German men smashed at Wimbledon
July 4, 2012
The two German hopefuls in the men's singles at Wimbledon were eliminated on Wednesday as they sought surprise wins against higher seeds to reach the final four. Florian Mayer lost out to top seed Novak Djokovic, while Philipp Kohlschreiber was kicked out by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Tsonga, the fifth seed, reached his second successive Wimbledon semifinal with a 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 win over Kohlschreiber. He sealed the victory on his first match point after rushing to the net and firing a crosscourt winner, clinching victory after two hours and 48 minutes of play. Tsonga will next meet No. 4 seed Andy Murray in the next round.
Djokovic, the defending champion, had an easier time with Mayer, beating him 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. He will face Roger Federer for the first time at Wimbledon on Friday.
Angelique Kerber is the only German still playing in the Wimbledon singles draw after she beat her countrywoman Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-7, 7-5 on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. Lisicki made the semis at the All England Club last year.
Kerber faces third seed Anieszka Radwanska of Poland in the final four. Steffi Graf was the last German to win Wimbledon, securing her seventh and final title on the grass courts in 1996.
mkg/msh (Reuters, AP, SID, dpa)