Wimbledon 2025: Defending Champion Krejcikova Battles Past Dolehide To Reach Third Round
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
From being ineligible for ATP events to entering the third round of Wimbledon, Cilic continues inspiring arc
Catching a millionaire Grand Slam champion in action on the second-tier Challenger Circuit is a rare sight, especially since cheering fans and creature comforts are in short supply when compared to the glitz and glamour of the main ATP Tour events. Yet this is the world that Marin Cilic, who has amassed a fortune of almost USD 32 million in prize money alone, has been circulating in for most of this year after his ranking nosedived to outside the Top 1000 following knee surgery in 2023. With his ranking, which stood at 1092 last August, no longer high enough to gain entry into the ATP events, the Croatian opted to get back to basics at the Challenger level in order to obtain some much-needed match practice. It was a strategy that worked wonders for Andre Agassi way back in 1998 when he found himself in a tennis rut -- and within a year the American had won two Grand Slam titles. But whereas Agassi was aged 28 at the time, with years of tennis still left in him, Cilic decided to go down the rough road to tennis redemption in his mid 30s. More from Wimbledon 2025: World No. 1 Sinner breezes past Vukic to storm into third round Having put in the hard graft to get his body back into shape after damage to the meniscus and cartilage made his knee balloon in size, the Croatian was not ready to give up on his career. On Thursday, all the pain and strain he endured to get back to top-level tennis paid off when he marked his Wimbledon comeback with a 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win over British fourth seed Jack Draper in the second round. 'Considering everything that happened in last two, three years. If even I look at situation where I was, how my knee was in February '23, lots of rehab, lots of unknowns. Even coming back, the knee wasn't good. What to do then? New surgery?' the 2014 U.S. Open champion explained after returning to the All England Club for the first time since 2021. 'Then all the time there was this spark of desire and feeling that my level is still there. Let me give myself another opportunity. 'Now last eight, nine months I'm playing pain-free and progressing nicely, which is great.' During the course of 2025, Cilic had won back-to-back matches on the main tour only once. However, he has worked his way back up the rankings to break back into the top 100 thanks to winning two of the seven Challenger tournaments he has entered. He tried qualifying for the French Open but lost his final qualifier and then still secured a place in the main draw as a lucky loser only to lose in the first round. That disappointment quickly faded when he won the Nottingham Challenger tournament just a few weeks later, ensuring he arrived in London with some much-needed match practice on grass -- a run that no doubt helped him to plot Draper's downfall on Thursday. More from Wimbledon 2025: Djokovic denies post-match celebration is politically motivated 'Last several weeks I've been playing really well. In Nottingham I played some great tennis. It was just layer after layer building up. Also feeling great in the training sessions, so I've got great confidence in my own self,' said the 2017 Wimbledon runner-up. 'These kind of matches, they challenge you to perform better because the opponent on the other side of the net is going to challenge you with his own game. But I'm aware that my level is very high. Can I go further? I feel I can.' Draper summed up what it felt to be on the receiving end of an in-form Cilic. 'I don't play many people on the tour that I feel like they completely bully me and take the racquet out of my hand,' said the British number one. 'I know it's a grass court. I'm not sure what his stats were but I'm sure he had an amazing match from the winners to unforced errors count.' Draper was not wrong -- Cilic hit 53 incredible winners, while his British rival could muster only 29.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Alcaraz searches for perfect serve at Wimbledon, Raducanu eyes Sabalenka shock
Carlos Alcaraz will step up his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title when the world number two faces German underdog Jan-Lennard Struff on Friday. Alcaraz searches for perfect serve at Wimbledon, Raducanu eyes Sabalenka shock And Britain's Emma Raducanu will be aiming to add to the All England Club's spate of giant-killings against world number one Aryna Sabalenka. AFP Sport picks out three matches to watch in the third round on day five at the All England Club: Carlos Alcaraz knows he must fine-tune his serve to keep his Wimbledon title defence on course. The Spaniard has been unimpressed by his serve during wins over Fabio Fognini and Oliver Tarvet in the first and second round, respectively. After winning Wimbledon for the last two years, as well as taking the