Roger Federer Reaches Wimbledon 2016 Semis After Five-Set Win Over Marin Cilic
Match result:
Lucas Pouille has staged a brilliant come from behind victory over Australian Bernard Tomic to advance to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
It is the first time in the Frenchmans career he has made the quarter-finals of any grand slam, and after a match that was played at a cracking pace he managed to emerge victorious.
Being down two sets to one, things were looking less than promising for Pouille, however, he held his nerve and served to stay in the match on the back of his strong serve multiple times at the end of the fifth set before breaking Tomic and taking the victory.
All that only occurred after a pair of rain delays and a medical timeout for Pouille, who had to have his ankle strapped. Despite not seeming to be bothered by the ankle, his style of play seemed to change from conservative to aggressive following the timeout. It was clear the longer the match went on, before drawing to a close after just 2 hours and 55 minutes, that the ankle wouldnt bother him.
Both players were looking to fly through their points and games, wasting absolutely no time and it came back to haunt Tomic, who appeared to be the main protagonist in that department.
He broke Pouille in the opening game of the set, before spending most of the first set and a half playing a brand of tennis that didnt suit him and quite frankly looked tired and lazy.
He wasnt moving his feet, putting intensity into shots or looking like he was going to win any points through power, before eventually dropping the first set.
Following a short rain delay where the players didnt leave the court and an injury timeout, Tomic started to get into his match and it was about then that the pace dramatically picked up.
Both players struggled with their first serves throughout the match, but it was simply a loss of focus and concentration at the end, plus having no ability to control the serve of Pouille that cost the Australian the match.
Pouille now goes onto play either Jiri Vesely or Tomas Berdych
Final score:Bernard Tomic 4 6 5 4 8Lucas Pouille 6 4 3 6 10
Match preview:A spot in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon is up for grabs when Australian Bernard Tomic faces 32nd seed Lucas Pouille. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from around 11:30pm (AEST).
Tomic has had far from an easy run through the first three rounds, however seems to be playing better the longer the tournament goes on.
He started things off against Fernando Verdasco in a match that went to five sets, which was probably expected leading in. Tomic had to come back in that match after losing the first set, and while he was pushed, his rhythm improved.
That trend continued during a hard four-set slog against Radu Albot, in a match he should have taken in straight sets. Due to the rain they were back-to-back matches, and Tomic looked something of a different player in the third round.
There he defeated 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets. It was a dominant showing from Tomic, and he will need more like it moving forward if he is to continue advancing.
It was promising from Tomics point of view that he was very strong against the serve of Agut, winning plenty of points and converting 50 per cent of break points.
Pouille on the other hand managed to pick up the 32nd seed under Wimbledons complicated system and like Tomic has had a less than easy run through the tournament.
The youngster has never been past the second round of a grand slam, but has seen rapid improvement over the last 12 months and enjoys playing on the grass courts.
He knocked off Marius Copil in the first round, taking four sets before defeating Donald Young in a dominant straight sets display. He then took on the in-form Juan Martin del Potro, losing the first set before coming up with the goods under pressure to win in four.
Pouilles biggest strength is his serve and he picked up a huge 18 aces against del Potro. Given that, Tomic probably needs to get a much better first serve going, so he doesnt have to rely on winning receiving points as much.
The pair have never faced off before this meeting, and the winner will play either Jiri Vesely or Tomas Berdych.
PredictionThe whole outcome of this match could well come down to whether Tomic can stay consistent for the duration I expect him to lose a set, but take the win nonetheless.
Tomic in four sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores and coverage of this fourth-round Wimbledon match from 11:30pm (AEST) and dont forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
Source: http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/07/04/bernard-tomic-vs-lucas-pouille-wimbledon-live-scores-blog/
