Sabalenka fights off Raducanu, Alcaraz marches on, Keys and Osaka crash at Wimbledon
LONDON - Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka fought off inspired home favourite Emma Raducanu in a cauldron-like Centre Court atmosphere to keep her Wimbledon quest on track but it was the end of the road for two other Grand Slam champions on Friday.
Sabalenka ended British interest in the women's singles, edging a ferocious contest under the roof after requiring eight set points in the opening set and then roaring back from a 4-1 deficit in a sizzling second.
"Wow! What an atmosphere, my ears are still hurting, it was super loud," a relieved Sabalenka said on court after wrapping up the win on her third match point.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, chasing a third successive Wimbledon title, was also put through the wringer by Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff before sealing a last-16 spot with a 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 win.
A record 36 seeds in the men's and women's singles failed to reach round three and the upsets continued on Friday as women's sixth seed Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka departed.
Japan's Osaka looked every bit the Grand Slam great for a set before losing 3-6 6-4 6-4 to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. American Keys racked up 31 unforced errors in a 6-3 6-3 loss to Germany's Laura Siegemund, at 37 the oldest woman left in the singles draw.
Sabalenka is the only top-10 seed left in the top half of the draw and, with only three remaining in the bottom, she might be starting to think this could be her year.
If she does win the trophy to add to her two Australian Opens and one U.S. Open, she will look back on Friday night under the Centre Court roof as perhaps the turning point.
Had she lost the opening set the partisan crowd might well have roared former U.S. Open champion Raducanu to victory.
Even after clinching the first set with a deft volley, Sabalenka found herself in trouble as 40th-ranked Raducanu blazed ahead and had a point for a 5-1 lead. But she then switched on the after burners to overwhelm the flagging Briton.
"Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win," said the 27-year-old Belarusian. "I had to fight for every point to get this win."
HOME HOPES
Raducanu's loss ended hope of a British hat-trick on day five after Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie sailed through to the last 16 in impressive fashion.
Local favourite Kartal moved on with a remarkable display against French qualifier Diane Parry, claiming nine games in a row to come from 1-4 down to win 6-4 6-2.
Norrie kept the home flag flying in the men's singles by beating Italian Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5) 6-4 6-3 to set up a meeting with Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who overcame Brazilian wonder kid Joao Fonseca 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6(4).
Kartal had earlier reeled off nine games in a row after a slow start to beat French qualifier Diane Parry 6-4 6-2 and set up a clash with Russian Pavlyuchenkova.
French Open winner Alcaraz extended his winning run to 21 matches by beating Struff but it was a Jekyll and Hyde performance as he again showed vulnerability.
"I was suffering in every service game... 0-30s and breakpoints down. It was stressful. Every time he could push me, he did. I was trying to survive," Alcaraz said.
The 22-year-old will face Russian 14th seed next after he beat French qualifier Adrian Mannarino 7-5 6-2 6-3.
Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Amanda Anisimova ensured there would be some Fourth of July celebrations for Americans.
After being taken the distance in his first two matches, fifth seed Fritz had a slightly easier ride as he beat Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1 to reach the last 16 where he will face unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson.
Despite spending more than nine hours on court, Fritz said he felt fresh ahead of his Sunday assignment with Thompson.
"This is going to sound crazy," said Fritz, who has been suffering tendinitis in his knee and had to deal with a bruised arm after a fall. "My body is actually feeling better after each match. I feel like somehow it felt the worst after my first round but now it's getting better."
Anisimova, the 13th seed, also reached the fourth round with a 6-3 5-7 6-3 win over Hungarian Dalma Galfi.
Shelton, who was left seething after his second-round clash with Rinky Hijikata was suspended late on Thursday with him about to serve for the match, needed around one minute to finish the job on Friday, hitting three aces and an unreturned second serve to take his place in the last 32.
French showman Gael Monfils also had to resume his match but the 38-year-old could not prevent a 6-4 1-6 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4 defeat by Hungary's Marton Fucsovics.
"I don't really know. I wish I could win this match today but that's sport. I'm going to rest a couple of days and go back on court and try to be ready for the U.S. tour."
