LONDON: Australia’s world number 144 Nick Kyrgios caused one of the greatest Wimbledon sensations on Tuesday when he sent world number one and 14-time Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal crashing to a shock defeat.
The 19-year-old Kyrgios, making his Wimbledon debut, clinched a fearless 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory to become the first wildcard in 10 years to make the quarter-finals at the All England Club.
He is also the first player ranked outside the top 100 to defeat a world number one since Andrei Olhovskiy stunned Jim Courier in the Wimbledon third round in 1992.
Nick clashes with Canada’s Milos Raonic for a place in the semi-finals.
Seven-time champion Roger Federer will take on close friend Stan Wawrinka in the Wimbledon quarter-finals after both men hurried to victory just in time to watch their native Switzerland tackle mighty Argentina in the World Cup. Federer eased into his 12th Wimbledon quarter-final with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Tommy Robredo, a victory headlined by a perfect second set.
Australian Open champion Wawrinka, the fifth seed, made his first last-eight date at the All England Club at the 10th attempt by seeing off Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (9/7), 6-3.
Maria Sharapova suffered more Wimbledon heartache as the French Open champion crashed to a shock 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 defeat against Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the fourth round, while Serena Williams quit her doubles match after a health scare.
Kerber, who reached the last four in 2012, will face Canadian 13th seed Eugenie Bouchard, a winner against the German in the French Open fourth round recently, on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals.
Sharapova’s exit means four of the top five seeds have been eliminated, and there is only one former Grand Slam winner, Petra Kvitova, remaining in the women’s draw.
Serena, already knocked out of the singles, wept and appeared close to fainting before quitting her doubles match with sister Venus.
Serena, the world number one singles player, called the doctor to Court One just after she and Venus had warmed up for their second round match against Kristina Barrois and Stephanie Voegele.
She broke down in tears as she consulted with the doctor and physio before the tournament referee and supervisor were called to court in a reflection of her status in the sport.
Later, the WTA Tour said that Serena was suffering from “a viral illness”.
