Wimbledon 2021: Angelique Kerber & Coco Gauff win to set up fourth-round meeting
Former champion Angelique Kerber comes from behind to beat Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, while Coco Gauff eases past Kaja Juvan.
Former champion Angelique Kerber comes from behind to beat Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, while Coco Gauff eases past Kaja Juvan.
Sixth seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury continued their quest for a second Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Marton Fucsovics and Stefano Travagila on Saturday at Wimbledon.
The American-British team, who lifted the Australian Open trophy last year, won 28 of 29 their first-service points to reach the third round in 65 minutes.
The reigning champions, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, also advanced to the third round at SW19, as they defeated Brazilians Rafael Matos and Thiago Monteiro 6-2, 7-6(5). The third seeds hit five aces and broke twice to set up a meeting with Australians Max Purcell and Luke Saville.
There wasn’t such success for seven seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares though, after they were edged out 6-7(3) 6-3, 6-2 by Andrey Golubev and Robin Haase who hit 13 winners. They will next met Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez.
One contest went to a Match Tie-break, with Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic saving a match point as they fought past 15th seeds Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald 6-3, 1-6, 13-12(6) to advance in two hours and 58 minutes.
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Elsewhere, Roland Garros champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut bowed out against fellow Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin. The second seeds, who won Wimbledon in 2016, were trailing 6-4 when Herbert decided he could not continue due to injury.
Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer feels that he is in strong shape as he moves into the second week at Wimbledon.
Federer has dropped just one set in his past two matches after a difficult first-round match against Adrian Mannarino, in which he trailed by two-sets-to-one.
“I definitely feel like I’ve got into my rhythm now at this point,” Federer said after beating Cameron Norrie on Saturday. “Sometimes I was still mistiming my shots a little bit, [but] for the most part, I was still trying to play on the front foot.
“I did that very well today. I thought I had a really excellent attitude, from what I can tell how I felt. That has been something that has changed nicely throughout the last weeks and months, to be honest.”
However, despite this pressure, the 39-year-old Swiss revealed he was feeling mentally calm during his 1,250th career match win on Saturday.
“Maybe [it was] one of the first times, I just felt very much at peace out there, really sort of a tranquility.” Federer admitted. “I guess to everything I was doing, where I wanted to serve, how I wanted to win my service games, then how I took misses, how I took wrong choices. I just brushed them off.
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“I was sitting on the change of ends, it was just empty thoughts, no bad, no positive, just sitting there and relaxing. This is how I want it to be. I think that for me is a very positive sign, to be honest.
“I don’t think I’m playing because he [Djokovic] is doing well or he’s doing great things. Same as Rafa. I think I’m doing my own thing. It’s going to be another big one for him [Djokovic] in the coming days. There’s always danger in the draw wherever you look.”
The Swiss superstar will next face 23rd seed Lorenzo Sonego on Monday in the fourth round and feels confident with his game after his win against Great Britain’s Norrie, who was backed by a home crowd on Centre Court.
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“It meant a lot to me because I thought I played a really good match throughout. The crowd really got into it. I thought I was extremely calm throughout the match,” Federer said. “Maybe that’s why I saved all the emotions for the very end of the match.
“It’s really a win for me, like a reference point as well,” Federer said. “If I can beat somebody of his level who’s played well last week, who is playing at home, who’s played a ton of matches. He’s a good player. That’s why I was extremely happy that I found ways to fight back in that fourth set.”
Watch some of the best bits from day six at Wimbledon including Emma Raducanu taking court one by storm and an awkward moment for Alexander Zverev.
Nick Kyrgios couldn’t hide his disappointment on Saturday after a third-round exit at The Championships, but the Australian insists he will look to play in more tournaments moving forwards.
“I definitely feel more comfortable getting out there,” said Kyrgios, after he retired due to an abdominal strain at the end of the second set against Felix Auger-Aliassime. “When they embrace you, they embrace your personality, they embrace the way you go about it. Of course, I want to go out there and play.
“When I do play, [fans] definitely tune in. All my matches are packed out. I think that’s the cool thing about it. They’re like, ‘Kyrgios will be playing’ [and] ‘Now he’s playing’. There’s full hype around it.
“I really enjoyed the crowd this week. It felt like I was playing back home in Australia. It was even better. So it was cool.”
The 26-year-old, who has already undergone an MRI scan, will remain in London for a couple more days before heading to The Bahamas for rehabilitation and training.
“[At] 4-1, 15/15, then 4-1, 30/15, on my service game I felt my ab, my lower left abdominal strain,” said Kyrgios, who underwent a medical time-out on Saturday when he led 5-2 in the first set. “It was just getting worse and worse… I did an MRI. I’ve done all the right things. I’ve iced it.
