Struff fights back from two sets down, reaches Wimbledon quarterfinal as Hurkacz retires
Jan-Lennard Struff, 36, came back from two sets down against Hubert Hurkacz before the Pole retired with a back injury, sending the German into his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Match recap
Jan-Lennard Struff rallied from a 0-2 set deficit to lead 4-2 in the fifth when Hubert Hurkacz, struggling with back pain, threw his racket and retired. The score stood at 3:6, 6:7 (5:7), 7:6 (7:2), 7:5, 4:2 after 3 hours and 40 minutes on Court 2. Hurkacz had controlled the early stages, taking the first set in 30 minutes, but began receiving treatment after the third set and could barely move by the end of the fourth.
It's a shame to end it like this. I am very happy. The end was pretty tough. It's incredible. You should never give up.
- Hurkacz breaks early and takes the set 6-3 in 30 minutes.
- Hurkacz wins the tiebreak 7-5 to lead 2-0 in sets.
- Struff saves the match, winning the tiebreak 7-2.
- Hurkacz receives treatment; Struff breaks late to win 7-5.
- Struff breaks for 4-2; Hurkacz retires with a back injury.
Struff's historic run
The Warstein native, ranked 74th in the world, had not won two matches at any tournament since October. In Wimbledon he beat Sebastian Baez, Brandon Nakashima and Daniil Medvedev, each time overturning precarious situations. Against Medvedev he recovered from 1:3, 3:5 and 2:5 deficits in the three sets. At 36, Struff is the oldest player in the Open Era to reach a first Grand Slam quarterfinal, doing so on his 47th attempt. Only Fabrice Santoro (54) waited longer.
I will leave everything on the court and work my ass off.
What comes next
Struff will face either world No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner or Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki. Sinner is the heavy favourite. A win would put Struff into the semifinals of a major for the first time.
Zverev also in the hunt
Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion, plays his fourth-round match on Monday against 13th seed Jiri Lehecka. If Zverev wins, two German men would reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time since 2012.
I love that about Struffi, he can lose 37 times in a row in the first round and then suddenly he plays a Grand Slam quarterfinal. He is a huge teddy bear. I don't think he has a gram of evil in him.
