One of them wins and it is ..... Tomic !

The third set was one of catch up for Tomic as he was quickly trailing 0-2. Dolgopolov kept the advantage until the fifth game where Tomic broke back and we were soon at 3-3. The standard of tennis did not dip as the players fought through to a second tie break, this time with Alex serving first. Tomic won the first point, and just to be different, the guys thought it fun to have all of the first seven points go against serve. Alex destroyed that pact when he asserted himself to be 5-3 and within tasting distance of the third set. Tomic fought back to 5-5, then a shocking miss from Alex gave Bernard the chance to serve for the set. He missed that chance but not the next and won the tie break 8-6 to lead 4-6 7-6 7-6.

Tomic at Wimbledon 2011

Bernard went AWOL in the fourth set, probably to check on how Del Potro was going on Hisense Arena - the 11th seed was cruising by the way. When he returned a shocked Tomic noticed that Alex had jumped to a 4-2 lead, and before he could address the issue, Alex broke the wayward Aussie again. With his court coverage and shot making at a match-high standard, assisted no doubt by the massage aka "injury time-out", Dolgopolov raced away with the set 6-2 and we were going to a fifth with the local boy serving first.

The opening game of the final set lasted a long time, must have seemed a life time for Tomic, and he looked to be out of it at various stages. The resolve is strong these days, though, and serve was held, as too were the next two for a 2-1 advantage to Tomic. Then the pivotal moment of the match, which replaced all 15 previous pivotal moments, arrived with the breaking apart of the Ukraine serve in the fourth game. Thereafter many things happened, including points won by terrific winners to continue the theme of the night, but of most significance Tomic held his next three service games to win the set 6-3 and the match 4-6 7-6 7-6 2-6 6-3. With it a passport to visit Roger Federer on Sunday in the fourth round.