Anderson edges Isner in epic match to reach Wimbledon final
London, July 14 : Kevin Anderson advanced to his first Wimbledon final by outlasting John Isner 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (9-11), 6-4, 26-24 in the longest semi-final in Grand Slam tennis history.
Anderson finally broke Isner on the 13th attempt in the fifth set and then held serve in the following game to wrap up the victory in six hours and 36 minutes, reports Efe.
The match began as expected with neither player able to earn a single service break over the first two sets.
The 6-foot-8 South African took the opener after saving one set point in the tiebreaker, finishing it off when Isner hit a forehand into the net.
The second set also came down to a tiebreaker, but this time it was the American who came out on top when he threw down an ace on the final point.
The third set appeared to mark a key turning point in the match, with Isner rallying from a break down and then also coming back from a mini-break down to win the tiebreaker after Anderson committed a costly double fault on set point.
But the South African showed no sign of discouragement and was also the fitter player on Friday even though he had had to play more than four hours on Wednesday in a 2-6, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 upset of Swiss eight-time champion Roger Federer.
He won the fourth set despite once again squandering a service-break lead and appeared to have the edge heading into the decider.
Although both players had shown an ability to make inroads on their opponent's serve, the fifth set turned into a marathon featuring one service hold after another.
Anderson clearly had the edge though, as he did not have to face a single break point in the final set and forced Isner, who was clearly looking like the more fatigued player, to battle his way out of numerous 0-30 holes.
Finally, the South African broke through in the 49th game of the set when Isner lost serve by dumping a backhand into the net.
In the ensuing game, Anderson held serve one last time and clinched the victory when an Isner mishit drifted wide.
The match clocked in as the second-longest in Wimbledon history, topped only by Isner's epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 70-68 victory over Nicolas Mahut in the 2010 edition of the tournament, a match that lasted 11 hours and five minutes and was played over three days.
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Rocket from Yemen strikes Tel Aviv, injuring 16, as Palestinians mourn 19 dead in Gaza
Tel Aviv, Dec 21: A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people slightly injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians.
A further 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit just before 4 am Saturday, the military said.
The Houthi rebels issued a statement on the Telegram messaging app saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.
The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.
The Israeli military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won't stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “that will lead to the immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The port at Hodeida has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides' attacks risk further escalation in the region and undermine UN mediation efforts.
