Kvitova lets it slip

Petra Kvitova let her lead slip, and let her title go. Former top-ranked player Jelena Jankovic beat the defending Wimbledon champion 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday on Centre Court, coming back from a set and a break down to reach the fourth round at the All England Club for the first time since 2010.

Kvitova, who also won the title in 2011 and was seeded second this year, had an easy time in her first two rounds, losing only three games. And it looked like more of the same while leading 6-3, 4-2 until Jankovic started her comeback.

Jankovic, who finished 2008 at No. 1 in the rankings after playing in her only Grand Slam final at that year’s U.S. Open, broke Kvitova to get back on serve at 4-4 in the second set, and then broke again to force a deciding set.“Playing on grass is very difficult for me. It does not come natural,” said Jankovic, a Serb seeded 28th at this year’s tournament. “I just tried to stay one point at a time, just hang in there, stay positive and fight, and I made it.”

Since reaching the fourth round in 2010, Jankovic had lost in the first round three times and made the second round in 2013.For Kvitova, it was her earliest exit at Wimbledon since losing in the first round in 2009. Besides her two titles, she has also reached the semifinals and twice made the quarterfinals.

Roger Federer had no such trouble, despite losing a set. The seven-time champion beat Sam Groth of Australia 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 to reach the fourth round. Groth did have his moments, including a 147 mph (236 kph) serve that is the second fastest in Wimbledon history. Federer didn’t return it, but he managed to get some racket on it, making it a service winner instead of an ace.

“I think it’s about keeping a short backswing on the return, trying to see it,” Federer said of his tactics against the big-serving Australian. “And then also sometimes guessing the right way at the right times, remembering patterns where he’s gone to, where he’s been successful, and where not.”

Federer will next face Spanish 20th seed Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarter-finals.

In the women’s draw, fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the fourth round by beating Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-2, 6-2 and No. 20 Garbine Muguruza of Spain defeated 2012 semifinalist Angelique Kerber 7-6 (12), 1-6, 6-2. Wozniacki will face Muguruza.Muguruza, who made the French Open quarter-finals this year, saved nine set points in the opener on her way to a first appearance in the second week at Wimbledon.

Romania’s Monica Niculescu also made the last 16 for the first time, beating Czech world number 134 Kristyna Plískova 6-3, 7-5.She will face Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky who put out 2013 runner-up Sabine lisicki 6-3, 6-2 to book a spot in the last 16 for the first time.3 wins for indiaIt was double delight for Indian fans at the Wimbledon as leander Paes moved into the pre-quarterfinals with partner Daniel Nestor and Sania Mirza also entered Round 3 in the mixed doubles event here.

Paes and Nestor had to dig deep into their reserves to prevail over Yen-Hsun lu and Teymuraz Gabashvili in a marathon men’s doubles second-round match.

The 11th seeded Indo-Canadian pair were pushed by the Taipei-Russian combination before managing a 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory.In the mixed doubles draw, the second-seeded pair of Sania and Soares made short work of Janette Husarova and Andre Begemann 6-2, 6-4 in the second round encounter.

The Indo-Brazil combine got past the Slovak-German pair in 61 minutes to move into the last-16.

The men’s doubles match was a three-hour 15 minute affair with both pairs trading breaks only twice as high quality tennis was on display.

For a place in the quarterfinals, they will now fight it out with the eighth seeded team of Alexander Peya from Austria and Bruno Soares from Brazil.

Meanwhile in girl’s singles, Pranjala Yadlapalli made a confident start to her campaign with a straight set win over Colombia’s Maria Fernanda Herazo Gonzalez winning 6-4, 6-2.