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Lucas Pouille downs Bernard Tomic for Wimbledon last-eight spot
France’s rising star Lucas Pouille booked his place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time after beating Australia’s Bernard Tomic in a gruelling five-set clash on Monday.
France’s rising star Lucas Pouille booked his place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time after beating Australia’s Bernard Tomic in a gruelling five-set clash on Monday.
Pouille, the 32nd seed, beat 19th seed Tomic 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 in just under three hours on Court 12.
He plays either 10th seed Tomas Berdych or his fellow Czech Jiri Vesily in the quarter-finals and the Frenchman’s run is certain to lift him to a career high in the world rankings.
Pouille, 22, lost in the first round on his Wimbledon debut last year and has lost in the first round in seven of his previous nine Grand Slam appearances.
He had never won a tour-level match on grass before this year’s Wimbledon.
Along with Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nicolas Mahut, he was one of four Frenchmen in the round of 16 -- the most at Wimbledon since 1929.
Tomic reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2011, his best Grand Slam result.
