Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski produced a strong serving performance Monday to reach the third round of Wimbledon.

The Dutch-British duo defeated Australian Open champions Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler 7-6(3), 6-2 after winning 31 of 35 first-serve points and not facing a break point throughout the one-hour, 20-minute contest.

Koolhof and Skupski, who won the ATP 250 event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, will next meet another Aussie duo, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. Last year, the 25-year-old Purcell teamed with Matthew Ebden to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles title.

In other action, sixth seeds Ebden and Rohan Bopanna defeated Jacob Fearnley and Johannus Monday 7-5, 6-3. Fourth seeds Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski moved past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Adrian Mannarino 7-6(3), 6-4. Robert Galloway and Lloyd Harris rallied to upset second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 6-1.

Fifth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin ousted British wild cards Toby Samuel and Connor Thomson 6-3, 7-6(4). The 2021 Wimbledon champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic survived Francisco Cabral and Rafael Matos 7-5, 7-6(3).

Carlos Alcaraz passed a tough test on Monday when he defeated 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time.

Alcaraz withstood an early barrage of power from Berrettini, who has long excelled on grass. But once the Spaniard found his return rhythm on Centre Court, he never relinquished it en route to a three-hour, four-minute victory.

“I knew that it was going to be really tough,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “Matteo is a great player. He made the final here on grass, so I know he is playing great. Of course it is not easy after losing the first set. I knew I would have my chances. I needed to stay focussed and to stay there and [that is] something I am working on, to stay focussed, not lose my mind and I think I did great in that part and [I am] really happy to come back and play a great match.”

The top seed seized control by the time the players reached 2-2 in the fourth set, when tournament officials decided to close the roof due to impending darkness. But the near 15 minutes between points — and the change in conditions — did not give Berrettini, who was unsure if he would play the tournament due to injury, enough time to flip the momentum.

Another Wimbledon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Wimbledon first-time quarter-finalist! 🙌@carlosalcaraz knocks out Berrettini 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-3 to advance to the last 8!Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon

pic.twitter.com/MZkbgFDFVn

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 10, 2023

Alcaraz will next play sixth seed Holger Rune in a battle of the next generation. The Danish star clawed past 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov in four sets.

“The young guys reaching their dreams,” Alcaraz said. “Coming here and playing a quarter-final together is something great for tennis. Of course with Holger, we said at lots of tournaments when we were 12 years old, we grew up together, passing all the categories, playing great tournaments, so playing a quarter-final at a Grand Slam against him is something great and that I am going to enjoy.”

Entering the match, Berrettini had not lost serve during the fortnight. When he hammered his way to the opening set, it seemed the top seed could be in danger.

The start of the clash was reminiscent of Novak Djokovic’s win against Hubert Hurkacz in that Hurkacz took the racquet out of Djokovic’s hand.

But when Berrettini missed a forehand into the net off his back foot to trail 1-3 in the second set, the tenor of the match changed. Alcaraz grew in confidence and ultimately broke his opponent’s serve four times from 16 attempts.

The 20-year-old began the grass-court season having only played six tour-level matches on the surface. But the Queen’s Club champion has now won all nine matches he has played on grass this year and is three victories from the Wimbledon title.

“I am hungry for more,” Alcaraz said. “But this is something I really wanted. Last year I lost in the fourth round and I really wanted to play in the quarter-finals here. I came here this year with that goal. First it was to get into the quarter-finals and now I am looking for more. My dream is to play a final here and win this title one day. I hope to realise that dream this year, but right now it is great to be in the quarter-finals.”

Berrettini, who is now 36-8 in tour-level matches on grass in his career, was never able to wrestle back control. Alcaraz hit 35 winners to just 23 unforced errors and held Berrettini to just 67 per cent of first-serve points won.

“Insane, whirlwind, dream.”

Christopher Eubanks is living a ‘pinch-me’ moment at Wimbledon. The American booked his ticket to his first major quarter-final Monday when he upset World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 27-year-old is finding out that his breakthrough at The All England Club comes with a few benefits outside of a spot in the last eight and a US$437,410 payday.

“Everything from realising that I have two credentials at Wimbledon for the rest of my life, to checking my phone and seeing my name as an ESPN alert, to realising how much I disliked grass at the beginning of the grass court season, to now look at where I am. There’s so many different ways I could go about it,” Eubanks said in his post-match press conference.

