Goerges squeaks by Strycova in Wimbledon epic

WIMBLEDON, Great Britain -- In an epic encounter, No.13 seed Julia Goerges of Germany overcame No.23 seed Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic, 7-6(3), 3-6, 10-8, in two hours and 55 minutes to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career.

"I probably wanted it a bit more at the end, I guess," Goerges said with a smile, during her post-match press conference. "I didn't really let myself go down after I served a couple of times for the match. But I just fought my way back into the return game to really give myself another chance to serve it out."

"I said, 'Hey, you have to go for it. You have big weapons. Why do you want to play here the ball in the court?'" Goerges continued. "I'm very happy that it paid off at the end."

In her 11th appearance in the Wimbledon main draw, Goerges will finally play the second week of Wimbledon after her marathon encounter against a plucky Strycova. Goerges thus levels her head-to-head record against her frequent rival Strycova at six wins apiece.

"I knew it's gonna be a big fight today, and I just set up mentally for it to be ready, to face everything, every kind of balls you get from [Strycova], because she's very tricky and she plays a lot of different balls," Goerges explained. "She plays a lot of serve and volley, as well, and she knows how to play well on that surface. I'm just very, very happy."

Goerges will now take on unseeded Croatian Donna Vekic in the fourth round. Vekic, who upset No.4 seed Sloane Stephens in the first round, blasted her way to a 7-6(2), 6-1 victory over Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium earlier on Friday. This is Vekic's first fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam event in her career.

Neither Goerges nor Vekic has ever made a Grand Slam quarterfinal in their respective careers -- but that stat will end for one of them this fortnight.

Goerges, who leads the WTA in aces so far this year, was dominant on serve in the opening frame, never facing a break point. But Strycova was also stellar when she stepped to the line, facing a single break point throughout the set, which she repelled at 2-2 with a beautiful serve which the German returned long.

Both players were averaging serve speeds over 99 miles per hour as they raced through their service games with aplomb in the first set. Strycova frequently relied on her grass-court acumen when she could, using the serve-and-volley on multiple occasions, but Goerges countered with fearsome forehands to end points.

Obviously, the opener went into a tiebreak, and Goerges took the early lead when Strycova shoved a volley long at 2-2. Strycova reclaimed the minibreak with an overhead to pull to 3-4, but Goerges took both of Strycova’s subsequent service points, reaching triple set point with a forehand passing shot. The German clinched the set on the next point with an ace.

But Strycova came out firing in the second set, claiming the first break of the match in the opening game after a backhand by the Czech led to a netted volley by the German on break point. Strycova was impenetrable on serve afterwards, racing through her next three service games with the loss of only two points en route to 4-2.

More solid forehands by Goerges allowed her to fend off double break point and hold for 4-3, but the German was not as lucky in her following service game at 5-3. There, Goerges double faulted at deuce to queue up set point for Strycova, and handed the set to the Czech with a wide forehand miscue. Strycova won 100 percent of points on her first serve in the second set.

The immaculate serving by both players persisted up to 4-4 in the deciding set, as neither woman allowed their opponent to clutch a break point. In the 4-4 game, Strycova needed to stave off two break points with well-placed deliveries, and the duo advanced to 6-6 with no other issues.

Strycova cracked first, dropping her serve at 6-6, after a Goerges forehand forced an error. It was the first time Strycova lost her serve all match, and Goerges seemed determined to put the match away quickly.

But two double faults in the next game, including one on break point, led Goerges to squander that opportunity, and suddenly, Strycova was back on serve at 7-7. The Czech faltered again, though, failing to chase down a drop shot and losing serve once more. But, at 8-7, Goerges sprayed too many errors, and she failed to serve out the tilt for a second straight time.

Stunningly, after such a pristine set by both up to 6-6, a fifth straight break of serve occurred, as Goerges blasted winners to break Strycova at love and reach 9-8. Serving for the match for a third time, Goerges fell behind 0-30 due to a double fault and a volley miscue, but great all-court play pulled her to match point, and a final forehand long by Strycova handed Goerges her best Wimbledon result.