Petra Kvitova’s dream of a repeat came to an end on Super Saturday, as Jelena Jankovic pulled off the upset in the third round at Wimbledon. “I think that Serena sometimes needs kind of this fight during the tournament”. “I think it’s going to take me a few days, a few weeks maybe”.
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“But that’s how it is”. It’s tennis. I’m still human. “I’m not a robot”. “But if I’m hitting my spots, it’s quite effective”, Jankovic said.
“I’m not really sure what happened out there”, said the left-hander. I’m overwhelmed. I’m so excited.
She said she was still feeling the after-effects of that illness against Jankovic.
Kvitova came into Saturday’s clash having held in 14 straight games without facing a break point.
Federer will next face Spanish 20th seed Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarter-finals.
Ivo Karlovic rode his hard serve into the second week of Wimbledon, beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga despite not earning a single break against the Frenchman.
Romania’s Monica Niculescu also made the last 16 for the first time, beating Czech world number 134 Kristyna Plskova 6-3 7-5. “The last couple of years I played so poorly”, Jankovic told the BBC afterward.
“After that I knew I could do it. I was fighting”. And I am healthy, motivated.
“The schedule is to go to the airport and take the earliest flight, because tomorrow morning, I have club matches in Cologne, Germany”, said the 30-year-old.
“And I don’t know for how much longer I can do this, but right now I don’t have an issue with injuries”. A double fault and a handful of unforced errors from Kvitova in the 12th game saw the Serbian clinch a second break to pocket the set and level the match.
“I was just happy to be playing and competing on grass”.
She said: “I wasn’t ill”.
“I don’t care, to be honest, because it’s too late”.
“Being on Centre Court against the defending champion was unbelievable and the crowd was great, so I’m really, really happy I was able to win this match”.
It is the 29-year-old Serb’s first last-16 run at Wimbledon since 2012 and his best performance at a Grand Slam since returning from a 12-month drugs ban in July previous year.
John Isner’s serve let him down in a loss to reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic (CHIHL’-ihch) 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-7, 12-10.
When the Czech broke to love in the third game of the second set, she looked set up wrap up another quick-fire win as she moved 4-2 ahead.
Meanwhile, Danish fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki reached the last 16 for the fourth time with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over Italy’s Camila Giorgi.
Wozniacki, the ex- world number one, has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, and will be aiming to avoid a fifth defeat at that stage when she tackles Muguruza.
Muguruza also beat the German in three sets in the third round of the French Open.
Earlier, Roger Federer needed a fourth set to put Australia’s Sam Groth away on centre court to progress to the fourth round and Sabine Lisicki was knocked out by Timea Bacsinszky.
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Agnieszka Radwanska, the Polish player who was runner-up to Serena Williams three years ago, beat Australian Casey Dellacqua 6-1 6-4 and she stands next in line for Jankovic, while Olga Govortsova enjoyed a flag day as she reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time.
