Ben Curtis/AP
- South Africa's Kevin Anderson rallied from two sets down and match point to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
- Anderson's big serve and power seemed to bother Federer, who never seemed quite right.
- Federer came into the match having won 32 straight sets while not dropping a service game since last year's Wimbledon.
South Africa's Kevin Anderson pulled off the upset of Wimbledon on Wednesday with a stunning rally to beat Roger Federer and advance to the semifinals.
The eighth-seeded Anderson trailed two sets to none and faced match point in the third set before staving off elimination to win the set 7-5. He won the match, 2-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 13-11.
From there, Anderson used his massive serve to make Federer uncomfortable, gradually gaining confidence with his slices and forehands to combat Federer's defense and shot-making. Anderson had 28 aces, 27 of them coming in the final four sets.
In the 23rd game of the fifth set, Anderson finally broke Federer after the two held serve for almost the entire set. Federer double-faulted on 30-30, then drove a shot into the net on 40-30 to turn the advantage to Anderson. He held serve in the 24th game to take the match.
Even while taking a two-set lead, Federer never looked quite like the same player who came into the match on a 32-set win streak, having not lost a service game since last year's Wimbeldon semifinals. Federer's forehand was inaccurate much of the day and he seemed bothered by Anderson's power.
For Federer, it came down to unforced errors. The 36-year-old hit an atypical 2 unforced errors - fewer than Anderson, but unusual for a player who rarely beats himself.
According to ESPN, it was the deepest Federer went in Wimbledon since the 2009 final against Andy Roddick.