This year’s Wimbledon, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious tennis tournament, has produced some huge shockers so far—such as the early downfall of former number one Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and another surprisingly premature exit by Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters. However, on a much brighter note, it has also set the stage for the breakthrough of a very talented 26-year-old Asian player–Taiwan’s Yen-Hsun Lu.

Lu, who previously had not advanced past second round (round of 64) at Wimbledon, made an electrifying streak all the way to the quarterfinals, beating Andy Roddick in a shocking fourth round match that went all the way to 9-7 in the fifth set. Unfazed playing against the former Grand Slam champion and three-time Wimbledon runner-up, Lu stayed consistent and rallied hard throughout the extremely tight match, which ultimately garnered him the milestone win. Though Lu ended up losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the following round, he is the first Taiwanese player ever to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, and also the first man from Asia to reach that level of a Major in 15 years.

Also of note is Li Na of China on the women’s side, who similarly made a strong run to the quarterfinals. She beat higher-ranked Agnieszka Radwanksa in the fourth round to gain her quarterfinal berth, but ended up losing to the ever-determined Serena Williams in her subsequent match. Hopefully these two promising players will advance even further in upcoming Grand Slams.

Photo (top), Phil Noble/Reuters; (bottom) ATP

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