logo
Sinner Thrashes Vukic to Roar into Wimbledon Third Round

Sinner Thrashes Vukic to Roar into Wimbledon Third Round

World number one Jannik Sinner demolished Australia's Aleksandar Vukic 6-1 6-1 6-3 in a Centre Court masterclass to move ominously into the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday.
The Italian was streets ahead of the 93rd-ranked Vukic who barely laid a glove on the top seed in the opening two sets before saving some face with a bit of third-set resistance.
Sinner, bidding to win the title for the first time, never loosened his grip on a one-sided contest although he did need six match points to finish off Vukic in a prolonged final game, banging down his 12th ace.
The 23-year-old has yet to drop serve and has conceded only 12 games in the six sets he has played so far and will now train his sights on unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wimbledon: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka holds off home favorite Emma Raducanu at Centre Court
Wimbledon: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka holds off home favorite Emma Raducanu at Centre Court

Al Arabiya

time43 minutes ago

  • Al Arabiya

Wimbledon: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka holds off home favorite Emma Raducanu at Centre Court

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staved off an upset bid by resurgent Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon, beating the home favorite 7–6 (6), 6–4 in the third round at a raucous Center Court on Friday night. Sabalenka, a two-time semifinalist at the All England Club, fought back in both sets against the 2021 US Open champion, who had been playing some of her best tennis since her title run at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier at age 18. In a 74-minute first set, Sabalenka converted her eighth set point, which came 30 minutes after the first. Raducanu went up 4–2, only to see Sabalenka reel off 11 of 12 points during one stretch while moving out front by a 5–4 score. Then arrived an epic game lasting 13 minutes and containing 22 points, eight deuces, and seven set points for Sabalenka–all ending with Raducanu holding serve. Then Raducanu had a set point while leading 6–5 in the tiebreaker, but Sabalenka saved it with a drop-shot winner and took the last three points of the set–ending it with a volley winner. The fans provided extra energy for the British player, cheering wildly when Raducanu fired winners and exhaling 'aww!' when she missed. Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, said she pretended the cheers were for her. 'Guys, wow–what an atmosphere. My ears are still hurting. It was super loud,' she said in an on-court interview. In the second set, Raducanu broke to 3–1 and led 4–1 at the 1-hour 35-minute mark, but Sabalenka reeled off the last five games. Raducanu, ranked No. 40, had defeated 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the previous round. 'She pushed me really hard to get this win. I'm happy to see her healthy and back on track,' Sabalenka said. 'I'm pretty sure that soon she's going to be back in the top 10.' Sabalenka reached the final at each of the past three Grand Slam tournaments, winning the US Open last September and finishing as the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January and to Coco Gauff at the French Open in June.

A Tip of the Cap to the Wimbledon Player Who Caught His Hat When It Fell Off But Still Won a Point
A Tip of the Cap to the Wimbledon Player Who Caught His Hat When It Fell Off But Still Won a Point

Al Arabiya

time2 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

A Tip of the Cap to the Wimbledon Player Who Caught His Hat When It Fell Off But Still Won a Point

Perhaps Jordan Thompson deserved a tip of the cap for winning a set-ending point at Wimbledon while clutching his hat after it fell off his head during a serve. His opponent Friday, Luciano Darderi, thought that point shouldn't have been awarded to Thompson, but the chair umpire disagreed. 'I mean, my hat's fallen off before and I know what the rules are. It didn't hinder him; it hindered me,' said Thompson, an Australian ranked 44th who will face US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz next. 'So I don't know what he was complaining about.' At 5–4, 40–15 against Darderi, Thompson used a hat trick to put a lid on the opening set en route to a 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 victory that sent him to the fourth round at the All England Club for the first time. On a second serve, the backward baseball cap Thompson was wearing slid off as he landed on his follow-through. Thompson immediately grabbed it with his left hand and continued to wield his racket with his right hand for a point that wound up lasting seven strokes. It was capped by Thompson's backhand volley winner as he ran to the net with hat in hand. Has he ever carried that bit of his outfit around during a point before? 'That's the first time I can remember,' Thompson said. In the moment, Darderi thought chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani would stop the point and order them to replay it because of what happened with Thompson's chapeau. The 59th-ranked Darderi, who was born in Argentina and represents Italy, walked to the sideline pointing in Thompson's direction and pleading his case with Lahyani. At one point, Darderi yanked off his own white hat and yelled, 'It's the rule!' But Lahyani wouldn't budge, and Darderi chucked his racket toward the sideline seat, drawing some boos from spectators at Court 18. As the conversation between Darderi and Lahyani continued during the changeover between sets, Thompson pointed out that the rules address when a player's hat hits the court – 'Happened to me a few times,' he said – rather than if it's caught out of the air. 'It didn't seem normal to me to play a point with a hat in your hand. It was strange,' Darderi said at his news conference later. 'But it was just one point. It didn't change the match.' On that, both players certainly agreed.

Wales Celebrates Its First Ever Press Conference at a Women's Major Tournament at Euro 2025
Wales Celebrates Its First Ever Press Conference at a Women's Major Tournament at Euro 2025

Al Arabiya

time4 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

Wales Celebrates Its First Ever Press Conference at a Women's Major Tournament at Euro 2025

Wales coach Rhian Wilkinson and midfielder Angharad James celebrated their country's first-ever press conference at a women's major tournament at Euro 2025 on Friday. Wales press officer Owain Harries informed assembled journalists of the premiere and was rewarded by a round of applause and cheers. Wilkinson and James laughed and clapped while Wilkinson did a little dance in her seat before the questions started. 'This is it,' said Wilkinson, a former Canada player and assistant coach. 'I can't wait for the bus to arrive to watch these women walk out onto the field to see where they're going to get to step on and make history.' Wales, the lowest-ranked team in the competition, makes its European Championship debut against the Netherlands in Group D on Saturday. The Welsh threatened to qualify for major tournaments in recent years, but it took a playoff win over Ireland to make the dream a reality. 'It's been something that we've always strived to achieve and we've always come short, but not anymore. We're here,' James said. Wales has been landed in arguably the toughest group, however, with heavyweights France and England–the defending champion–also in Group D. 'Underestimate us all you want, but we know that we're ready for the fight, we're ready for each game and we're ready to be here, to be present and take on each team as it comes,' James said. 'We're ready.' After the players' training session in the stadium, they were joined on the field by all of the team staff and coaches for a photo.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store