Federer rallies from 2 sets down to reach Wimbledon semis

Associated PressJul 6, 2016, 2:16 PM EDT

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LONDON — Roger Federer’s bid for a record eighth Wimbledon title remains alive after he came from two sets down and saved three match points Wednesday before overcoming Marin Cilic in five sets, advancing to the semifinals at the All England Club for the 11th time.

Playing his best when he absolutely needed it most, the seven-time champion finished with his 27th ace to complete a 6-7 (4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3 victory on Centre Court against the player who knocked him out in semifinals of the U.S. Open two years ago.

“Well, a lot happened out there,” Federer said, summing up the 3-hour, 17-minute battle filled with tension, momentum swings and crucial points.

“I knew I was in so much trouble in the third, and then again in the fourth,” he said. “I’m really, really pleased and just ecstatic I was able to come through somehow.”

It was the 10th time in Federer’s career that he has erased a two-set deficit to win in five sets. This was also his 80th match win at Wimbledon, which equals Jimmy Connors’ record. Federer also matched Connors’ record of reaching the Wimbledon semifinals 11 times.

What’s more, Federer is now two wins away from the all-time record for Wimbledon men’s titles. He’s currently tied with Pete Sampras and 1880s player William Renshaw with seven.

Federer’s semifinal opponent will be sixth-seeded Milos Raonic, who lost serve only once and downed No. 28 Sam Querrey 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 on No. 1 Court.

Querrey had knocked out No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round on Saturday, but came up short in his bid to become the first American to make it to the semifinals of a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick reached the final four at Wimbledon in 2009.

The 34-year-old Federer will now play in his 40th Grand Slam semifinal. He’s the oldest man to get this far at Wimbledon since Ken Rosewall finished runner-up in 1974 at the age of 39. If Federer wins the title, he’ll become the oldest men’s Wimbledon champion in the Open era.

The third-seeded Federer looked down and out after falling behind two sets to love against No. 9 Cilic, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Croatian who kept holding serve, attacking on returns and dominating rallies with his big forehand and two-handed backhand.

It seemed like a replay of their last meeting, when Cilic swept Federer in straight sets in the semifinals en route to the 2014 U.S. Open title.

“I wasn’t seeing his serves anymore,” Federer said. “Next thing you know you’re down two sets to love on grass. I thought he was playing very well, U.S. Open-esque. On the return he was reading my serve. On the serve, I couldn’t read his serve.”

But Federer gradually worked his way back into the match, breaking for the first time to go up 5-3 in the third, saving three match points in the fourth, and playing flowing grass-court tennis on his favorite stage.

After ripping an ace on match point, Federer wagged an index finger in the air to show who was No. 1. He walked off to a standing ovation from an adoring crowd that helped will him to victory.

“It wasn’t going well for me, so for me it was about staying in the match,” Federer said. “Somehow I hoped for his level to drop maybe a little bit, and get a little bit lucky. That’s exactly what happened.”

He cited a key point in the third set, at 3-3, love-40 on his serve, facing three break points.

“I have to pick up a half-volley,” Federer said. “I mean it could go in the stands. It stays in. Next thing you know it’s like you’re still in the match and you can turn it around.”

Federer held serve for 4-3, then broke in the next game, with Cilic double-faulting on break point. The momentum had changed.

In the fourth set, Cilic had more chances to put Federer away but couldn’t. Federer saved two break points at 2-2, hitting three straight aces and a service winner to finish the game.

Cilic then earned his first match point with Federer serving at 5-4, but hit a forehand return long. Another match point came at 6-5, and Federer responded with a 120 mph ace.

Match point No. 3 came at 7-6 in the tiebreaker. Cilic failed to take advantage of Federer’s second serve, hitting another forehand return into the net.

Jabeur bounces back at French Open, Ruud and Andreeva advance

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 11:32 AM EDT

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PARIS — Ons Jabeur got a do-over on Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open and won this time.

A year after her first-round exit, the No. 7 seed Jabeur beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-1 to help erase some bad memories and answer questions about a recent calf injury.

The Tunisian, a crowd favorite in Paris, smiled and expressed relief in not repeating last year’s mistake, when she lost to Magda Linette of Poland.

“I’m very happy to win my first match on Philippe Chatrier – because I’ve never won here,” Jabeur said on court about the clay-court tournament’s main stadium.

Now she can focus on trying to win her first major. She was runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.

The 28-year-old Jabeur has also battled injuries this season. She had knee surgery after the Australian Open, and was then sidelined with a calf injury. She had stopped playing against top-ranked Iga Swiatek at the clay-court tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, in late April and then pulled out of the Madrid Open.

“It was a very difficult period for me after Stuttgart,” said Jabeur, adding that she’s beginning to find her rhythm.

Jabeur struck 27 winner’s to Bronzetti’s seven, though with 24 unforced errors she’ll have room to improve.

Mirra Andreeva had a memorable Grand Slam debut by dominating Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2, 6-1. Andreeva’s older sister – 18-year-old Erika – was facing Emma Navarro later in the day.

Later, Swiatek gets her French Open title defense started against Cristina Bucsa, who is ranked 70th.

On the men’s side, No. 4 seed Casper Ruud beat qualifier Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, to remind the higher-profile tournament favorites that he was runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year at Roland Garros.

New mom Elina Svitolina beats seeded player at French Open in 1st Slam match in 16 months

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 11:27 AM EDT

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PARIS — So much has changed for Elina Svitolina, who played – and won – her first Grand Slam match in nearly 1 1/2 years at the French Open, eliminating 2022 semifinalist Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-2.

For one thing, she’s now a mother: Svitolina and her husband, French tennis player Gael Monfils, welcomed their daughter, Skaï, in October. For another, Svitolina is now ranked 192nd, nowhere near the career high of No. 3 she first reached in 2017, back in the days when she was regularly reaching the second weeks of major tournaments – including a pair of semifinal runs. Away from the courts, her home country of Ukraine was invaded by Russia last year, and the war continues.

“Everything,” she said, “is kind of old and new for me right now.”

In sum, Svitolina is juggling a lot nowadays.

She hadn’t played at a Slam since a third-round exit at the Australian Open in January 2022. She hadn’t played a match anywhere since March 2022, when she was still ranked 20th.

“It was always in my head … to come back, but I didn’t put any pressure on myself, because obviously with the war going on, with the pregnancy, you never know how complicated it will go,” the 28-year-old Svitolina said.

The work to return to the tour after giving birth began this January; her initial WTA match came at Charleston, South Carolina, in April. She won her first title since returning to action, at a smaller event on red clay in Strasbourg, France.

At Roland Garros, she used her big forehand to compile a 20-12 edge in winners and never faced a single break point against Trevisan, who was seeded 26th.

Trevisan cried as she spoke after the match about a problem with her right foot that made it difficult to even walk and prompted her to stop playing during her quarterfinal last week at the Morocco Open, where she was the defending champion.

Still, she gave Svitolina credit.

“Even though she’s just coming back from having a daughter, she’s a champion,” Trevisan said. “And she’s coming off a title, so she’s confident.”

Svitolina talked about feeling “awful when you’re pregnant, especially the last months,” but getting into a position now where she thinks she’s stronger than before – in more ways than one.

“I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court and, match by match, I’m getting better. Also mentally, because mental (state) can influence your physicality, as well,” she said. “I tried to find the balance, and I feel like I’m seeing (things) a little bit again differently as well after the break. Everything is getting there. The puzzles are getting slowly into place.”