Federer surrenders two-set lead to crash out of Wimbledon

Roger Federer let a two-set lead slip away as he was sent careering out of Wimbledon by inspired Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

A quarter-final match which became a sensational Centre Court contest did not begin that way, with Federer easing through the first set and then taking a one-sided tie-break in the second.

But as Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez, due second on court, waited for their call, Tsonga took his first steps on a long road back which led to a 3-6 6-7 (7/3) 6-4 6-4 6-4 triumph.

Seeking a seventh Wimbledon title this year, and looking to make up for his exit at this same stage to Tomas Berdych last year, Federer broke Tsonga’s serve early and decisively.

The set went his way 6-3 in just 27 minutes, with only a momentary scare on his own serve.

It was a match which Tsonga, a Queen’s Club runner-up earlier this month, would have wanted to start on the front foot, knowing allowing Federer to get in front on his favourite court is inviting trouble – and usually defeat.

The 26-year-old Frenchman had a lucky net-cord result from the first return of serve, but lost seven of the next eight points to find himself a game and two break points down.

It was a ragged start from the underdog and he sent a forehand into the net to concede the first break.

A love game from Federer made it 3-0. Already it was an exhibition.

Tsonga registered his first game and had 30-40 against Federer’s serve after a forceful crosscourt forehand service return. He had an advantage in the same game too but sliced a weak backhand into the bottom of the net.

Federer won a scintillating rally early in the sixth game, trading fierce shots from behind the baseline before drawing Tsonga in and lifting a superb backhand lob into the far right corner.

The Frenchman did well to save the game from deuce, but he needed a break.

“Federer, you’re a genius” went up the cry from a spectator after a precise volley at the net, and it was hard to argue when he put away a difficult high backhand smash two points later. Tsonga was finding little in his repertoire to match the man on the other side of the net.

Federer had played Tsonga five times previously, losing just once, in the quarter-finals at Montreal two years ago. That was Federer's first tournament since taking a couple of weeks of paternity leave from the tour, after wife Mirka gave birth to their twin daughters. It was one of those excusable defeats.

His successes over Tsonga this year, in Doha and Rome, came in straight sets.

He managed to look increasingly solid, but it was one thing holding on his own serve and quite another challenge making any headway against Federer’s delivery.

Looking down from the Royal Box were the likes of golf legend Jack Nicklaus and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, a Federer fanatic, enamoured with his chic tennis as much as his dress sense.

When Federer planted a forehand volley into the net midway through the sixth game, gasps filled Centre Court, but it did not herald a breakthrough.

Still the only break had come in the second game of the match.

Tsonga made Federer serve to stay in the set at 5-4. The Swiss went to 30-0 with possibly the point of the championships so far, a rally which began at backcourt and inched closer to the net before Federer swiped the ball into an empty court after some remarkable survival tennis from his opponent.

A tie-break was soon required, and Tsonga gave away an immediate mini-break when he serve-volleyed but planted his backhand from the net over the baseline.

It was soon 4-0 when Tsonga punched a forehand into the net, and 5-0 when he tamely came up with the same result on the backhand.

An ace gave Federer five set points at 6-1. Tsonga saved the first with a booming forehand and the next with a neat stop volley, but not the third, and he trailed by two sets.

Federer, in his 29th consecutive grand slam quarter-final, toyed with 12th seed Tsonga in the opening game of the third set, clinching it to love with a made-to-measure drop shot.

Some of his shot-making had been tennis from the gods.

Le Mans-born Tsonga had his moments, though, notably a backhand from behind the baseline which fizzed across court and helped him advance to 15-40 against Federer’s second service game of the set.

Two fiery serves brought Federer back to deuce. The first was challenged by Tsonga, to the crowd’s amusement as replays showed the ball was neither long nor wide. Yet the next challenge came from Federer on break point and this time the verdict favoured Tsonga, whose crisp forehand passing shot had touched the line.

Tsonga had scraped a break for the first time to lead 2-1, and he backed it up well. After beating Rafael Nadal at Queen’s, there was no doubt his game was in fine order.

The ferocity of Tsonga’s serving meant the Frenchman escaped from 0-30 in the eighth game.

At 5-4, he served for the set, a searching test of sporting courage.

He hooked a forehand wide to the left, speared another into the right tramline, and was thankful for some respite when Federer floated a high backhand off the radar. An ace – by a whisker it was in – brought the game back to 30-30, and a volley gave Tsonga set point.

Federer saved that, and another, and a third. Not a fourth though, and Tsonga had a lifeline.

A love service game at the start of the fourth set should have allowed Federer to settle down.

But Tsonga responded in kind and then engineered three break points.

Two slipped away but some of the heaviest hitting imaginable pummelled Federer out of the next point. Again, Tsonga had the early break.

A cry from the crowd of “Come on Federer” sounded despairing. Serene in the early stages, as the fourth set neared its denouement suddenly the great champion was anything but.

There was no way through on the Tsonga serve and back-to-back aces gave Tsonga the fourth set 6-4.

Another break of the Federer serve came right at the outset in the decider.

Tsonga consolidated and the upset which seemed unfeasible after the second set had become a probability.

He reached 5-4, serving for the match, and never looked like wobbling with the winning line in sight.

Federer chipped a backhand over the baseline, Tsonga held to love, and duly treated the crowd to his famous victory dance, lapping up their standing ovation.

Novak Djokovic awaits him now, for the prize of a place in Sunday’s final.