Chile’s Cristian Garin staged a dramatic fight to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday, trailing two sets and saving two match points to defeat Alex de Minaur.
Unseeded Garin looked down and out after trailing two sets, but took the third set at a tie-break and won 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-. 4, 7-6 (10/6) in a fierce match that lasted 4 hours 34 minutes.
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“To be honest, I have no words yet,” said 43rd-ranked Garin. “I have given what I have.
“It was a very tough fight. It was a fight. I think Alex is an incredible player, one of the best players on the grass for me.
“I’m completely exhausted. I just gave my best, and I think in the fifth set it was for him or me…. I tried to be aggressive, went to the net and tried to be aggressive with my serve as well. Tried it. I think that was the key.”
19th seed De Minaur was in charge from the start after the break in the first game, before repeating the feat later in the set.
The Australian, who defeated Garin on grass in Eastbourne last month, topped the second set, which included five breaks of serve to get an iron grip on the match.
But Garin appeared energetic again, finding lines with his clubbed groundstroke and de Minaur’s early energy began to fade as the Chilean claimed the third and fourth sets to decide.
After an early exchange of breaks, a tense fifth set went the way of Chile, who had to intercept two de Minaur match points while serving at 4-5.
Garin was more consistent in the deciding-set tie-break, securing the first Grand Slam quarter-final when de Minaur went long with a backhand.
The Chilean, 26, was due to lose to last year’s finalist Matteo Berrettini in the first round at Wimbledon, but the Italian was forced to withdraw with the coronavirus.
Instead, he faced the lucky loser Elias Yammer of Sweden, defeating Hugo Grenier of France and American Jenson Brooksby to reach the fourth round at the All England Club.
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