Querrey keeps it going at Wimbledon, buries Mahut after beating Djokovic

No one will ever confuse a win over Nicolas Mahut with one over Novak Djokovic.

That being said, following up monumental victories has proven to be extremely difficult for anyone outside the upper echelons of the game. As such, what Sam Querrey produced at the All-England Club on Monday was almost as impressive as the shockwaves he sent through the tournament two days earlier.

Querrey, who upset Djokovic during third-round action on Saturday, avenged two relatively recent losses to Mahut by cruising past the Frenchman 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-4. The world No. 41 surged into his first Grand Slam quarterfinal after one hour and 59 minutes of brilliant tennis that saw him blast 53 winners to a mere 15 unforced errors.

Querrey’s only service hiccup of the day came in the fifth game of the match, but at that point he already had a break in hand. The 6’6” American dominated the rest of the way with his biggest weapon and appropriately converted match point at 5-4, 40-15 with his 23rd ace.

“(I) felt like I did great today,” Querrey assessed. “I knew in my mind it was going to be a tough match, even though on paper to the outsider, ‘Oh, he beat Novak, this is going to be an easy one.’ I knew he was a tough player and I was really, really happy with the way I played today.

“I lost to [Mahut] the last two times I played him. To get through is pretty exciting. In the Novak match I played great and played well again today, so hopefully I can keep it going.”

In order to do so he will have to get past the extremely dangerous Milos Raonic, who advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals in 2014 and recently finished runner-up to Andy Murray at Queen’s Club. Raonic was on thin ice against David Goffin on Monday, but the world No. 7 clawed back from two sets down for a 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win.

Although Raonic will be a considerable favorite, Querrey is 2-1 lifetime in the head-to-head series and beat the Canadian 6-7(3), 7-6(7), 7-6(8), 6-4 in the 2012 Wimbledon second round. Moreover, Querrey has never before enjoyed the kind of momentum that is behind him at the moment.

After taking care of Mahut, he announced, “I’m as confident as I’ve ever been.”

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