Best Grand Slam & Davis Cup Matches of 2015 – Nos. 5-3

5. Richard Gasquet d. Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9, Wimbledon quarter-finals
Stan Wawrinka entered Wimbledon on the heels of his monumental victory at Roland Garros, halting Novak Djokovic’s date with career Grand Slam destiny. The Swiss would dispel any notion of an emotional hangover after clinching his second major title, wasting no time in streaking to the quarter-finals at the All England Club without dropping a set.

In their third FedEx ATP Head2Head clash, Wawrinka took a two-sets-to-one lead against No. 21 seed Richard Gasquet and the stars appeared to be aligned for a rematch against Djokovic in the semis. Gasquet had lost an 8-6 fifth set to Wawrinka in their most recent meeting two years ago at Roland Garros, but refused to suffer the same fate despite failing to serve out the match at 5-3 in the decisive set and being a break point down at 9-all.

Gasquet had reached the last four at a Grand Slam on only two previous occasions, including Wimbledon 2007, but the Frenchman would complete the comeback after a marathon fifth set.

Wawrinka earned a break chance at 9-9, 30/40, but could not deliver. He made a trio of errors in the next game to bring up triple match point for Gasquet. The Frenchman converted on his third opportunity to seal victory after three hours and 28 minutes, falling to the No. 1 Court grass in celebration as he booked his return to the semis.

One year earlier, Gasquet had been on the wrong end of a Wimbledon heart-breaker, losing 10-8 in the fifth to Nick Kyrgios in the second round after blowing nine match points.

“It was a great match, playing the winner of Roland Garros in a quarter-final of a Grand Slam, so I needed to keep focused and to fight,” said Gasquet, who would eventually fall in straight sets to Djokovic. “Of course, it’s a very nice victory for me to win against him 11-9 in the fifth. It’s great.”

4. Leonardo Mayer d. Joao Souza 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 5-7, 5-7, 15-13, Davis Cup first round
Argentina and Brazil are two of the fiercest international rivals in all of sport and their border battle would live up to the hype in the Davis Cup first round. Leonardo Mayer and Joao Souza supplied the drama with a pulsating six-hour and 43-minute marathon as the Argentines faced elimination entering Sunday’s reverse singles.

A win for Mayer and the tie would extend to deciding rubber, while victory for Souza would put Brazil through to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2001. What would ensue would be the longest singles match in Davis Cup history and the second-longest tour-level singles match, behind only John Isner and Nicolas Mahut’s legendary 11-hour battle at Wimbledon 2010. With countryman Juan Martin del Potro in attendance, Mayer would survive a dogged effort by Souza 15-13 in the fifth set in the fading sunlight in Buenos Aires. He converted his 11th match point, firing 16 aces and 89 winners, while overcoming 134 unforced errors. In total, Mayer won 244 points to Souza’s 233.

“I couldn’t feel prouder of him,” said captain Daniel Orsanic. “What he did today is amazing, not only for the way they both played tennis. It goes beyond that. His spirit, his effort. He played with cramps for such a long time. What he’s just experienced back there is amazing. His family, himself, they cannot be [any] prouder. They have to be really happy with that achievement. Then for us, it was a very important point because it keeps us alive, and now we’re playing the fifth.”

Mayer exacted revenge on Souza after the Brazilian prevailed in the quarter-finals of the ATP World Tour 250 event in Sao Paulo just three weeks prior. Federico Delbonis would complete the comeback a day later for Argentina, defeating Thomaz Bellucci in four sets to send the nation through to the next round.

3. Roger Federer d. Andy Murray 7-5, 7-5, 6-4, Wimbledon semi-finals
Seven times a champion on the lawns of the All England Club, Roger Federer has made many memories at the Wimbledon Championships. With no shortage of jaw-dropping performances over the years, the Swiss maestro added to his sparkling résumé at the grass-court Grand Slam in the semi-finals of the 2015 edition.

Andy Murray played a great match, but Federer turned in a majestic serving and shotmaking display. In reaching an unprecedented 10th Wimbledon final, he became the oldest men’s finalist since Ken Rosewall in 1974. The second seed fired 56 winners and 20 aces, winning a sterling 84 per cent of first-serve points and saving the lone break point faced.

“He served fantastic,” said Murray. “I didn’t really have any opportunities. That puts pressure on you. The pressure builds throughout the set that way. Obviously I got broken right at the end of all of the sets. But I didn’t actually play a bad match. I played pretty well.”

“I’ve been serving very well for the entire tournament,” Federer reflected. “I wasn’t broken against one of the best returners. I kept the pressure up and went for my shots. I mixed it up like I usually do and kept pushing forward and staying focused. It all worked out really well.”

Federer would eventually fall to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final, which was a record 26th title match at the major level. He would add a 27th final two months later at the US Open.

Coming Thursday: The 2 Best Grand Slam Matches of 2015