Federer falls to Poland's Hurkacz in Wimbledon quarters

Roger Federer, who will turn 40 on Aug. 8, said he doesn't know if he'll return
to Wimbledon next year. 2017 photo by Mal Taam 

   Roger Federer might have played his last match at Wimbledon.

   The No. 6 seed and eight-time champion lost to No. 14 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-0 today in the quarterfinals. 

   Federer made his only Northern California appearance in a 2018 exhibition in San Jose. He underwent two operations on his right knee last year and had played only eight matches this season before Wimbledon. He said he doesn't know if he'll return to Wimbledon next year. 

   "I need to take a few days," Federer, who will turn 40 on Aug. 8, told reporters. "We'll take some time tonight, see how I feel, and then we'll see what I can do to get in better shape and be more competitive.

   "I'm happy I made it as far as I did here. Of course I'd like to play again, but at my age, you're never sure what's around the corner."

   Hurkacz, 24, had never advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam tournament before this fortnight. He is scheduled to face No. 7 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy on Friday in a matchup of 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) players, ensuring a first-time major finalist. 

   Berrettini, 25, eliminated No. 16 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, a 20-year-old Canadian, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 to reach his second major semifinal. Berrettini lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the last four of the 2019 U.S. Open.

   Hurkacz and Berrettini have split two career matches, both on hardcourts.

   Nadal, 35, chose not to play at Wimbledon or in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, citing the need to recover after a demanding clay-court season.

   In Friday's other semifinal, top-ranked Novak Djokovic is set to play No. 10 seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada. 

   Djokovic dismantled unseeded Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Shapovalov, a 22-year-old left-hander, topped No. 25 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 to reach his first major semifinal.

   Djokovic is 6-0 against Shapovalov. They will meet on grass for the first time.

   Shapovalov lost in the first round of the 2016 Fairfield (Calif.) Challenger at 17 years old.

   In the men's doubles quarterfinals, No. 6 seeds Rajeev Ram, a 37-year-old volunteer assistant coach at the University of California, Berkeley from Carmel, Ind., and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain defeated No. 3 seeds and defending champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah of Colombia 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (2).

   Simone Bolelli of Italy and Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina beat No. 14 seeds Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Ben McLachlan (Cal, 2011-14) of Japan 7-6 (0), 6-4, 6-3.

   No. 4 seeds Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina dispatched unseeded Andre Goransson (Cal, 2014-17) of Sweden and Casper Ruud of Norway 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Granollers reached the singles final of the 2018 Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger. Goransson, 27, played in his first Grand Slam tournament. 

   Meanwhile, No. 5 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan advanced to the women's doubles semifinals with a 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory over No. 16 seeds Marie Bouzkova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Shibahara, a 23-year-old native of Mountain View in the San Francisco Bay Area, is making her Wimbledon debut this year.

   In the third round of mixed doubles, No. 7 seeds Neal Skupski of Great Britain and Desirae Krawczyk, a native of Palm Desert, Calif., eliminated alternates Arthur Fery, who recently completed his freshman year at Stanford, and Tara Moore of Great Britain 7-6 (5), 6-3. 

   No. 9 seeds Kevin Krawietz of Germany and Kveta Peschke, a Czech who will turn 46 on Friday, defeated No. 5 seeds Ram and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix by walkover. Peschke has won both women's doubles titles in the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif. — with Latisha Chan of Chinese Taipei in 2018 and Nicole Melichar, a Czech-born American, in 2019. 

   In junior matches:

   —Adolfo Daniel Vallejo of Paraguay outlasted Ethan Quinn of Fresno, Calif., 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 in the first round.

   —No. 6 seeds Bruno Kuzuhara of Coconut Creek, Fla., and Quinn beat wild cards Billy Blaydes and William Jansen of Great Britain 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round.

   —Clervie Ngounoue, 14, of Washington, D.C., and Alexandra Yepifanova, an incoming Stanford freshman from Lake Worth, Fla., edged Nikola Bartunkova, 15, and Barbora Palicova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6 [15-13] in a clash of unseeded teams.