Angelique Kerber yesterday crashed out of Wimbledon and lost her hold on the world No. 1 ranking, while five-time champion Venus Williams became the oldest All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club quarter-finalist in 23 years.
Kerber was beaten 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Spanish 14th seed Garbine Muguruza as the German’s fourth-round exit extended a miserable run for last year’s runner-up.
The 29-year-old, who lost to Serena Williams in the final 12 months ago, has failed to make the last eight at any of this year’s three Grand Slams.
Photo: AFP
Kerber had taken the top ranking from Serena Williams in March, but her Wimbledon defeat leaves her with a dismal 0-9 record against top-20 opponents this year.
Muguruza, the 2015 Wimbledon runner-up, goes on to play Russian seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova for a place in the semi-finals.
With only two women’s matches scheduled for Wimbledon’s two show courts yesterday, Kerber was exiled to Court 2.
It was a decision that brought criticism for Wimbledon chiefs and Kerber was visibly frustrated by the state of surface after she slipped on several barren patches of grass on the baseline.
Despite her complaints, Kerber managed to take the first set, but Muguruza hit her stride as she took the second.
Kerber twice led by a break in the final set, but could not close out the victory as Muguruza showed she has been absorbing the lessons of coach Conchita Martinez, the only Spanish woman to win Wimbledon.
Granted show-court billing, Venus Williams did not hang around as she crushed 19-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh 6-3, 6-2 in 64 minutes on Centre Court.
Williams made her Grand Slam debut at the 1997 French Open, seven months before Konjuh was born, and at 37 years and 29 days, she is Wimbledon’s oldest female quarter-finalist since Martina Navratilova in 1994.
Williams plays French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, who advanced after finally converting her eighth match point to defeat Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 (8/6).
Kuznetsova reached her first Wimbledon quarter-final in 10 years with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Polish ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.
Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova is also into her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win over Croatian qualifier Petra Martic.
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