Even the most hardened Wimbledon watchers had hardly seen a day like it.
Wobbly Wednesday, many were saying, as seven former champions tumbled to lesser players in the space of a few hours.
This year’s Wimbledon is there for the taking as top seeds failed to find a footing on the grass courts.
Big names like last year’s champion Roger Federer and women’s world number three Maria Sharapova were the most surprising and important scalps.
Federer, the man everyone else fears and victor of 36 grand slam quarter finals was rocked by losing in the second round by unrated Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky. The collapse was Federer’s first loss to a player ranked outside the world top 100 since 2005.
Poor surface
“I’ll be back. One defeat doesn’t mean my career is over,” snapped Federer after the match.
Sharapova slipped to defeat 6-3, 6-4 against qualifier Michelle Larcher De Brito, and then petulantly blamed the surface instead of admitting her game was at fault.
“It’s probably the first time I have fallen over on a tennis court three times in a match,” she remarked.
On a strange day at Wimbledon, seven other players had to pull out of matches due to injury.
Second in the world women’s rankings Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka pulled out a few minutes before the start of her match against Italian Flavia Pennetta.
She also blamed the surface.
“The court was in a poor state,” she said. “Several players fell badly.”
A big shock was surprise package Steve Darcis, who overcame Rafal Nadal in the first round, succumbing to a shoulder injury that has ended his Wimbledon early.
The big question is who’s left to challenge for the trophies now some of the top seeds have toppled?
Murray through
British hopes lie with US Open winner Andy Murray.
He dispatched Taiwanese hopeful Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3 6-3 7-5 and faces Spanish 32nd seed Tommy Robredo in the last 32.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams served up nine aces to beat French teenage sensation Caroline Garcia and seems to be an inexorable march to the final.
She is eager to snatch her sixth Wimbledon singles title and is on a 36 match unbeaten run.
Next in line for her attention is Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japan’s 42 year old veteran.
Men’s number one Novak Djokovic beat American Bobby Reynolds 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 6-1, who is ranked 156 in the world.