Cameron Norrie reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon against Belgian David Goffin; Heather Watson’s run was finished in the fourth lap by Center Court first-timer Jule Niemeier; Roger Federer says he hopes to play one more time at the All England Club before retiring from tennis
Last Updated: 03/07/22 6:12 pm
Cameron Norrie beat Tommy Paul to reach quarterfinals at Wimbledon
Cameron Norrie reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in 19 attempts at Wimbledon midday Sunday, but Heather Watson’s run was ended by Center Court debutant Jule Niemeier.
The 9th seed overcame another American, Steve Johnson, in the third round and he built that up with another stellar performance on No 1 Court, beating 30th seed Paul by a margin. 6-4 7-5 6-4.
Having never previously made it past the third round at a Grand Slam, Norrie is thriving in her first deep run and will be prioritized to advance further, with the Belgian yet to be appreciated. David Goffin his opponent in the last eight.
Watson bows to the growing German Niemeier
Heather Watson bows to leave Wimbledon after losing to Germany’s Jule Niemeier in the 4th round on Sunday
Britain’s No 4 Watson had a memorable run to the round of 16, her best performance of any Grand Slam.
But a place in the quarter-finals proved to be far ahead of the 30-year-old from Guernsey as young German Niemeier won 6-2 6-4.
Niemeier, 22, may not be beaten but she beat 2nd seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round, and showed her quality with a stunning goal from the bottom line while chasing a tire. Watson’s shadow.
It was a flat first set for Watson, who crashed twice and hit the net in frustration after missing a simple volley to bring back the set point.
The home side’s hopes were lifted quickly as Watson confidently took a 2-0 lead in the second, but she was unstoppable and double fouled when Niemeier hit back straight.
Two more double errors in her next match marked the end for Watson as Niemeier, ranked 97th and playing only in her second Grand Slam, ending the victory in one hour and 17 minutes.
“I’ll keep leaving, as I always do. I’ve been here quite a while and I hope to stay here at least a little longer.”
Heather Watson
“As soon as I stepped off the court I was obviously extremely disappointed. I looked at every game here as a huge opportunity and have taken advantage of it to this day,” Watson said.
“But credit to my opponent. I feel like she played really well, especially in that first set. The tennis was perfect.”
She hopes the best Grand Slam of her career can lead to bigger and better things.
The 30-year-old said: “I think in women’s content, people usually break out later.
“I think experience is worth a lot. Everyone’s journey is different. This is mine. I broke barriers this week. So I definitely crave more.
“I believe in tennis and my game. I still really enjoy it, I think that’s really important. So I’m going to keep plugging in, like I always do. I’ve been playing for quite a while. yes and I hope it will be at least a little longer.”
Niemeier next will face 103rd place Tatjana Maria in an all-German clash.
Maria, who returned from maternity leave just under a year ago, continues her dream journey fighting from one set down, saving two points in the second set, to overtake the former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 5-7 7-5 7 -5.
The underrated Belgian Goffin reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019, after a grueling encounter with the American Frances Tiafoe with a thrilling 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 5-7 win. 6-4 7-5 in four games hours and 36 minutes.
Federer hints at Wimbledon return in surprise visit
Roger Federer waves to the crowd during Center Court’s 100th anniversary on Midweek Sunday
Roger Federer received a standing ovation when he returned to Wimbledon to lead a celebration marking the centenary of Central Stadium.
Absent from this year’s tournament for the first time since 1997 as continuing to recover from knee surgery, Federer received the biggest cheer in the parade of former champions.
Swiss great Federer delivered a characteristically humble speech, saying he felt “awkward” to return to the court without playing and that he had “missed” Wimbledon this year.
“I hope I can come back again,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner, who is currently out with a knee injury, told the audience.
“The knee is already stuck for me but I’m happy at home, it’s been a good year.”
Nearly 30 major singles title winners including Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Venus Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray stepped out to warm applause.
There were several notable absentees, including seven-time singles champions Pete Sampras and Serena Williams and nine-time winner Martina Navratilova, who was forced out of the All England Club after testing positive for coronavirus .
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