Key events
“Hebrew speaker here with two pedantic points,” says Jonathan Ginzburg. “The Hebrew word is actually pronounced brogez (a consonant cluster br) and `rogez’ means ‘rage’ and the antonym to brogez is Sholem (clearly the yiddishized “Shalom”), which is the state one attains after ending a ‘brogez’. This might suggest that the Hebrew brogez in modern use builds on the Yiddish (finally, the non-ashkenazi counterpart to brogez in hebrew is “tshilba”)…”
I too speak Hebrew, but was taught through conversation rather than with any grammar. As far as I understand it, you can say someone is “berogez” with someone – that’s certainly how I’ve heard it – but I defer to your obvious expetise.
Alcaraz is cruising now, directing Rune about the court like he does so many others. He leads 4-2 and this is five to over.
On Centre, it’s a takeover now, Alcaraz doing to Rune what Djokovic did to him, the consistency of his hitting too much. So when he makes 15-40, a return onto the baseline prompts a netted riposte, and that’s the break in set three, the world number 1 now leading 7-6 6-4 3-2.
Medvedev says he hasn’t won many five-setters in his career, but on No1 he’s done it twice so it might be his favourite court anywhere. There was a moment in the match when he lost it, but during the third he found himself again though he still lost it, and during the tiebreak he “managed to play amazing”. The main thing in the semi, he reckons, will be to serve a lot of aces because on grass you can play well and lose 7-6 7-6 7-6 and no one will even know the level you hit.
What a lesson Eubanks is: keep trucking, and good will out. People mature at different times and now is his, but Medvedev is a very serious dude, sticking in there through the purple patch to outlast his opponent with a performance of quality, durability and desire.
Daniil Medvedev [3] Chris Eubanks 6-4 1-6 4-6 7-6(4) 6-1!
Christopher Eubanks, what have you done?! A fantastic show but now can’t and mustn’t be the end of the story; Medvedev, meanwhile, moves on to meet either Alcaraz or Rune in his first Wimbledon semi.
Ach, Medvedev does a great job of retrieving a really good backhand, so Eubanks strides in only to overhit a tired forehand. Advantage and match point …
Medvedev holds, so Eubanks must serve to stay in the championships and 1-5 and he looks dog-tired now, a double at 40-30 meaning he’s to fight through deuce…
“I am a 66-year-old Jewish American and I have never ever heard the word broiges,” writes Mark Woldin. “Is it common in British English usage? I am delighted but perplexed.”
Er, no. It’s common in Jewish English usage, the word coming from the Hebrew “berogez”, meaning “in an argument”. It’s a very fine expression.
Now that you ask: salted caramel biscuits, Sour Patch sweets, and a shwarma in laffa – they had no baguette – with hummus, tehina, amba and charif.
On No1, meanwhile, Medvedev secures his hold for 4-0 in the decider, but this match has been a triumph for Eubanks too. He belongs at this level and more than that, he’s got one of those infectiously joyful and amiable personalities such that the crowd have properly taken to him. Of course the way he plays is part of that too – the gigantic serve, flat backhand and desire to attack wherever possible. He holds for 1-4 in the fifth, salutes Centre Court, and will know that he’s forced the world’s third-best player to mine the depths of himself to get to this point.
Thanks Dave and hi again; I’m back just in time to let you know that the brilliant Carlitos has clinched the second set to lead Rune 7-6 6-4. There’s not loads in it, but there’s enough.
With Alcaraz on the brink of going two sets up and Medvedev about to extend his lead in the decider, I’ll hand back to Daniel Harris.
A flicker of hope for the Eubanks supporters (basically 98% of the crowd) as he takes the first two points of game four to go 30-0 up on the Medvedev serve. They reach deuce, three times in fact, before Medvedev sets up a game point.
On Centre, Alcaraz takes a firm grip on his quarter-final with Rune as he breaks to go 5-4 up in the second.
