Novak Djokovic had to be at his very best to get past Andrey Rublev on Tuesday, winning 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 in a thrilling clash to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
Rublev, who has never reached the semifinals of a grand slam, was in inspired form during the first set, using his huge serve and booming ground strokes to take an early lead.
However, as is so often the case when players face the imperious Djokovic, Rublev was unable to maintain the same quality and intensity as the Serb ran away with the second set.
But Rublev picked up his level again and pushed Djokovic all the way in the third set, with the 23-time grand slam champion holding serve after an epic 15-minute game to take a 2-1 lead.
Though Rublev continued to battle on, he was unable to rekindle the same form that helped him win the first set -- now a distant memory -- as an early break of serve in the fourth consigned the Russian to another bruising grand slam quarterfinal defeat.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
