Tennis-Sabalenka douses Raducanu fire to reach fourth round
LONDON (Reuters) -Aryna Sabalenka looked shaken and stirred on Friday as it appeared she would become the most high-profile name to join the mass exodus of Wimbledon seeds before her survival instincts kicked in to secure a 7-6(6) 6-4 third-round win over Emma Raducanu.
Wimbledon fans are no strangers to floodlit blockbusters featuring British home favourites, with Andy Murray providing plenty of late-night thrills under a closed Centre Court roof during his stellar career.
On Friday, it was Raducanu's turn to provide all the drama as she surged to a 4-2 lead in the first set and was again up 4-1 in the second.
The 22-year-old kept her Belarusian opponent guessing with her breathtaking shot-making that earned her a break in the fifth game to the delight of the 15,000-strong crowd who roared on every Raducanu winner and cheered on every Sabalenka error.
Although Sabalenka, the sole survivor among the top six women's seeds, gained back the break, she was left shell-shocked when she missed seven set, and break, points at 5-4 on Raducanu's serve, with the Briton serving her way out of trouble.
At the eighth time of asking, in the tiebreak, Sabalenka finally silenced the crowd when she produced a stop volley to bag the set, her achievement being greeted by only a smattering of applause.
Raducanu, who has spent a long time in the tennis wilderness following her remarkable win at the U.S. Open in 2021 as a qualifier, wanted to prove that she was back to her best by following up her win over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova with victory over Sabalenka.
When she surged into a 4-1 lead in the second, and was one point away from taking a 5-1 lead, it seemed that she might pull off one of the most improbable wins against an opponent who has contested the last three Grand Slam finals.
But it was not meant to be as Sabalenka turned on the power to win the last five games and extinguish Raducanu's hopes of reaching the fourth round for the third time, with the Briton netting a service return on match point.
The top seed will next face Belgium's Elise Mertens.
(Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Clare Fallon)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysia Sun
18 minutes ago
- Malaysia Sun
Alcaraz, Sabalenka advance to fourth round at Wimbledon
LONDON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz remained on course for a third straight Wimbledon title after defeating Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round on Friday. The second-seeded Spaniard secured a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, converting five of 12 break points. He excelled on second returns, winning 34 of 55 points - a key factor in his win. "I think I returned pretty well. It just puts so much pressure on his serve. I think it was the key today," the 22-year-old said. Alcaraz will next take on 14th seed Andrey Rublev, who eased past Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-2, 6-3. The two-time champion anticipates a tough match against the aggressive Russian. "He's a really powerful player. I think he plays really well on grass because he always loves to be aggressive," he said. "When he finds his forehand, I think he likes to move his opponent from side to side. It's going to be really difficult because on grass, the movement is the most difficult thing to do," he added. Meanwhile, fifth-seeded American Taylor Fritz advanced with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and will meet Australia's Jordan Thompson in the next round. Thompson defeated Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. In the women's draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame a spirited challenge from Britain's Emma Raducanu, winning 7-6 (6), 6-4. Trailing 4-1 in the second set, Sabalenka rallied to claim five consecutive games. "Emma played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win," said Sabalenka. "I had to fight for every point to get this win," the 27-year-old Belarusian added. Elsewhere, Australian Open champion Madison Keys fell to 37-year-old German Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3, while former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka squandered a set lead to lose 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Late own goal sends Chelsea past Palmeiras into semi-finals
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -An 83rd-minute Weverton own goal from a deflected Malo Gusto cross gave Chelsea a nervy 2-1 win over a spirited Palmeiras side in the Club World Cup quarter-finals on Friday. Chelsea made most of the running and dominated early on but were reckless with their finishing and went into the break with a one-goal advantage thanks to Cole Palmer's 16th-minute strike. Palmeiras roared back after halftime with teenage winger Estevao, who is soon to join Chelsea, equalising in the 53rd minute with a stunning strike from a tight angle. Seven minutes from time, Gusto's attempted cross deflected off defender Bruno Fuchs and wrongfooted Weverton, the ball bouncing off his back and into the back of the net. Chelsea will now face another Brazilian side in Fluminense in the semi-finals in New York on Tuesday. (Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Alcaraz in Wimbledon last 16 as seeds tumble again
CARLOS Alcaraz made hard work of beating Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the Wimbledon last-16 on Friday, avoiding the fate of Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who joined the mass exodus of top seeds. The Spanish second seed eventually overcame German world number 125 Struff 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to stay on track for a third straight Wimbledon crown. But Alcaraz will have to cut out his errors if he is to become just the fifth man in the Open era perform that feat. 'I knew it was going to be really difficult. I had to be really focused. His game suits the grass with the big serves,' said the 22-year-old. 'It's stressful. To be honest, I was suffering in every service game today, 0-30, break points down. 'I'm really pleased that I was fighting, running for every ball and making great shots.' Alcaraz, watched by former England captain Gary Lineker and former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, made 28 unforced errors in an inconsistent display on Centre Court. But he conjured enough moments of magic to eventually subdue the world number 125 and book his place in the fourth round, where he will meet Russia's Andrey Rublev. Alcaraz had been pushed to the brink in a five-set win over 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini in the first round and looked below his best again in a second-round victory over British amateur Oliver Tarvet. Women seeds crash The women's draw is bereft of star names after the departure of a succession of top players. Keys' 6-3, 6-3 defeat by Germany's Laura Siegemund means only world number one Aryna Sabalenka is still alive at the All England Club out of the top six women's seeds. Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen have already fallen by the wayside. On the men's side, half of the top-10 seeds have gone, though Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner are still standing. US sixth seed Keys had won 13 of her 14 Grand Slam matches this year, but made 31 unforced errors in a lacklustre display against 37-year-old Siegemund, ranked 104 in the world. Sabalenka will be desperate to buck the trend when she faces a potentially tricky encounter against former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the third round. Raducanu ousted 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova in the second round and is in the mood to cause an upset. 'I think having won against Marketa, she's also a really top opponent, so that gives me confidence. I feel amazing,' said the 22-year-old. 'Of course, Aryna is number one in the world, she's been so dominant in the women's game,' she said. 'I know it's going to be a massive challenge.' Earlier at the All England Club, Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka lost in three sets to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, ranked 50th in the world. Osaka has not reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam since she won the Australian Open in 2021 but is still hungry for success. 'I feel like while I still have the opportunity to try to do it, I want to, even though I get very upset when I lose, but I think that's my competitive nature. That's also the younger sister syndrome,' she said. There were also wins for Britain's Sonay Kartal, 13th seed Amanda Anisimova and Elise Mertens. US men's fifth seed Taylor Fritz avoided a third straight five-setter, beating Spains' Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1. Britain's Cameron Norrie saw off Italian Mattia Bellucci in straight sets to qualify the quarter-finals for the first time since 2022, when he reached the last four. Highly promising Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca was ousted by Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry. It took US men's 10th seed Ben Shelton just 71 seconds to complete his second-round match, sealing a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win against Australia's Rinky Hijikata after the match was halted on Thursday due to failing light.- AFP
