Roger Federer falls to Kevin Anderson in Wimbledon quarterfinals in shocking upset

Roger Federer.
(Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

King Roger has fallen.

Swiss tennis marvel Roger Federer, a dominant force in men's tennis and the No. 1 seed at Wimbledon, lost to the No. 8-seeded South African Kevin Anderson on Wednesday in London in a heart-wrenching five sets.

The matchup began as normal, as Federer took the court expected to breeze through yet another Wimbledon match. He easily won the first set against Anderson 6-2 and began the second set strong as well, but Anderson rallied back, with Federer ultimately squeaking out his second win 7-6.

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The rest of the match was continuous back and forth, with Anderson taking the third set and the fourth, after Federer missed an opportunity while up a break to clinch the win. Both players struggled to break each other's serves in the fifth set, but Anderson baited Federer into a few crucial unforced errors, earning the chance to serve it out for the match. The final score was 2-6, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11.

Anderson will now take his place in the semifinals — his first ever at Wimbledon — against the winner of Wednesday's match between John Isner and Milos Raonic. In the meantime, tennis fans, let's pour one out for a fallen legend. See the highlights of Wednesday's match here.

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Amari Pollard

Amari Pollard is the social media editor at The Week and has written for Reader's Digest, Parents, and Inside Lacrosse. She studied journalism at Le Moyne College and can usually be found exploring Brooklyn, thrift shopping, or spending way too much money on brunch.