LONDON – Novak Djokovic marched into his 50th Grand Slam quarter-final while Roger Federer became the oldest man in the modern era to make the last-eight at Wimbledon 2021.
Ons Jabeur of Tunisia continued to blaze a history-making trail with a resounding 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 defeat of No.7 seed Iga Swiatek in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
World number one Djokovic, chasing a sixth Wimbledon and record-equalling 20th major, eased into the last-eight for the 12th time with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win over Chile’s Cristian Garin.
Federer, who will be 40 in just under five weeks’ time, brushed aside Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 6-4, 6-2 to make the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the 18th time and 58th overall at the majors.
Djokovic will next face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, one of a host of players booking last-eight spots at the tournament for the first time.
The list included women’s top seed Ashleigh Barty, second seed Aryna Sabalenka, Karolina Pliskova, Viktorija Golubic as well as Matteo Berrettini, Denis Shapovalov, Karen Khachanov and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the men’s draw.
“Confidence levels are very high after winning the French Open,” said Djokovic according to AFP.
“It was one of my biggest wins in the circumstances – two five-setters, two four-setters in the second week.
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer will face either second seed Daniil Medvedev or Hubert Hurkacz, the 14th seed, for a place in the semi-finals.
Medvedev was leading Hurkacz 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 3-4 when play was halted for the night due to rain.
Barty reached the quarter-finals for the first time, beating French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-3.
Jabeur blazes past Swiatek
Ons Jabeur’s historic campaign saw her also reach the quarter-finals for the first time, beating Poland’s 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
The 26-year-old is the first Tunisian woman to reach the last eight and will face Belarus second seed Aryna Sabalenka who defeated Elena Rybakina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
“It was a great match and I had to stay calm rather than get angry,” said Jabeur.
The Tunisian No.21 seed became the first player from her country and the first Arab woman to reach the quarterfinals at SW19 after sealing her third straight win over a Grand Slam champion.
She is also the first Arab player, man or woman, to reach the Wimbledon last eight since Egypt’s Ismail el-Shafei, the former ATP World No.34, in 1974. It is her second Grand Slam quarter-final following the 2020 Australian Open.
“Tunisians are everywhere, I got to say,” she laughed afterwards. “They were singing actually a football song. I felt the need to sing with them also. I felt so happy that I wanted to hear more.
“I was doing this to hear them. It’s amazing to hear, even playing against an amazing player, Iga, but most of the crowd were helping me and supporting me. I was hearing more my name. It gives me a lot of confidence. Honestly, I appreciate it a lot. I hope they come even more for the next match.”
Jabeur, the Birmingham champion whose grass record this year now stands at 10-1, forged her win with both creativity and resilience. Her renowned dropshot took a set to properly click, but once it did it repeatedly outfoxed Swiatek.
Both Jabeur and Sabalenka have a season-leading 33 wins in 2021.
Former world number one Pliskova reached her first Wimbledon quarter-final with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Russian wildcard Liudmila Samsonova.
Men’s seventh seed Berrettini became only the fifth Italian man to make the last eight with a quickfire 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win over Ilya Ivashka of Belarus.
The Queen’s Club champion, the first Italian man in the quarter-finals since 1998, will face Auger-Aliassime of Canada.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded 16, defeated fourth-seeded German opponent Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4.
Zverev was undone by 20 double faults and 42 unforced errors.
Khachanov also reached a maiden quarter-final at the tournament with a five-set win over Sebastian Korda who was celebrating his 21st birthday.
Russian 25th seed Khachanov triumphed 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 and will face Canadian 10th seed Denis Shapovalov.
A marathon 81-minute final set on Court 18 featured a record 13 breaks of serve.
Shapovalov, who knocked out two-time champion Andy Murray in the last round, dismissed Spain’s 2019 semi-finalist and eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
Fucsovics became just the third Hungarian man and first in 73 years to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
The 29-year-old, ranked at 48 in the world, defeated Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Angelique Kerber, the 2018 champion, beat 17-year-old Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-4 and will face Karolina Muchova for a semi-final place.
Viktorija Golubic, ranked 66, defeated Madison Keys 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 as she also broke through to the last eight for the first time where she’ll face Pliskova.
