Saturday 2 July 2016

Factbox: Ten big men's shocks at Wimbledon!

LONDON (Reuters) - American Sam Querry became the latest Wimbledon giant slayer on Saturday as he beat defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 7-6(5) in the third round.
The defeat ended Djokovic's run of winning 30 consecutive grand slam matches. The world number one had arrived at the All England Club as the reigning champion at all four grand slam tournaments.
It was also the Serb's first loss before the quarter-finals of a major since the 2009 French Open -- ending a run of reaching at least the last eight in 28 successive slams.
Djokovic is in good company because some of Wimbledon's other greats have also suffered ignominious exits.
Here are nine other matches that shook up Wimbledon.
2015 - Brown sends Nadal to the dustbin
Nadal's recent Wimbledon jinx continued as he was beaten 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4 by Dustin Brown, a 30-year-old German journeyman who once travelled around Europe's Challenger Circuit in a camper van.
Nadal, who was once a regular feature on the second Sunday of the tournament having reached five finals between 2006-2011 -- was jettisoned out of Wimbledon before the quarter-finals for a fourth year running by a man ranked 100 or lower.
Following on from the bruises left by Lukas Rosol (100), Steve Darcis (135) and Nick Kyrgios (144), the 102nd-ranked Brown floored Nadal in the second round with a brand of serve-and-volley tennis that left the purists purring.
2013 - Nadal falls under the spell of Mr Darcis
A year after falling in the Wimbledon second round, Nadal arrived in London riding high on confidence after winning his eighth French Open title.
However, he lost in the first round of a slam for the first time after being ambushed 7-6(4) 7-6(8) 6-4 by Belgian world number 135 Steve Darcis.
2013 - Federer sent spinning out by Stakhovsky
Defending champion Roger Federer suffered a brutal 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 7-5 7-6(5) second-round battering at the hands of 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky.
The result ended the seven-times Wimbledon champion's remarkable run of reaching a record 36 consecutive grand slam quarter-finals or better dating back to 2004. It was also his first defeat by a rival ranked outside the top 100 for over eight years.
"When you play Roger Federer at Wimbledon, it's like you're playing two persons. First you play Roger Federer and then you play his ego," said Ukrainian journeyman Stakhovsky.
The result meant Federer, the holder of a record 17 grand slam titles, and Nadal were both out of Wimbledon before the third round in 2013.
2012 - Nadal outfoxed by Rosol
Nadal was eliminated by Lukas Rosol, a Czech ranked 100th in the world, in the second round. Rosol won 6-7(9) 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 in a three-hour battle that ended after dark and under the Centre Court roof.
2003 - Hewitt takes a giant beating by Karlovic
Lleyton Hewitt, the defending champion, won the first set 6-1 before unheralded Ivo Karlovic, ranked 202, battered the Australian into submission with a devastating display of serving. Karlovic won 1-6 7-6(5) 6-3 6-4 and for only the second time in the history of the event, the top seeded male was toppled on the first day.
2002 - Swiss journeyman Bastl beats Sampras
Pete Sampras, with seven Wimbledon trophies in his possession, endured one of the worst defeats of his career, losing 6-3 6-2 4-6 3-6 6-4 in the second round to George Bastl, a player ranked 145th in the world and who was a lucky loser from qualifying.
American Sampras recovered to win the U.S. Open a few weeks later before retiring.
2002 - Agassi humbled by Paradorn Srichaphan
A 32-year-old Andre Agassi, seeded three after a stunning career revival, joined old rival Sampras on the scrap heap after being dismantled by the talented Thai 6-4 7-6(5) 6-2. The second-round match was all over in one hour 47 minutes.
1987 - Australian Doohan silences "Boom Boom" Becker.
German top seed and two-times defending champion Boris Becker seemed invincible on the Wimbledon grass but ran into 70th-ranked Doohan in the second round.
"Boom Boom", as Becker was nicknamed, was bounced out 7-6 4-6 6-2 6-4 and Doohan earned the nickname "Becker Wrecker".
1985 - Curren shows McEnroe the exit
Defending champion McEnroe had compiled an 82-3 record the previous year and was still the "Guvnor" at Wimbledon, reaching the previous five finals.
However, South African Curran won the last-eight clash 6-2 6-2 6-4. McEnroe was never quite the same again, failing to win another grand slam.

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