A cry of frustration from Eubanks as he clobbers a forehand into the net. Then another loose one on that side gives Medvedev break point. A first serve into the net opens the door and a third Eubanks error, this time on the backhand, makes it 3-0 Medvedev. It was pure gold for a while from the American but Medvedev’s far greater ring craft has turned this match around completely.
Medvedev throws in a double of his own to peg himself back to 15-15. Eubanks is always going to find winners and a backhand keeps him right in the hunt for an immediate break back. 30-all. But Medvedev sees the threat off, holding with an ace to go 2-0 up in the fifth.
Back on Centre, Rune is 4-3 ahead in the second with Alcaraz serving.
A dramatic start to the decider as Medvedev goes 40-0 up on Eubanks’ serve, letting his opponent make the errors. Feeling the pressure, Eubanks double faults to gift his opponent the game. Looking like a huge momentum swing here.
Fun fact: Medvedev made just one unforced error in that fourth set! Eubanks racked up 16. Who wins this now?
The Alcaraz-Rune match is still tight. The Spaniard took the opener on a tie-break and it’s 2-2 in the second.
The first two points of the tie-break are shared with heavy serves before Eubanks angles a backhand groundstroke way wide. Hmmm, that was clumsy. He then totally mistimes another to give Medvedev a 3-1 advantage. Is he creaking? Maybe not. Eubanks keeps going for the lines and gets it back to 3-3, fist-pumping along the way. Medvedev slams a forehand winner to retake the lead at 4-3 before Eubanks whips a forehand wide. That’s 5-3 and it soon becomes 6-3 as the American goes long. Three set points. Eubanks saves the first with a booming serve but then buckles, dropping a limp volley into the bottom of the net. Two sets all! We’re heading into a decider!!
Answering all the questions, Eubanks pings down a pair of aces to move from 15-15 to 40-15. More serve and volley excellence takes us into a tie-break. It’s 1-1 between Rune and Alcaraz back on Centre.
Another strong hold for Medvedev as he goes 6-5 up in the fourth. Eubanks nukes four straight forehands at him at one point but he survives that onslaught and then bangs down an ace to close it out. The pressure is back on Eubanks.
On Centre, Rune holds his serve in the opening game of the second.
Rune really did very little wrong in that first set but the margins are so tight against Alcaraz. The Dane is serving first in the second.
Eubanks serve and volleys his way to 5-5 on No1. Match time 2hrs 15mins for those keeping time.
A huge roar to the skies from Alcaraz as a backhand winner from Rune’s serve gives him the opening set on the tie-break, 7-3.
Medvedev again wins a service game ridiculously quickly. Eubanks now serving to stay in the fourth set.
A double fault at 3-3 from Rune opens the door for Alcaraz, who finally opens some daylight by moving to 6-3 and earning three set points.
Eubanks is still doing his thang and that’s 4-4 in the fourth. A full house of holds so far in this set.
Medvedev starting to look ‘canny’ at times here, just hinting at weathering this ferocious Eubanks storm. A hold to love makes it 4-3 and he sits impassive in his chair. Both men are 27 but Medvedev is way more experienced in situations like this.
Guess what, it’s level in the tie break on Centre: 2-2 Alcaraz-Rune.
Can Alcaraz time this to perfection and nick the set 7-5? He has a chance at 30-30 but his volley at the net is too heavy and Rune scampers to put away the forehand. Then Alcaraz goes wide and it’s a tie-break scenario.
On No1, Eubanks is still producing Patridge-esque “shit, did you see that” tennis. He makes it 3-3 with a 126mph second serve. As you do.
Medvedev rushes through another service game to go 3-2 in front. That’s the pattern so far in this fourth set: Medvedev holding without fuss and all the drama, thrills and spills coming on the Eubanks serve.
Now it’s Rune’s turn to ask a question. The Dane goes 30-0 up on the Alcaraz serve but once more that elusive first break won’t come as the world No 1 rallies. 6-5 Alcaraz.
