Jan-Lennard Struff again proved his outstanding fighting qualities on Wednesday evening. The German was already trailing Ivo Karlovic from Croatia 2-0 in sets, but after a good four hours he was still 6:7(5), 3:6, 7:6(4), 7:6(4) 13:11 behind the 39-year-old. Now Struff meets eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.
With his 20th participation in a Grand Slam tournament, the 28-year-old is now in the third round for the first time. For the third time, he turned a 2-0 set deficit into a win, for the second time in two days.
Struff had started well against 39-year-old Karlovic and scored five break points in the first set. But the mighty serveman Karlovic, who finally hit 61 aces in the whole game, proved his nerves of steel. Afterwards, a big fight developed in which Karlovic first managed the first break of the day in the second set, but Struff finally had the better end in his favour with the second set.
Struff, who had already fought Argentinean Leonardo Mayer in a five-set match on Monday, is now rewarded for his third duel with record Grand Slam winner Federer. Most recently, he faced the Swiss at the Australian Open in January, losing as clearly as he did at the first match at the grass court tournament in Halle/Westphalia two years earlier.
Struff is the first German in round three. In the evening Philipp Kohlschreiber will also play his second match, top player Alexander Zverev (No. 4) is only on duty on Thursday, the five other German starters had each failed due to their first round task.