Roger Federer, the no. 3 seed in Mens' singles, was upset by the unseeded Sergiy Stakhovsky. For the first time since 2004, Federer failed to reach a grand slam quarterfinal after falling in four sets, 7-6, 6-7, 5-7, 6(5)-7 (7).
The match was incredible to watch as both players went back and forth in every set. All four sets went to tiebreakers and as offense dictated the pace of this match. Neither player was able to break the other's serve early on in the match.
Stakhovsky finished with 17 aces compared to Federer's 16. However, he also finished with 17 unforced errors compared to Federer's 13. Federer tried buckling down late in the match, while Stakhovsky almost lost his cool, committing five unforced errors to Federer's one unforced error in the final set.
Since Federer didn't play poorly at all, was the shoe change a problem for him? No excuses. Credit has to be given to Stakhovsky, who matched Federer's performance throughout their match. Through the first two sets, Stakhovsky had 19 winners to Federer's 20. Both had won 43 points and Federer had edged Stakhovsky by just one ace, 11-10.
In the second set, both players exchanged blows as, identical to the first set this one went to a tiebreak. Stakhovsky took the set as Federer couldn't time a backhand. It was Federer's first dropped set at Wimbledon 2013.
Federer almost blinked in the third set as Stakhovsky took a 30-0 lead. Federer used his serve to roar back, winning three consecutive points. Federer eventually forced deuce as he smacked the ball straight into the net. After deuce, Stakhovsky took the advantage, but returned a Federer serve too wide. He then returned another serve long as Federer reached advantage. The Swiss proceed to put away the seventh game with a serve Stakhovsky was unable to return. Federer took the 4-3 lead in the third set.
Stakhovsky bounced back to win the 10th game with an ace, tying the set 5-5. Federer had to roar back in the 11th game as he fell behind 40-15, but was ultimately broken by Stakhovsky, who took a 6-5 lead. In the following game, Stakhovsky didn't waste any time, putting away the set, winning it on a cross court shot with the perfect angle.
Federer roared out of the gates in the fourth set, quickly winning the first game, winning four straight points, but Stakhovsky answered right back to tie the set. But the fourth set belonged to Stakhovsky as he broke Federer's serve in the third game. Federer was unable to put away the game with a volley and Stakhovsky took advantage to take the lead without hesitation.
Federer attempted a furious comeback late in the match. He won two straight games to take a 4-3 advantage, but relented to Stakhovsky in the next game to tie things up. Just how the match began, the two reached tiebreak, but Stakhovsky took control and put away Federer 7-5 to win the match.