“I sacrificed a lot to be here, to try and play. [I] put myself in a position to do damage. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t think I was going to be able to play a good level. I actually played better than I thought I was going to play.
“It’s uncomfortable. If I breathe deeply, I can feel it. Obviously if I get in some certain stretches, I can feel it. So I’m not happy with my injury at the moment.”
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Nick Kyrgios, who also reached the Australian Open third round (l. to Thiem) in February, beat French 21st seed Ugo Humbert and Gianluca Mager of Italy at the All England Club this week.
“It’s funny because I woke up today feeling phenomenal,” said Kyrgios. “My hips felt good, my body felt good. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m back, I’m feeling good’. The luck just didn’t go my way.
“I felt today [that] I was playing unbelievable. I came out of the blocks. I was returning lights out. I was actually finding my stride. I’ve never felt more comfortable on the grass honestly. I felt like he was really struggling with the way I was playing. I was making a lot of returns. I was hot. I broke him I think three times in the first set.
“If I got past Felix today, which I looked like in the first set [winning it 6-1], I was playing lights out. I [was] confident going in against [Alexander] Zverev [in the fourth round]. Just so many things that needed to fall into place. I’m just disappointed.”
Kyrgios was partnering American Venus William in the mixed doubles, but barring a miracle will have to pull out of the competition.
”It’s heart-breaking, honestly,” said Kyrgios. “I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. I just got goose bumps thinking the fact I might have to tell Venus Williams I can’t play mixed doubles because of injuries. It’s brutal for me.”
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev fought past Taylor Fritz 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4) on Saturday to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, equalling his best performance at The Championships.
The German rallied after losing the first set, as he fired 19 aces and hit 45 winners to advance in two hours and 37 minutes. Zverev is bidding to win his first Grand Slam title at SW19 after reaching the semi-finals at Roland Garros (l. to Tsitsipas) in June and the US Open final (l. to Thiem) last year.
The 24-year-old, who also reached the fourth round at the All England Club in 2017, will next face 16th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime after Nick Kyrgios retired during their clash.
After Fritz fended off two break points in his opening service game, he grew into the match. The 23-year-old struck the ball cleanly from the baseline, hitting 13 winners to force a tie-break which he claimed when Zverev pushed a forehand wide.
Zverev battled back in the second set, winning 94 per cent (15/16) of his first-service points as he moved 3-1 ahead. The German was temporally pegged back but continued to close the net effectively, showing good touch to level. Zverev did not lose a single point (18/18) behind his first serve or face a break point in the third set as he moved ahead on No. 2 Court.
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In the fifth game of the fourth set, Zverev applied yet more pressure on Fritz’s serve, stepping up the court to attack his backhand. However, the World No. 40 held as he hit a superb forehand from well behind the baseline to deny Zverev on break point. The set then moved into a tie-break, which the German claimed when Fritz hit a forehand return long.
Fritz, who underwent knee surgery three weeks ago, matched his best display at a Grand Slam this week at SW19. The American has enjoyed runs to the semi-final at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open Doha (l. to Basilashvili) and the Sardegna Open in Cagliari (l. to Sonego) this year.
Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time after Nick Kyrgios was forced to retire after the second set of their match on No. 1 Court. The score was level at 2-6, 6-1.
Auger-Aliassime, who reached his eighth tour-level singles final at Stuttgart (l. to Cilic) and the semifinals at Halle (l. to Humbert) before arriving at SW19, has been one of the in-form players throughout the grass-court swing. He improves to 23-13 on the season.
“I’m sorry for Nick, he was playing so well in the first set,” Auger-Aliassime said in an on-court interview. “It’s really unfortunate, in front of a packed crowd. We both love playing here and there were some big expectations for this match. We were hoping to put on a good show and entertain the crowd, so it’s unfortunate that he had to retire. I hope it’s nothing too serious and that we’ll see him back during the US swing.”
The 20-year-old Canadian joined countryman Denis Shapovalov in the round of 16 here, marking the first time that multiple Canadian men have reached this stage at Wimbledon in the Open Era.
It was a bittersweet result for 16th seed Auger-Aliassime, who dropped the opening set to an on-song Kyrgios, currently No. 60 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Auger-Aliassime was broken three times in the first set as big-hitting Kyrgios mixed up the rhythm from the baseline.
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But one weapon that was missing from Kyrgios’ arsenal was his signature big serve as the Aussie seemed to struggle towards the end of the first set, requiring a medical time out. Kyrgios carried on in the second set, but won only 42 per cent (5/12) of points behind his first delivery. Auger-Aliassime pounced on the letdown, breaking twice and reeling off the last five games to take the second set.
Kyrgios was unable to continue, retiring from the match citing an abdominal injury and sending Auger-Aliassime into the fourth round for the first time.