It was the end of the road for Monfils's wife Elina Svitolina too as the Ukrainian 14th seed fell 6-1 7-6(4) against 24th seed Elise Mertens. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Former Olympic champion Chopra wins gold at his eponymous event
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BENGALURU - Former Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won gold at his eponymous javelin competition on Saturday at Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium, registering a dominant victory with a throw of 86.18 metres in the first round. The Neeraj Chopra Classic, India's first world-class field event, featured an elite lineup, including Kenya's Julius Yego, Germany's Thomas Rohler and Chopra himself alongside domestic throwers. Chopra, who earned gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and silver at the 2024 Paris Games, dominated throughout, following his winning effort with throws of 84.07m and 82.22m in subsequent rounds as more than 14,500 spectators cheered for their home favourite. "I didn't expect such a crowd and support in the first season. I want to thank AFI (Athletics Federation of India) and World Athletics for providing us with world-class competition," Chopra told reporters. "This is a big thing for our country. We were able to do well and I wish we can continue to add more events to the competition." Former world champion Yego claimed silver with 84.51m, marking a promising performance for the 2016 Rio silver medallist ahead of September's World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage secured bronze with a throw of 84.34m, continuing his upward trajectory after entering the 85m club at the 2024 Asian Throwing Championships in Korea. Chopra staged a dramatic comeback after a foul in the opening throw, recovering to post his winning 86.18m effort that proved unbeatable throughout the competition. The 12-athlete field saw only eight participants advance to the second round after three initial attempts. In a shocking upset, former Olympic champion Rohler failed to progress after managing just one valid attempt in the first round. Chopra said he hoped to stage the event again next year, with more international and domestic athletes. REUTERS
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Sabalenka and Alcaraz face seeds for first time at this year's Wimbledon
LONDON :World number one Aryna Sabalenka continues her quest for a first Wimbledon title when she takes on Elise Mertens, while two-times defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faces Andrey Rublev when the fourth round begins on Sunday. TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: ARYNA SABALENKA V ELISE MERTENS After battling past Briton Emma Raducanu, Sabalenka comes up against a seeded player, who are thin on the ground following a brutal cull over the opening few days, when she meets Belgian 24th seed Mertens. After coming through a real battle against Raducanu, Sabalenka was not getting carried away about her chances even though she has yet to drop a set. "As my experience shows, it doesn't matter," Sabalenka said. "This win doesn't mean that I'm going to win the tournament. It doesn't mean anything. It's just a great match. "That's why I love sport. It's all about challenging yourself. When you go through tough challenges and you get the win, it's the best feeling." Mertens will need to snap a nine-match losing run against Sabalenka in order to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. TOP MEN'S MATCH: ANDREY RUBLEV V CARLOS ALCARAZ Alcaraz also meets a seeded player for the first time in what looks set to be a tough test against Rublev who has grown in confidence as his run continues, having begun with low expectations. "Before I start to play Wimbledon, I was making fun to my team, like I don't know what I'm going to do, if we're going to lose first round then we go home or not," Rublev said. "I'm playing good. I'm hitting the ball well. I start to feel that the level is there, and it's just a matter of time in terms of results." Alcaraz holds a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over the Russian 14th seed, but this will be their first meeting on grass. "It's going to be a really interesting one, to be honest, in the fourth round facing Rublev. I think it's going to be a really big challenge," Alcaraz said. "He's a really powerful player. I think he plays really well on grass because he always loves to be aggressive." LUCKY LOSER SIERRA FACES VETERAN SIEGEMUND Argentina Solana Sierra is the only lucky loser to make it to the women's fourth round and the 21-year-old comes up against the oldest female player left in the competition, Germany's 37-year-old Laura Siegemund. Siegemund, who made her Wimbledon main draw debut 10 years ago, had never previously made it past the second round, and her opponent is in the main draw for the first time. "I think we're both in the position that we didn't expect to go that far," Siegemund said. "We had both many matches. Obviously she's also a really good upcoming, young player, and I've seen her before." WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON SUNDAY (prefix number denotes seeding) CENTRE COURT (play begins at 1230 GMT) Sonay Kartal (Britain) v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 24-Elise Mertens (Belgium) 14-Andrey Rublev (Russia) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) COURT NUMBER ONE (play begins at 1200 GMT) 5-Taylor Fritz (U.S.) v Jordan Thompson (Australia) Nicolas Jarry (Chile) v Cameron Norrie (Britain) 30-Linda Noskova (Czech Republic) v 13-Amanda Anisimova (U.S.) COURT NUMBER TWO (play begins at 1000 GMT)
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Swiatek outclasses out-of-sorts Collins to reach Wimbledon fourth round
LONDON :Poland's Iga Swiatek strode imperiously into the fourth round at Wimbledon on Saturday, with a dominant 6-2 6-3 win over an apparently out-of-sorts Danielle Collins. The former world number one, eager to show she can be a force on grass, broke the American's serve in the third game of the match to set the tone, adding another break in the fifth and wrapping up the set with a big serve. Collins, who beat 24-year-old Swiatek at the Italian Open in May, offered some moments of resistance through her own powerful serve and swinging backhand but she failed to find her range, spraying shots long and wide to rack up 25 unforced errors. She was broken again in the first game of the second set. Despite winning five Grand Slams, Swiatek has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals here and she did not ease the pressure on Collins, claiming victory on the 31-year-old American's serve with a forehand winner to set up a clash with Denmark's Clara Tauson, seeded 23, in the fourth round on Monday.
