Wilfried Tsonga shredded the Wimbledon script with a devastating fightback to knock six-time champion Roger Federer out Wednesday and clinch a semifinal showdown against Novak Djokovic. Federer's unlikely 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 capitulation on a stunned Center Court was the first time he had lost a Grand Slam match from two sets up and meant there would be no repeat of the semifinal line-up at the French Open in which the world's leading quartet faced off. The other usual suspects will be present although defending champion Rafa Nadal had painkilling jabs to numb the pain of a mystery foot injury before a 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 defeat of American Mardy Fish to set up a repeat of last year's semifinal against Briton Andy Murray. Fourth seed Murray, who also lost to Nadal in the French Open semis this month, outclassed unseeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to the delight of the crowd dreaming of a first British men's singles winner for 75 years. Djokovic, eyeing his first title at the grasscourt slam and the world No. 1 ranking, ended the dream run of Australian teenager Bernard Tomic in a cat and mouse duel on Court One, although the 24-year-old second seed was far from his best. Federer's defeat in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year came completely out of the blue. The 29-year-old Swiss has been in sublime form during the championships and was strongly fancied to win a seventh Wimbledon title to match the feat of American Pete Sampras. The first two sets resembled nothing more than a light sparring session for Federer as he went through his silky repertoire to build a commanding lead. His title bid began to disintegrate, though, as Tsonga broke in the fifth game to halt Federer's momentum and he overpowered the 16-time grand slam champion with a stunning display of fearless tennis. “I felt so good on the court. I was quick. I was just perfect today,” Tsonga told reporters after only his second comeback from a two-set deficit. “Every time I was feeling like a dream.” A strangely distant Federer seemed resigned to his fate as Tsonga roared past him and he was sanguine despite a defeat that raises question marks about his ability to add to his record haul of major silverware. “Except the score, many many things went right,” Federer, who played better than he did in last year's quarterfinal defeat by Tomas Berdych, told reporters. “I thought I played a good match myself. I'm actually pretty pleased with my performance today. It's kind of hard going out of the tournament that way, but unfortunately it does happen sometimes.” For a player who won his first 41 matches of the year Djokovic looked vulnerable against Australian upstart Tomic who chipped away at the Serb's confidence with clever play that made a mockery of his 18 years. After an understandably nervy start to his first grand slam quarterfinal he settled down and had plenty of chances to produce another massive shock before Djokovic's greater experience helped him to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory. Djokovic is now just one victory away from knocking Nadal off the top of the rankings even if the Spaniard goes on to retain his title. The women return to the spotlight Thursday when Maria Sharapova takes on Germany's Sabine Lisicki in the semifinals and Petra Kvitova plays Victoria Azarenka.
