to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon for an all-time record-extending 14th time. The Swiss maestro was looking to add a 21st Grand Slam title to his record haul but has to wait a little longer to achieve that feat.
“I don’t know what to say. This is super special for me, I mean, playing on this special court against Roger,” Hurkacz said. “Always when you are a kid, it’s like a dream come true to play him. “I’m super proud and super happy to be here, especially having people [in the stands] here and cheering. Playing on grass is super special. I can’t wait for the next one.”
Federer struggled to match his usual standards as Hurkacz started to read his second serve incredibly well. Despite saving three break points to hold for 2-2, Federer could not hold on longer as Hurkacz hit a few backhand winners to go up 4-2. That was enough was the Polish player to see out the set.
The second set was a neck-to-neck battle as both players showed tremendous quality along the way, and the set needed a tiebreak to separate them. Hurkacz survived the hard-fought second set and there was no stopping him after that. He won the third set without losing a game to close out the match after an hour and 49 minutes as Federer pushed a forehand out wide. The Pole, who struck 10 aces in the match, won 79 percent (41/52) of points behind his first serve.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic continued his impressive form, recording the 100th grass-court win of his career (100-18) to book a place in the Wimbledon semifinals. The Serbian superstar got past Marton Fucsovics of Hungary on Centre Court with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over two hours and 17 minutes. He is looking to secure a 20th Grand Slam title and draw level with all-time leaders Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“It was a solid performance and I started off really well, particularly in the first five games of the set,” said Djokovic. “One break of serve in the second and third sets was enough today and I’d like to give credit to Marton for fighting so hard.”
Djokovic, a five-time Wimbledon champion, has been on fire this season, winning the first two major trophies of the year at the Australian Open and at Roland Garros. Prior to the clay-court major in Paris, he also lifted the Belgrade Open crown. The Serbian will next play Canadian 10th seed Denis Shapovalov, who beat 25th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 on No. 1 Court.
“He started very well [and] he played well during the whole match,” said Fucsovics. “I had to find the rhythm. I had to find my serve. It was a bit windy during the match [and] I had to get used to it.”
