Fernando Gonzalez, the fifth seed, was knocked out of The Championships by Janko Tipsarevic, the 23-year-old Serb, in an epic three hours and 35 minutes third round match, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6
It was Tipsarevic’s first victory over a top 10 player and it will be his first appearance in the round of 16 at any grand slam event. But he was made to work for it by the gritty Chilean, who was the losing finalist at the Australian Open earlier this year.
The two had met before, only two weeks previously when Tipsarevic let slip a match point he held during their second round clash at Queen’s. This time he held his nerve on Centre Court.
Tipsarevic, ranked 64, is not yet as popular in Serbia as his better known compatriots Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic, but that looks set to change if he can keep performing like today. He was rewarded with an early break, which he protected to claim the opening the set within 30-minutes.
Gonzalez, a Wimbedon quarter-finalist two years ago, pulled himself together by adapting a more aggressive approach, deploying his trademark forehand to greater effect to take the set. That shot, known as the “Mano de Piedra” (Stone Hand) in his home country, began to show a few cracks in the third set, allowing Tipsarevic to edge ahead.
Gonzalez had four chances to get back on serve as Tipsarevic struggled to close out the set. The Serb was hurrying his shots and making errors when a bit more patience was required but he finally succeeded on his second set point after five deuces.
In a fit of frustration, Gonzalez slammed his racket on to the turf, no doubt realising the size of the task ahead of him. Rain forced a temporary halt to the match with the score 3-2 in the South American’s favour.
Whatever pep talk he received during the break seemed to do the trick although, on resumption, Gonzales again resorted to slamming his racket into the court when he failed to achieve his objective in the first game. However, four games later he did, with his big forehand forcing the Serb into errors. Gonzalez then claimed the set with a deftly played backhand volley into the corner.
Gonzalez lost his opening serve at the start of the decider but recovered in explosive fashion, bludgeoning Tipsarevic into submission with that Stone Hand to swing the match his way after collecting five games on the trot. He came within two points of making it six and victory but failed. Then he lost his serve when serving for the match in one of the most hard-hitting exchanges of the contest.
Tipsarevic kept up the pressure on his opponent, adopting a more adventurous style of play. He saved a match point when Gonzalez became too cautious with his play, waiting for an error to come his way instead of hitting winners. The Serb was attacking Gonzalez with ground strokes that constantly stretched the Chilean. He achieved the crucial break and served out the match, sealing it with an ace.
Written by Henry Wancke