Back to No1 and Eubanks puffs his cheeks as an overhead smash just has enough welly behind it to force Medvedev into an error with his opponent 30-0 up early in the game. Then a crunching volley takes him to 40-30 and another overhead does the trick and that’s 2-2.
At 5-4 up, Alcaraz saves three game points to force deuce as he bounces around the court, upping his levels. But Rune isn’t yielding, a drop, a lob and a volley at the net making it 5-5.
On No1, Medvedev wins another service game in the blink of an eye to go 2-1 up in in the fourth.
Rune gets to 30-0 on the Alcaraz serve to hint at a break but the Spaniard opts to mix it up and comes to the net from his serve to reduce the gap with a cute pick-up. Alcaraz then whizzes through the next three points to hold again. Just a slight concern for Rune as he feels his groin after a slip. 5-4 Alcaraz.
On No1, Medvedev wins a couple of break points, the second after Eubanks slams a forehand into the top of the net with the court wide open. An ace undoes the damage and then a rolled Federer backhand – Medvedev can only laugh – gives him game point. But he fluffs his lines for once, dumping an easy into the net to make this the longest game of the match so far. It soon ends though thanks to a booming serve. 1-1.
Thanks Daniel. Well, what fun this is. Am absolutely glued to this Medvedev-Eubanks match. Which isn’t ideal as I have to keep flicking my eyes left to Centre where it’s 4-4 in the first set between Alcaraz and Rune. That one’s brewing.
As I type this, Medvedev has just won the opening game of the fourth set in 50 seconds. Bonkers stuff.
Back on Centre, Alcaraz leads Rune 4-3 on serve, and to chill with you through the next hour, here’s Dave Tindall; I’m off to get the biscuits about which I fantasised earlier.
I simply cannot overstate how impressive this Eubanks performance is. Against Tsitsipas, he won the points he really had to – and on tow of them he was helped by doubles – but here, he’s dominating. Of course, as I type that he slams a forehand into the tape for 15-30 … only to retrieve the deficit with a terrifying serve and forehand clean-up. Another big forehand deals with the next point, Eubanks shaking fist while Medvedev’s riposte is in the process of dropping long, and a nuclear serve out wide clinches the set! Christopher Eubanks, making his Wimbledon debut at the age of 27, leads Daniil Medvedev, the world number three, by two sets to one! He’s one away from the last four, and something significant needs to happen to alter the flow here, because yerman is going for everything and hitting almost everything. It’s incredible!
Oh yes! Sent out wide, Eubanks creams a winner cross-court, then Medvedev goes long. But he’s a very serious individual and at 0-30 hammers an ace down the middle before a serve out wide levels the game. From there, Medvedev closes out, forcing his opponent to serve for a 2-1 lead at 4-6 6-1 5-4, and this match is on a rolling boil now.
Have an absolute look! Sent out wide to fetch a serve, Rune stretches to spank a flat forehand winner cross-court that gives him 15-30. From there, though, Alcaraz holds for 3-2 while, on No1, Medvedev loses a point and swats a ball towards a cameraperson; he’s warned, but is insistent it was an accident, which, well, looks like a reach to me. Eventually, Eubanks holds for 5-3, and Medvedev will now serve to stay in the second set!
Medvedev, though, is a solid individual, and after another big Eubanks forehand makes 0-15, he wins four points on the spin; on Centre, it’s now 2-2.
Alcaraz makes 0-30 on the Rune serve but Rune quickly reaches 40-30; he’s so confident in himself that he’s pretty solid under pressure, but invited in to chase a drop, he gets underneath it and spanks his forehand reply long. No matter, he cruises through deuce while, on No1, Eubanks is having the time of his left, a sensational forehand winner off a ball Medvedev lands on baseline and toes helping him hold for 4-2.
Eubanks is flying! He breaks, consolidates, the Medvedev wins his first game in seven for 1-2 in the third. On Centre, it’s 1-1.
