(June 26, 2013) -- Defending men's champion
Roger Federer and his hopes for a record eighth Wimbledon title were ended by the serve and volley prowess of No. 116 ranked
Sergiy Stakhovsky.
Stakhovsky employed near perfect serve and volley technique throughout the entire second round match to force the issue against the seven-time Wimbledon champion. After both men split a pair of tiebreak sets, it was Stakhovsky who seized the critical third set after Federer failed to capitalize on break point opportunities.
Stakhovsky, who is probably best known for advocating for more prize money for lower ranked players, earned an early break in the fourth set. But Federer finally got his first break of serve to level the set at 3-all thanks in part to a backhand winner.
Frustrated with being unable to break down Stakovsky's net game, Federer at one juncture ripped a backhand right at his opponent, who ducked and fell to the ground. That didn't intimidate Stakhovsky, who later fought off a set point to force yet another tiebreak.
Taking an early mini-break lead advantage, Stakhovsky kept his nose out in front and soon held two match points at 6-4. Federer saved the first with a backhand pass winner, but it was a second errant backhand from the title-holder that sealed Federer's fate.
An elated Stakhovsky claimed the 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) win to advance to the third round.
The loss snaps Federer's impressive streak of having reached at least the quarterfinals of the last 36 Grand Slams he has competed in since 2004. It is also Federer's earliest defeat at Wimbledon since losing in the first round at 2002.
After the match, Stakhovsky told the BBC about his efforts, "It was magic. I couldn't play any better today."
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(Photo Credit: AFPPatrick Kovarik) |