WIMBLEDON — Angelique Kerber and Daria Kasatkina produced the best rally so far at this year’s Wimbledon as the German powered through into the women’s semifinals.
Kerber, the 2016 runner-up to Serena Williams, set up a mouth-watering final four clash with Jelena Ostapenko at the All England Club after a 6-3, 7-5 win over Russia’s Kasatkina.
The Centre Court crowd were treated to a high-octane, powerful match that culminated in arguably the best game of the entire Championships, the highlight coming at deuce with Kerber leading 6-5 and serving for the set.
The game also featured seven match points and one of the greatest drop shots from Kasatkina that you will likely see.
Seven match points. A 25 shot rally. Hawk-Eye drama.
The best game of #Wimbledon so far? pic.twitter.com/d0jXhLZ2ag
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2018
Kerber summed it up perfectly: “The whole match was really good. The last game shows how good we played both and how she was fighting until the end. They are the matches why we are here and why we are trying to playing our best.”
Pimms, please
Serena’s quarterfinal win over Camila Giorgi will have been music to the ears of the seven-time Wimbledon champion, and there were a couple of famous artists cheering her on from the Centre Court crowd.
Rapper Drake and Justin Timberlake — along with wife Jessica Biel — were spotted on camera enjoying everything this Grand Slam had to offer, including a cheeky glass of Pimms or two.
👀 Drake watching Serena Williams during the quarters at Wimbledon. pic.twitter.com/WINqI7PIus
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) July 10, 2018
Serena’s selfie game on point
And fresh from dispatching Giorgi, Serena even had time to teach a fan how to take a proper selfie on Centre Court.
When you need a helping hand, @serenawilliams knows what to do 🤳#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/RufDY6jIbX
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2018
Murray on the mic
Andy Murray’s television debut as a pundit at Wimbledon seemed to go down very well with the tennis Twitter universe.
The two-time Wimbledon champion will also be on commentary during Wednesday’s mammoth men’s quarterfinal between world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro.
Andy Murray doing a brilliant job as a pundit on the BBC. Obviously done his homework, dropping in little stats here and there, while giving some valuable insight.
— Tom Hamilton (@tomhamiltonespn) July 10, 2018
I never ever want Andy Murray to retire from tennis. But when he does he’ll make one hell of a pundit. Great with stats and analysis. Also love how much he likes and follows the Women’s Tour too. #bbctennis #wimbledon @BBCOne
— James Matheson (@jj_matheson) July 10, 2018
I think @andy_murray is going to be an amazing pundit when he retires. Insightful, good humoured and intelligent interview regarding BOTH the @WTA & @ATPWorldTour in his chat with Sue & Tim @Wimbledon @BBCSport . Looking forward to the commentary tomorrow Andy 🙂 #Wimbeldon
— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly22) July 10, 2018
Did anyone doubt Andy Murray would be a great pundit? Dry humour and a genuine enthusiasm about all parts of the game is a winning combination.
— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 10, 2018
After watching Andy Murray as a @BBC pundit, he is wasted as just a player #Wimbledon
— Neil McLeman (@NeilMcLeman) July 10, 2018
How brillaint is @andy_murray as a pundit. So much knowledge, so much brillaint insight incredibly analytical. Would be an absolutely fantastic addition to any broadcaster post career. Superb
— Mark (@mt219310) July 10, 2018
The impossible task?
Speaking of Del Po-Nadal, the Argentine had the media room in howls of laughter following the conclusion of his fourth-round win over Gilles Simon.
During his media conference, Juan Martin Del Potro was asked how he will beat Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Wednesday. His reply brought the house down: “I don’t know, is a tough question!” The Argentinian has overcome troublesome wrist injuries over the last two years to rise to a career-high world No. 4 ranking. Now he has his eyes on a first-ever grass-court win over No. 1 Nadal. “Everybody knows the favorites are Roger and Rafa,” he said. “But the other six players are fighting for that big goal, as well. It could be a surprise this year. You never know.”
Wimbledon view
In this very cool video, Chris Fowler gives an inside look into how the Wimbledon broadcast comes to life with a visit into ESPN’s control room at SW19.
2:20
Chris Fowler gives an inside look into how the Wimbledon broadcast comes to life with a visit into ESPN’s control room.
The tall guys
Wednesday will see the tallest major matchup in a quarterfinal or later since the start of the Open era when American John Isner (6- foot-10) takes on Milos Raonic (6-foot-5).
Here’s a fun graphic from ESPN’s Stats & Info team Definitely comparing the Golden State Warriors’ “Hamptons Five” lineup to the tallest remaining men’s quarterfinalists — the heights stack up quite nicely.