LONDON: Defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled off the great escape at Wimbledon when he survived a barrage from big-hitting South African Kevin Anderson to reach his seventh successive Wimbledon quarter-final on Tuesday.

The top seed came from behind to win 6-7 (6-8), 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 in a last-16 tie suspended due to bad light on Monday at the end of the fourth set.

The Serb, who has now reached 25 Grand Slam quarter-finals in a row, goes on to face Croatia’s US Open champion Marin Cilic on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals.

Cilic made his way into the quarter-finals by beating unseeded American Denis Kudla 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Monday.

Djokovic’s win completed the men’s quarter-final line-up.

In the other last eight duels on Wednesday, seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer will play Gilles Simon, 2013 champion Andy Murray will face Vasek Pospisil and French Open champion Stan Wawrinka will be up against Richard Gasquet.

Djokovic walked away a mightily relieved man after a match spanning two days in which the world number one lost the first two sets to the 14th-seeded Anderson before clawing back to level in fading light on Monday.

“I was two sets down, to come back and win in five gives me great satisfaction and confidence for the next challenge,” he said after the normal order was restored.

“I think he served exceptionally well. This was one of the most difficult matches I have played at Wimbledon and maybe in my career.”

After their match was suspended following three hours and two minutes of combat on Monday, it was the 29-year-old Anderson who was the more aggressive first up on Tuesday.

Djokovic had to save two break points in the fourth game but Anderson eventually paid a heavy price for his all-or-nothing approach as he tried to break through into a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time in 26 attempts.

He served up two double faults to go match points down in the 12th game and Djokovic secured victory when the South African giant bungled a volley off a blistering service return by the top seed.

On Monday, Djokovic and Anderson were forced off court in the twilight with their last-16 clash tantalisingly poised at two sets all and their Wimbledon audience begging for more.

The match was halted as dusk closed in after Djokovic had fought back from two sets down having been thoroughly outplayed by a fired up Anderson before rediscovering his A-game.

It was a remarkable conclusion to a day when a whiff of predictability had permeated the hectic schedule in the men’s draw where Federer, Murray and Wawrinka had claimed comfortable victories.

Swiss second seed Federer reached his 13th quarter-final at the grass-court major with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over 20th-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in just 96 minutes.

The result extended a remarkable run of serving by Federer, who has not been broken in eight straight matches and 106 games, and set up a quarter-final with French 12th seed Simon, who 2010 runner-up and sixth seed Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

British third seed Murray’s bid for a second Wimbledon title continued largely untroubled, with the third seed emerging unscathed from the crosshairs of Ivo Karlovic.

The giant Croat fired down 29 aces and regularly tipped the speed gun over 130mph but Murray made the most of his chances and, bar a brief wobble when he lost the third set, claimed a comfortable 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory.

Murray, the 2013 champion, will next face unseeded Canadian Pospisil who came back from two sets down to beat Viktor Troicki of Serbia 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Fourth-seeded Swiss Wawrinka defeated Belgian 16th seed David Goffin 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals for the second successive year.

To make it to the semi-finals, Wawrinka will have to beat French 21st seed Richard Gasquet who defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (8-6) to avenge a second round loss to the temperamental Australian in 2014.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015

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