“I haven’t played this level of tennis in a long time, and obviously playing someone as good as Felix I would want my main weapon, my serve, to be firing,” Kyrgios said in his own on-court interview. “I just felt my ab, I definitely did something to it at the end of the first set. But that’s the way it goes… He’s a hell of a player and he’s going to do great things in this sport.”
Auger-Aliassime will next face the winner of 31st seed Taylor Fritz and fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round.
Emma Raducanu’s dream debut run at Wimbledon continues into the fourth round with victory over Romania’s world number 45 Sorana Cirstea.
Play on the outside courts at Wimbledon has resumed on Saturday at 1:10 p.m local time after an interruption of one hour and 41 minutes due to rain.
Third round singles matches began as scheduled at 11:00 a.m. local time on No. 2 Court and the outside courts before being suspended at 11:30 a.m. local time. Seventh-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini is in action against Alijaz Bedene on Court No. 3, while 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz takes on Alexander Bublik on Court 12.
The Viking International Eastbourne finalist Lorenzo Sonego was 4-2 ahead against James Duckworth on Court 17 when rain halted play. Later today, Alexander Zverev will face American Taylor Fritz on No. 2 Court following the conclusion of a WTA match.
Play will commence on Centre Court at 1:30 p.m. local time and began at 1:00 p.m. on No. 1 Court. Eight-time champion Roger Federer and second seed Daniil Medvedev are among those in action.
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Andy Murray was disappointed after winning just eight games against 10th seed Denis Shapovalov on Friday evening in the third round at Wimbledon. The former World No. 1 has battled so hard to find good form after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, but he is still far from the level that took him to two titles on Centre Court.
“There is a part of me that feels a bit like I have put in so much work the past three months and ultimately didn’t play how I would want and expect. It’s like, ‘Is it worth it?’” Murray wondered. “Is all of that training and everything that you’re doing in the gym — unless you’re able to practise and improve your game and get matches and continue, get a run of tournaments — is it worth all of the work that you’re doing?”
It was a despondent moment after a difficult loss against one of the most dynamic young players on the ATP Tour. It is tough for the 34-year-old to accept his current level, knowing what it feels like to be in full flight, especially on Centre Court, where he has created moments of magic that will be discussed for generations. He knows the buttons to push, but at the moment the remote is not responding.
However, there were a lot of positives for the Scot this week at the All England Club, where he won two tough matches in his first singles appearance since 2017. Murray made clear after his first-round win against Nikoloz Basilashvili that he is still pushing forward.
“I keep getting asked is this going to be my last Wimbledon, last match. I don’t know why I keep getting asked about it,” Murray said. “No, I’m going to keep playing. I want to play… I can still play at the highest level. He’s ranked 28th in the world and I haven’t hardly played any matches and I beat him.”
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Murray admitted that one of his big issues was a lack of consistency caused by a shortage of matches. This was just his fifth singles tournament of the season, and he did not win more than one match at any of the three previous tour-level events he played.
“I feel like I can do better tennis-wise. I feel like I can play better and close matches out better,” Murray said. “But to do that, I need time on the match court and I need more time on the practice court, and I’ve had neither in the past few months.”
There were plenty of bright spots. Most notably, Murray’s trademark fighting spirit was in full effect. Despite letting slip a 5-0 lead in the third set against Basilashvili, he fought back. The same was true when he fell two-sets-to-one down against Oscar Otte in the second round.
“This week has been really good in some ways, but it’s been frustrating too. I played two long matches, and it’s really significantly more than anything I have done in the past six months,” Murray said. “So if my game is not quite spot-on physically, I’m not perfect, or physically really fresh, it’s going to be hard for me. It’s extremely frustrating, because I feel like I put a lot of work into getting to this point, and then obviously to lose like that is tough.
“Being as good as he is. I don’t want to take anything away from his performance. He played really, really well. But if I’m going to put that much effort in, I want to be performing better than what I did here, even though there were some great moments.”
Importantly, Murray has come through three best-of-five-set matches healthy. For the past few years, that has been the three-time major winner’s biggest nemesis. The former World No. 1 believes that while his movement might not be as good as it once was, he is still capable of high-level tennis.
“I need matches and I need a run of them and time on the practice court if I want to improve my game, which clearly I need to. I’m not suggesting my game is in the best place,” Murray said. “I’m going to have to spend a lot of time on the practice court working on stuff.”
The Centre Court crowd tried to urge the two-time Wimbledon champion back into the match against Shapovalov. Murray greatly enjoyed the support and said he has missed it. But he still departs disappointed.
“I’m not expecting and saying I would beat Denis Shapovalov. He’s a brilliant player,” Murray admitted. “But I feel like I can do a lot better than what I did this evening.”
