Anderson stuns defending champ Federer to enter Wimbledon semis

TIL Desk Sports/ South Africa’s Kevin Anderson pulled off a stunning come-from-behind 2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 upset victory over Swiss defending champion Roger Federer here on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the Wimbledon tennis championships for the first time.

Anderson pulled off the upset thanks to 28 aces and clutch play on break points throughout the match. He also appeared to benefit from the lack of a tiebreaker in the fifth set, as the 36-year-old Swiss wore down over the course of the four-hour-plus contest.

The match had all the makings of a routine Federer victory after the first set, which the Swiss great won with two service breaks and the loss of just one point on his serve. But Anderson worked his way into the match in the second set, which he narrowly lost in a tiebreaker after the two players had traded service breaks.

The turning point came late in the third set. Anderson, after saving a match point on his serve in the 10th game, broke Federer’s serve in the ensuing game and then clinched the set with a final service hold. One service break in the seventh game of the fourth set was then all Anderson would need to force a decider.