Khan Tsonga keep winning at Wimbledon?

Results of matches at Wimbledon on Wednesday could have brought the top four players into the semifinals OR could have seen all their less well-known opponents get through.  The outcomes spoiled the pattern I was looking for.  The only improbable ending was a win by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12th-seeded) that spoiled an inconceivable Roger Federer record of 178-0 when leading by two sets.

Today, Tsonga is playing Novak Djokovic (2nd-seeded, 2nd in the world, 46-1 in matches this year -- you can close your mouth now).  Djokovic took the first two sets from Tsonga, the first set by a width of a hair.  The loss of the first set hurt Tsonga, but the losing the second was debilitating.

Jo Willy swings his forehand like a club, serves well and hard, plays with utter abandon, and he takes little time between serves.

In the third set, he fell into a lethargy so deep, his snoring was louder than the impact of balls off the rackets.  Suddenly, with Djokovic's tires squeaking over his back, Tsonga regained the full-on energy that had fed him in the hair-raising first set.  He drew even with sweeping flat forehands and monster serves, peppering in some sweet drop shots.  Djokovic covers the court like a hoarder at a flea market; it is not easy to fiind spots to land the ball.  But this is what he did.  He took the set in a tie-break.

As I started this piece, I knew I couldn't get out five lines without one player getting to 2-0.  I thought it would be Djokovic.  I had barely spit out three lines and it was 3-0, Djokovic.  But as in the Federer match, Tsonga swings, lays out, gives a lie to the maxim that 210 men can't dig out 110 degree shots  and has gotten back one game to get the score to 5-3.

To catch up. Djokovic is serving for the fourth set and the match, which, if he wins it, will push him to world ranking of number one.  He has wanted this all his life.

He's serving at 40-15, match point now. No sound is heard because the crowd has shifted its loyalty capriciously from the underdog to the winning side: they clap rhythmically for Djokovic to finish Tsonga off.

In the time I think the word, Djokovic has thrown the ball up, struck it, homed it into the service court.  Tsonga swings and slaps it into the net.

Djo beats Jo.  The last of the new trees falls.