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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Mamata calls incoming Bengal Guv R N Ravi 'BJP cadre', alleges Bose was forced out
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that incoming Governor R N Ravi is a "BJP cadre" and claimed that the sudden exit of C V Ananda Bose from Lok Bhavan was the result of pressure from the Centre.
Addressing supporters at her ongoing dharna against deletions in voter rolls, Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to convert Lok Bhavan into a political outpost in the run-up to the assembly elections in the state.
"Have you seen how C V Ananda Bose was removed? I know everything. He was threatened. They want to distribute money from Lok Bhavan. They want Lok Bhavan to be converted into a BJP party office. But everybody may not agree to such whims and fancies of Delhi," she alleged.
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Without citing specific instances, the Trinamool Congress supremo also took a swipe at Ravi's tenure in Tamil Nadu, claiming that the governor had faced "many comments" from the Supreme Court.
"The person who is coming to West Bengal now, I heard that he had to face many comments from the Supreme Court. He is a cadre of the BJP. But remember, West Bengal is a different place. You may have done whatever you wanted in Tamil Nadu, but here you can't do that," Banerjee said.
Escalating her attack on the BJP-led Centre, the chief minister accused it of undermining constitutional institutions and not allowing governors to complete their tenures.
"The Centre is not letting anyone finish their term. You did the same thing with Jagdeep Dhankhar," she said, referring to the former West Bengal governor who later became vice president.
Banerjee said those ruling at the Centre were behaving "worse than Muhammad bin Tughlaq", invoking a phrase often used in the Indian political discourse to describe arbitrary or whimsical governance decisions.
"If you try to threaten us, we will ensure the fall of the BJP government at the Centre," she said.
Banerjee's remarks come amid a fresh political storm triggered by Bose's sudden resignation earlier this week, just days before the Election Commission is expected to announce the schedule for the West Bengal assembly polls.
In a dramatic development on Thursday evening, Bose stepped down from his post in New Delhi, setting off intense political speculation in the state.
Soon after the resignation, Banerjee said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had informed her that Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi would take over as the governor of West Bengal.
Ravi, however, is yet to assume charge.
The developments have added fuel to the already tense political climate in the state, where the Trinamool Congress and the BJP are locked in a fierce battle ahead of the assembly elections, with the Lok Bhavan often emerging as a flashpoint during Banerjee's confrontations with the Centre.
Banerjee's latest remarks also signal a renewed attempt by the ruling TMC to frame the upcoming polls as a fight to "protect West Bengal's autonomy" from what it calls interference by the BJP-led central government, a narrative the party has repeatedly deployed in past electoral contests.