title in the warm-up event at Queen's Club in June, second seed Alcaraz knows better than most that a deadly delivery is the secret to success on grass. "I think here in Wimbledon, I'm struggling a little bit with the serve. I'm feeling really different between Queen's and here with the balls, with the speed," the five-time Grand Slam champion said ahead of a Centre Court clash with German world number 125 Struff. "On grass the serve is probably the most important shot. At Queen's I started to serve unbelievable. But after the first round here, I left the court not happy at all with the serve. "I'm going to pay much attention on the serve. Let's see if in the third round I'll be better." Raducanu believes she can add to the growing list of Wimbledon upsets in her Centre Court blockbuster showdown with top seed Sabalenka. The British star produced one of her best performances at the All England Club to defeat former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round on Wednesday. Now Raducanu, who won the US Open as a teenager in 2021, is gearing up for her first Grand Slam meeting with a world number one. Although she is yet to hit top form at SW19 this year, Belarusian star Sabalenka is the only top-five seed still standing with Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen all out. Three-time major winner Sabalenka is chasing a maiden Wimbledon title, having missed last year's Championships because of a shoulder injury. Raducanu has endured a difficult time since her stunning breakthrough triumph in New York four years ago, but after back problems plagued her at the start of 2025, the world number 40 is back in the groove. "I think having won against Marketa, she's also a really top opponent, so that gives me confidence. I feel amazing," the 22-year-old said. "Of course, Aryna is number one in the world, she's been so dominant in the women's game. I know it's going to be a massive challenge." Japan's Naomi Osaka will try to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time when she faces Russian world number 50 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The 27-year-old's four main draw appearances at Wimbledon have ended in two third-round defeats and losses in the first and second round. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but she hasn't won a major since 2021. Since that triumph at the Australian Open, she is on a dismal run of 11 successive Grand Slam appearances without reaching the fourth round. The former world number one, now down to 53rd in the WTA rankings, said: "When you are young, you fear nothing, and that's one of the really cool things about it. "But I don't know, with age fear kind of crept along and, I guess, paralysed me in a way. "Now I'm kind of just getting over that and trying to spread my wings on grass. I think it's working and I'm moving pretty well." smg/nf This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
United News of India
6 hours ago
- United News of India
Swiatek rallies past McNally in Wimbledon Round 2
London, July 3 (UNI) Poland's Iga Swiatek dug deep to defeat American Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in a compelling second-round battle on Centre Court here today, extending her remarkable record at Grand Slam events. The No. 8 seed and five-time major champion rallied from a set down to secure the hard-fought win in 2 hours and 25 minutes. With the victory, Swiatek advanced to the third round at a Grand Slam for the 22nd consecutive time, joining the elite company of Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo as the only players this century to achieve the feat. Swiatek, who has never exited a Slam before the third round since the 2019 US Open, improved her record in Grand Slam second-round matches to 23 wins and just two losses. Despite her dominance at the majors, Wimbledon remains the only Slam where she is yet to go beyond the quarterfinals, having made her best run to that stage in 2023. Roday's encounter rekindled a rivalry dating back to the juniors, where Swiatek and McNally once teamed up to win the 2018 Junior French Open doubles title. McNally had also defeated Swiatek in the singles semifinals of that tournament. This match marked only their second meeting on the professional tour, with Swiatek once again prevailing — though not without a scare. McNally showcased grit and aggressive net play to take the first set, but Swiatek adjusted her rhythm and began to dominate the longer rallies, racing through the final two sets. In the third round, Swiatek will face another American, Danielle Collins. Although Swiatek holds a 7-2 head-to-head advantage over the former Top 10 player, Collins won their most recent meeting in Rome earlier this year and also famously beat Swiatek in the 2022 Australian Open semifinals. As Swiatek eyes a deeper run on the Wimbledon lawns, all eyes will be on whether the former World No. 1 can surpass her quarterfinal finish from last year and finally mount a serious title challenge on grass. UNI BDN SSP