“One of the commentators said the Alcaraz/Rune match was THE match to watch as the lads are the ‘future of tennis’,” writes Niall O’Keefe. “Not relenting in my support for Eubanks and think he will win a few grand slam finals in the next eight years. He is 27. Working on winning a few over-50s tournaments myself here in Ireland. Strange but true!”
To go from never having competed at Wimbledon, to this, to winning even one major, would be a story of Rob Cross proportions and I’d love to see it happen. And good luck yourself, let us know how it goes.
We’re away on Centre, Alcaraz holding through deuce for 1-0.
Ach, up 40-0 Eubanks does all the hard work then sticks a pickup half-volley into the tape. A dumped forehand follows and now there’s pressure, which tells when a backhand goes long for deuce. Ahahahaha, a gigantic ace down the T settles the nerves … then another seals a frankly stupendous set! This is great stuff! Medvedev landed 89% of his first serves there but only won 50% of the points, which is one metric for telling us just how well Eubanks played, but his net-game was also on-point. Medvedev 6-4 1-6 Eubanks
Oh wow! Eubanks is on one here, making returns like nobody’s business – his overall ranking on them, using the measurements for spin and speed, has gone up from 6.1 to 9.5 and armed with a 5-1 lead he’ll now serve for the set! Lloyd, meanwhile, notes that if he closes out, this’ll be one of the best set (of tennis) he’s seen from anyone.
On Centre, Alcaraz and Rune are warming up.
Lanking along the baseline, Medvedev digs out a backhand winner down the line hunched over a ball that barely bounces – that is a phenomenal shot. But Eubanks eventually secures hos consolidation through deuce. He leads 4-1 in the second and looks good to level the match at a set apiece.
“I’m 48 and can relate to your comments on Martina,” says Jimmy Cook (presumably not the former Somerset opener). “Loved watching her, always rooted for her, the epitome of a competitor and a thoroughly decent person. Hard as nails, emotional, and all class.”
She also changed the game, the first female tenniser to push the boundaries of what her body could achieve physically. An amazing individual.
…so Medvedev splatters an ace out wide. Another serve out wide follows, and though Eubanks returns it as well as can be expected, a wrongfooting forehand into the space he vacated and it’s 30-40. But Eubanks is getting more balls back now, and when a pair of big forehands are backed up by a really clever backhand slice cross-court, taking pace off the ball, Medvedev goes wide! Having lost the first, Eubanks leads 3-1 in the second, and is showing the same as he did in beating Tsitsipas: you cannot sleep on this man.
Chale! Serving at 4-6 1-1, Eubanks Air Jordans a smash like you wouldn’t believe, and in co-comms, John Lloyd discusses what a great lad he is, giving freely of his time to help at a tennis academy in one of the poorest congressional districts in the US, where they loved him so much they’ve set up a special watching area for his matches. And now he’s got 0-40 on the Medvedev serve…
In all this – OK, my – chatter, we shouldn’t forget the first women’s semi, between Elina Svitolina and Marketa Vondrousova. Svito is already the tennis story of the year, coming back from giving birth in October and returning to the tour just three months ago then, with the war in Ukraine dominating her thoughts, making the last eight in Paris and the last four here. Somehow – perhaps thanks to the peace in her personal life – she’s a better player now than when she took her break, and is competing with so much fire.
Yup, Medvedev serves out to 15, sealing a 6-4 first set with an ace down the middle. He’s moved through the draw almost unnoticed, and is visibly – but not literally! – growing on grass.
Ah man, it’s so good to see Martina looking so well. One of my first sporting heroes even before I understood the things about her that I understand now, she was a colossal figure even before her Real Housewives cameos, and I highly recommend the BBC’s God of Tennis series, one of which is about her and Chris Evert, definitely my first sporting crush. The story of their friendship is so moving.
On No1, Eubanks holds for 4-5, forcing Medvedev to serve for the first set.
This is, incidentally, the first time in the open era – which began in 1968 – that a quarter-final has featured two men aged 20 or younger.
Next on Centre: Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Holger Rune [6]. Ahahahahaha, don’t mind if we do!
