Top-seeded players continue to fall at the 2014 Wimbledon Championships.
On Friday, two more notable contenders received unfortunate early exits from the tournament, as No. 16 Fabio Fognini was upset by No. 20 Kevin Anderson, and perhaps even more surprisingly, No. 2 Na Li was defeated by Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in a marathon match.
Would more top-seeded players continue to fall Saturday?
With the Day 6 matches now in the books, let's take a look at the scores from the top contenders who took the court at the All England Club.
(2) Rafael Nadal def. Mikhail Kukushkin; 6(4)-7(7), 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
Wimbledon hasn't exactly been kind to Nadal in the past couple of years, and his struggles appeared to be continuing after dropping the first set to Kukushkin on Saturday.
Early in the match, Kukushkin ran Nadal all over the court. His pinpoint accuracy and well-timed volleys earned him the tiebreak in a lengthy opening set.
Well, that seemed to motivate Nadal, who swiftly took the following three sets with ease.
As Tennis.com notes, this is becoming a trend for Nadal:
The No. 2 seed began serving very well, winning 77 percent of both his first serves and second serves. He became very aggressive, as he won 13 of 14 net points, and his consistency allowed him to finish with just 12 unforced errors compared to his opponent's 33.
Nadal moves on to the round of 16, where he will face Nick Kyrgios in what will be the pair's first meeting.
Alize Cornet def. (1) Serena Williams; 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
In a highly dramatic twist on the day, top-seeded Williams fell to Cornet and was forced to leave yet another major tournament earlier than expected.
The No. 1 seed began things the way she left off at Wimbledon, trouncing her opponent to the tune of 6-1 in the first set.
That's where things changed.
Williams began to look uneasy and hesitant, as her posture appeared to tighten up, and her game suffered as a result. The American racked up 29 unforced errors and struggled on the volley, winning just 44 percent of receiving points and just 19 of 32 break points.
Meanwhile, Cornet was brilliant. She won 73 percent of her first-serve points and an impressive 14 of 16 net points while accumulating a respectable 18 unforced errors.
Tennis Now tweeted Cornet's mentality throughout the match:
During a press conference after the match, via Vivienne Christie of Wimbledon.com, a disappointed Williams reflected on her day:
She kept her unforced errors really low. I think I made a few errors too many. You know, she was going for her shots ... She played really well today. I think everyone in general plays the match of their lives against me. So I'm pretty sure that the next match, it won't be the same. I just have to always, every time I step on the court, be a hundred times better.
Williams will have some time to rethink her strategy before her next match, while Cornet moves on to face No. 13 Eugenie Bouchard.
(4) Roger Federer def. Santiago Giraldo; 6-3, 6-1, 6-3
Federer is now into the round of 16, and he has yet to drop a set at Wimbledon. On Saturday, he dismantled Giraldo in three sets, which took a total of just 81 minutes.
Giraldo simply had no answer for Federer. The No. 4 seed was brilliant in all aspects of his play. Both his serves and volleys were on point, as Federer recorded eight aces, won 84 percent of first serves, 15 of 23 net points and 39 percent of first-serve return points while accumulating just 14 unforced errors.
Wimbledon noted Federer's impressive victory:
This is the Federer the field should fear.
The former world No. 1 has plenty of confidence and momentum going forward. He spoke about his mentality during a press conference after the match, via Kate Battersby of Wimbledon.com:
"I'm pleased, absolutely. It's been a good first week for me. I've been playing well, feeling good. Didn't drop any sets. Wasn't really in danger in any of the matches. Got a lot of info from the first week on how I need to play moving forward."
Federer's next opponent will be No. 23 Tommy Robredo. Currently, the No. 4 seed holds a career 10-1 record against his upcoming competition.
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