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Former Illini Kevin Anderson takes down Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Anderson is headed to the semifinals after an epic fifth set.

By Stephen Cohn
Day Nine: The Championships - Wimbledon 2018 Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Former Illini tennis star Kevin Anderson is headed to the semifinals of Wimbledon after defeating No. 1 seed Roger Federer on Wednesday.

After dropping the first two sets 6-2, 7-6, Anderson roared back with two straight set wins, 7-5, 6-4.

Anderson trailed in the fifth set, 11-10, but won the final three games en route to a 13-11 set.

Federer had won a record 34-straight sets at Wimbledon until the third set. He was also 266-2 in a major when taking the first two sets.

Day Nine: The Championships - Wimbledon 2018 Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

Anderson is still one step away from a Grand Slam final, which he achieved last September, becoming the first Illini to ever go that far.

A former All-American with Illinois in the mid-2000s, Anderson defeated Pablo Carreño Busta to reach the U.S. Open Singles Final and a date with then-world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who defeated Anderson.

Anderson — also the tallest finalist in Grand Slam history at 6-foot-8 — became the first Illini to reach the final of Grand Slam ever with the win.

A Johannesburg, South Africa, native, was the lowest-seeded player in U.S. Open history to reach the singles final. Most world-class tennis players never compete at the collegiate level, but Anderson, 32, did, and ESPN ran a story about that last year.

Most people are impressed with Anderson’s backhand. He may be a late bloomer, but he has four ATP singles titles and 12 runner-up finishes.

Here’s some of the response on Twitter to Anderson’s win: