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Federer ends Willis’s incredible Wimbledon run

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Swiss great Roger Federer ended Briton Marcus Willis’s remarkable run at Wimbledon on Wednesday, handing the world No. 772 a 60, 63, 64 loss in the second round.

Federer, who has won a record 17 Grand Slam titles, needed just an hour and 25 minutes to put away the tennis coach from the Warwick Boat Club.

“It is daunting. It is tough. I was playing alright at first, I settled into the match. I was enjoying it out there. If I was playing well and competing with Roger for a couple of sets I was doing well,” Willis said after the match.

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The 25yearold Briton, who charges 30 pounds ($40.27) per hour to give tennis lessons, had won seven straight matches at the All England Club, winning a spot in the main draw as a qualifier.

“I need to keep my head down. I am disappointed to lose. I didn’t play as well as I could but I can hold my head high. I have had a fantastic couple of weeks. I will keep going and do what I have been doing. There is life after Wimbledon and I want more experiences like this,” Willis said.

The surprise of the first week at Wimbledon won his firstround match on Monday, beating Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, a former world junior No. 1.

British fans quickly took to Willis, urging him on during his battle against Federer and giving him a huge ovation after the match.

“I’ve earned myself a beer now!” Willis told reporters after the match.

Play on Wednesday was hampered by rain, with tournament officials forced to cancel 46 matches, including 26 on the women’s side and 20 on the men’s side.

In other men’s action, Austria’s Dominic Thiem, the No. 8 seed, beat Germany’s Florian Mayer 75, 64, 64, while Australia’s Bernard Tomic defeated Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 46, 63, 63, 36, 64 in a match that had been suspended due to rain on Tuesday.

On the women’s side, twotime Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 60, 64, while Britain’s Johanna Konta rolled to a 61, 75 win over Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig.