Wimbledon: Taylor Fritz, Rublev march ahead; Madison Keys, Osaka crash out

India Today

2 days ago

American hopes at Wimbledon suffered another major setback on Friday as their top contender. Madison Keys and Naomi Osaka, bowed out in the third round. Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev progressed to the second week with composed performances in a tournament increasingly shaped by high-profile exits.Fritz battles through injury and interruptionsTaylor Fritz, the American fifth seed, overcame both physical discomfort and multiple stoppages to defeat Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-3, 6(5)-7, 6-1 and book his place in the fourth round.advertisement
Fritz's Wimbledon campaign has already been gruelling. His first-round match was extended into a second day due to the curfew, and Friday's encounter was twice interrupted in the same game. The first delay came in the second set at 2-1 when a spectator appeared to require medical attention. Play was halted for several minutes while the fan was tended to and eventually taken off Centre Court.Wimbledon Live Score, Day 5Shortly after the resumption, Fritz reopened a cut on his right elbow — sustained in the previous round against Gabriel Diallo — while lunging for a ball. Blood visibly dripped from his arm, prompting a medical timeout. He returned to complete an 18-minute service game and then accelerated to wrap up the win.Rublev eases into fourth roundRussia's Andrey Rublev was clinical in his 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. The seventh seed dominated the baseline exchanges and converted five break points while giving Mannarino very little room to manoeuvre.Rublev, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, has now won four of his five meetings against the Frenchman. He continues to quietly advance through the draw with minimal fuss.Keys and Osaka bow out as women's draw unravelsThe women's singles competition saw yet more upheaval as sixth seed Madison Keys was comprehensively beaten 6-3, 6-3 by Germany's Laura Siegemund on Court Two. The American was plagued by inconsistency, racking up 31 unforced errors and four double faults. Although she broke Siegemund at the start of the second set and briefly looked to mount a comeback, the German responded immediately and sealed victory in just over an hour.Siegemund, now the oldest player remaining in the women's singles draw, will face Argentina's Solana Sierra — a lucky loser — in her first-ever Wimbledon fourth round.Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, squandered a one-set lead to lose 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The four-time Grand Slam champion was aiming to reach the last 16 at the All England Club for the first time, but struggled to maintain her level as the match wore on. Since winning the Australian Open in 2021, Osaka has failed to reach the fourth round at any major in her last 12 attempts.The 27-year-old, who returned to the tour earlier this year following the birth of her daughter, cut a dejected figure afterwards. 'I wanted to do better than I did before. I thought I could make a great run here, but clearly not,' she said.- EndsMust Watch