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It was another beautiful day for Roger Federer, even though he spent it relaxing with his young family. An acclamation had to come up in the house when news of Marin Cilic's disappearance filtered through Thursday afternoon. In the realm of the Swiss veterans, the calm seems to have calmed down after another champion has experienced an appalling end.
The challengers of Federer's reign flicker like Neymar at his worst theatrical level. Major obstacles blocking the way to the No. 1 seed at Wimbledon after Cilic succumbed to a defeat in the second round by Guido Pella, an Argentine who took advantage of a late rain to defend against two sets .
This was evidence that Federer, who plays Friday against German Jan-Lennard Struff, does not always have to pick up a racket to thrive on those lawns. The Swiss have already seen Borna Coric, who beat him at the Halle final last month, and Grigor Dimitrov left his camp and the course from the 36th to the 12th final looks even more attractive now that Cilic has Is no longer there.
The warning is that the dangers are still hidden. A quarter-final against favorite No. 8 Kevin Anderson, who reached the third round with a four-set victory over Italian Andreas Seppi, would be embarrassing for Federer, who could be embarrassed by Milos Raonic, 13th head of series. But Cilic was the main threat. The No. 3 seed was a possible opponent in the semifinal and many had put it down to avenge his humiliation in the final last year. Instead, the affable Croatian tripped, losing 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 against a 28-year-old player who Had never tasted victory at Wimbledon before this week. 19659005] Sign up for The Recap, our weekly e-mail editor's choice
It was a terrible disappointment for Cilic, who was sailing in 6-3, 6-1, 3-2 before being delayed by a late rain Wednesday night. It was the turning point. While the game had been canceled on the outdoor courts due to slippery conditions, they were more optimistic about Court # 1. Cilic had to think that he had time to finish the job against the world. 82.
Yet when the game resumed after a long and somewhat wacky inspection of the grass, it was Pella who grabbed control. Ciliary slippage. "This is not good," Cilic told the referee, who decided to call him a night.
They came back on Thursday and Pella took the third set, dominated a tie-break and made his decision. Cilic, on the contrary, was anxious at the end. The footwork of the former US Open champion gave up and he had to save two match points with excellent service in the 10th game.
Pella, who will then face Mackenzie Macdonald from the United States, continues to push. A third opportunity came begging when he hit long after a second serve, but Cilic could not escape, but he did not escape Cilic, who beat Novak Djokovic in the final at Queen's last month. the All England Club for Wednesday's return. "We were just waiting behind the field," he said. "When we came back, it was not raining, when we warmed up, it started to rain again, the courtyard was not so dry, we were talking to the referees and they said that if we want to continue, we We decided we'd try it, but the yard was still pretty slippery.It was a shame to end the day like that.We had a choice.We just did a try. "[19659002] Pella's reward for trying was the biggest victory of her career. "It's not my favorite surface but I'm trying to improve it," he said. "The rain came and today I felt much more confident."
There is hope for the underdogs, and there was another surprise when Thomas Fabbiano, an Italian qualifier, finished 7-6 (7), 6- 3, 7-6 (6 ) on Stan Wawrinka, who was not as lucky as the other maestro of Switzerland
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