Tsonga rallies past Federer at Wimbledon

LONDON, June 29 (UPI) -- Twelfth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rallied from a two-set deficit Wednesday and sent six-time champion Roger Federer packing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

In the biggest victory of his life, Tsonga knocked off Federer, the third seed and a former world No. 1, 3-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Wimbledon's center court. Their match went 3 hours, 8 minutes with Tsonga edging Federer 18-17 on aces and recording three breaks to Federer's one.

"I was two sets down and I break. I did a good game of return and after that it was just amazing," Tsonga said. "I just played unbelievable, served unbelievable and now I'm here, I'm in semifinal and I can't believe it."

The Swiss star had been 178-0 when winning the first two sets of a Grand Slam match.

"It's kind of hard going out of the tournament that way, but unfortunately it does happen sometimes," Federer said. "At least it took him sort of a special performance to beat me, which is somewhat nice."

Reigning Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal, Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and Scotsman Andy Murray also reached the semifinals.

Tsonga and Djokovic will meet in Friday's semifinals, while Nadal will play Murray the same day.

Nadal, ranked No. 1 in the world, won his 19th straight match at the All England Club with a 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory over 10th-seeded American Mardy Fish on Court 1.

Djokovic, seeded second, earned a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over 18-year-old Aussie qualifier Bernard Tomic.

Murray breezed by unseeded Spanish lefthander Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.