Out. Both ends, actually.
Unbeknownst to anyone coming into the match, Nole was having stomach problems. He had diarrhea before the match but soldiered on, splitting the first two tight sets, 67 76. Jo got tired in the third and Nole was able to cruise to a 61 win.
Then, during the third set changeover, while Jo ran off to the restroom, Nole started dry heaving. I'm actually not convinced it was a "dry" heave at all, thanks to ESPN's HD coverage. But he was clearly having problems during the next two games, breathing heavily and burping a lot. After he dropped the second game he told the chair he had to go off-court because he had to throw up. Apparently he did.
The rest was history. He essentially gave the fourth set away to try and regain his composure, but when the fifth set rolled around, he wasn't the same Nole. Jo took the final set 61.
Huge congratulations to Jo. Though he lost his legs for a bit, he played well enough to win those first two sets, and had he, who knows. He probably would have won it in straight sets. He played well and he deserved the win. I don't think anyone except the Nole die-hards would begrudge him this win. Nole didn't go away in the fifth. Jo just didn't let him get any momentum.
Not all is lost for Nole. He gained some points here and, if Andy doesn't win the title, he'll ascend to #2. Plus, as far as I could tell he's back to playing high quality tennis. It's been a joy to watch him this week.
So we have two revenge semifinals, with Andy vs Marin (USO) and Jo vs Fed (Montreal). If Jo brings his A game, the second one should be a cracker.
