Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was stretched to the limit en route to the Wimbledon fourth round but world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, his likely semi-final opponent, was unruffled as he advanced in ominous fashion at rainy Wimbledon on Friday.
Play ended in late afternoon on most of the All England Club’s courts as the heavens opened over southwest London.
However, the significant action, including wins for women’s second seed Coco Gauff and British favourite Emma Raducanu, went ahead under the Centre Court and Court One roofs.
Photo: AFP
The 21-year-old Alcaraz, bidding for his fourth Grand Slam title, ran into inspired Frances Tiafoe of the US in a repeat of their thrilling semi-final the 2022 US Open.
Just as in New York, the two players traded blows in a match sprinkled with spectacular exchanges but once again it was Alcaraz who boasted the greater firepower — racking up 55 winners to Tiafoe’s 39 in a 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 win.
Put under extreme pressure by the all-action American, Alcaraz was in trouble toward the end of the fourth set but found another gear to dominate the tiebreak and then romp away to victory in the deciding set.
After being pushed hard by compatriot and 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the first round, a clinical Sinner ran riot against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in a little over one and a half hours.
Nineteen British players began in the singles but Gauff’s 6-4, 6-0 win over plucky qualifier Sonay Kartal reduced that number down to three as the tournament approaches halfway.
Wildcard Raducanu, who skipped the French Open to focus on Wimbledon, overpowered Greek ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3.
Raducanu also beat Sakkari in the US Open semi-final and the parallels are stirring up a British frenzy of excitement.
“I only focus on who I’m playing next. I think that’s the best way to be. I think staying present in the moment is what got me this far. I’m not going to start changing anything,” said Raducanu, who has not dropped a set so far.
Next up is qualifier Lulu Sun, the first New Zealand woman to reach the Wimbledon fourth round since 1959.
Lurking in Raducanu’s half of the draw is Spain’s former world No. 2 Paula Badosa who stunned Wimbledon dark horse Daria Kasatkina on Friday to reach the last 16.
Badosa, whose career was derailed by back problems and who needs cortisone injections, won 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-4.
Italian Jasmine Paolini continued her impressive form as the French Open runner-up beat former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu 7-6 (4), 6-1 to make the last-16 for the first time.
While several third-round matches were unfinished because of the heavy rain, Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov made short work of French Gael Monfils as did Queen’s Club winner Tommy Paul against unpredictable Kazakh Alexander Bublik.
Taiwan won a back-and-forth match at the Unions Cup in Singapore yesterday, but the hosts claimed the trophy due to a better points differential over the tournament. Singapore’s players celebrated with the cup, despite losing a match in which they seized the lead three times, but ultimately fell to a 19-16 defeat. Their points advantage was due to their strong opening game against the other team in the competition, Thailand, who they beat 30-8 on Saturday last week. Taiwan narrowly lost to Thailand on Tuesday and went into yesterday’s match facing a steep challenge. They responded well, opening the game with sustained pressure
An “outstanding” 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said yesterday. Zhang Zhijie was playing a match late Sunday against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points. The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed. “Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesman for
A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed. Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby-horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds. Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges. About 260 riders from 22 countries — most women and girls aged 10 to 20 —
Taiwan’s men’s national basketball team is set to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.League+’s Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player’s contract. The 27-year-old big man from the US landed in Taoyuan early on Monday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung. The two signed the deal, which still has to be approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior. Chang said he is confident that “the proceedings would go smoothly.” If approved, Gilbeck would become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings’ Quincy