Adrian Mannarino reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2018. The Frenchman bested Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the third round and arranged his sixth meeting against the All England Club king, Roger Federer.
The 22nd seed played with confidence and hoped that could be his moment of glory. However, Centre Court is a place where belief alone is rarely enough! What followed was a harsh but unforgettable reminder of the gap between confidence and timeless greatness.
Roger made a ruthless start and bageled Adrian in the opening set in 16 minutes before earning a 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 victory in an hour and 45 minutes for his 16th quarter-final in London.
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The Swiss extended his streak to 32 consecutive sets at the All England Club. He faced break points for the first time in London that year and defended all four to mount the pressure on the other side.
The Frenchman made a terrible start and claimed one point on serve in the first set. He experienced a bagel in the opener, struggling on serve and return and failing to impose his shots.
Federer fired 12 winners and reduced his rival to one from his serve. The defending champion claimed 12 of 13 points on the return and denied a break point at 5-0 with a powerful serve to provide a bagel.
Adrian raised his level in the second set and denied six break points.However, Roger finally broke him at 5-5 and held at love in game 12 to move two sets to love in front.
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The seven-time champion faced issues on serve in the eighth game of the third set. The legend denied three break points and kept his initial shot intact. He gained a boost and secured the pivotal break at 4-4 to move in front.
Federer held at love in game ten to seal the deal and notch his 16th Wimbledon quarter-final.
"I was playing my best tennis facing Roger in the fourth round at Wimbledon, thinking maybe today is the day. However, I lost 6:0 in 12 minutes," Adrian Mannarino said.
