Wimbledon: Roger Federer overtaken by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets

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Roger Federer, seeded third and aiming for his seventh Wimbledon title, was a stunned loser on Wednesday to 12th-seeded Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga on Centre Court in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

For the first time in 179 major tournament matches, Federer lost a two-set lead and fell to the Frenchman, 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Tsonga danced and twirled his way off the court.

Tsonga showed no hint of nerves when he served out the final game of the match and finished with two big service winners.

‘It was just amazing today,’ said Tsonga, who will play second-seeded Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. ‘I played unbelievable. Everything was in. To come back from two sets down was just amazing. I am so happy. It’s crazy.

‘He’s the biggest champion in my sport, he has achieved a lot of things. He is just the best player in the world, I’m so happy to win against him, especially on grass.’

Federer never got a break point against Tsonga’s serve in the final three sets and Tsonga’s punishing power kept Federer off balance. Federer, 29, has now lost in the quarterfinals on his most dominant surface two years in a row. Last year Tomas Berdych upset the six-time champion. Federer was aiming to tie Pete Sampras with seven Wimbledon singles titles, most among the men. He has also failed to win a major title since the 2010 Australian Open.

This will be Tsonga’s first Wimbledon semifinal appearance. He was in the 2008 Australian Open finals but his progress has been repeatedly slowed by a variety of injuries.

Wednesday, though, Tsonga won not only with big groundstrokes that were often punctuated with loud ‘oomphs,’ but he was also willing to play dainty drop shots and sneaky volleys. Tsonga had beaten Federer only once in five previous meetings, on a hard court in Montreal in 2009.

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-- Diane Pucin in Wimbledon, England

Top photo: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France celebrates after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland in their quarterfinal match at Wimbledon on Wednesday. Credit: Toby Melville / Reuters

Roger Federer reacts during his match against France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday. Credit: Alastair Grant / Associated Press