“I just think the entire experience all together has just been a whirlwind. It’s been something that you dream about. But I think for me I didn’t really know if that dream would actually come true. I’m sitting here now, so it’s pretty cool.”

Eubanks’ rapid rise has been one of the stories of the season. He first cracked the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in April, following a quarter-final run at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami and prior to arriving at his Wimbledon main-draw debut, the former Georgia Tech University standout lifted his maiden tour-level title at the Mallorca Championships. He has not slowed down.

Eubanks is riding a nine-match winning streak that hit a new high Monday when he earned the first Top-5 win of his career in a thrilling five-setter against Tsitsipas. The Atlanta-native’s deep run is even a surprise to himself.

“We’ve had to change hotel checkout dates a couple times, everything else has pretty much stayed the same,” Eubanks said. “Typically when I book hotels, especially at Slams… I’ll typically say, ‘Let’s book until Friday just because the cancellation policies can be tough. We’ll see what happens’. We had that happen. Moved it again to Monday.

“Then I believe yesterday or two days ago, we said, ‘Let’s just move it to next Friday just to see. If we have to move it one more time, we might just move it all the way to the end of the following week. That’s really the only logistical change that’s had to be made.”

At World No. 31 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Eubanks stated that his breakthrough season can partially be credited to more belief in his game. WTA stars Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, who are close friends with Eubanks, helped inspire that self-confidence within the American.

“For a long time I questioned whether or not I was consistent enough to play at this level really consistently. I knew I could come out on any match and maybe light it up, could cause some guys some trouble,” Eubanks said. “I don’t know if I really believed I could put it together match after match after match against quality opponents.

“That’s something Coco has been telling me for a long time. Naomi even says the same thing. That’s kind of been the main thing of just reinforcing and instilling confidence, ‘Hey, you can play at this level, you just have to believe it!’ When I’m around them, to hear them talk about their belief, it’s a bit infectious. It does rub off on you.”

Eubanks will next look to avenge his Miami loss to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals. But Wednesday’s match can wait for now. Eubanks wants to soak in every second of this dream that has turned into a reality.

“It’s a bit nuts right now. It’s crazy to see my social media feed that I’m just used to kind of going to, seeing it’s a lot of me,” Eubanks said. “I’m like, ‘What is this? This is weird’.

“But I think I’ve been able to find a way to compartmentalise everything, realise this is a pretty big moment, but also saying, ‘This is a tennis match that I need to play in a couple days’. I’m not too worried about it. I think for today I’m going to really, really enjoy this. Just think back on it, realise how surreal it is, how crazy it is.

“When tomorrow comes, it’s going to be another match. It’s going to be me stepping on court.”

Holger Rune broke new ground on Monday at Wimbledon, where he overcame Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at The Championships for the first time.

The 20-year-old Dane, who is making his second appearance on London’s lawns, rallied from a set and a break down to earn just his second Top 30 win on grass. In a heavy-hitting three-hour, 20-minute clash on Court 1, Rune struck with destructive power and was the more aggressive player in the two tie-breaks played. After sealing victory on his first match point, the sixth seed raised his arms and let out a roar.

“Today was a crazy match,” Rune said. “Grigor is an incredible player and he pushed me to the limit. We both pushed each other. I think it was a great match and a tough match.

“I fight until the end always. That is what I focus on, especially when I am in a tough situation. I tell myself that there is Wimbledon once a year, so I am going to fight so I have a chance to win.”

With his 37th tour-level win of the season, Rune became the second Danish man to advance to the last eight at Wimbledon, joining Kurt Nielsen (1953, 55 and 58). It is the third time Rune has reached this stage at a Slam, having enjoyed runs to the last eight at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2023.

The World No. 6, who survived a five-set thriller against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round, will continue the quest for his first major and second tour-level title of the season against World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini.

Dimitrov was aiming to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for just the second time in 13 appearances. The Bulgarian, who advanced to the last four in 2014, defeated World No. 10 Frances Tiafoe in the third round and has climbed three spots to No. 21 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

In a high-quality first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the Dane and Bulgarian, little separated the pair on Court 1 for large periods. Rune struck 46 winners compared to 49 from Dimitrov, with a series of cat-and-mouse exchanges swinging one way and then the other.

The turning point came at the end of the third set, when Rune showed great courage in the tie-break to step into court and dictate, gaining the lead for the first time. He then earned the decisive break of the fourth set in the sixth game, when Dimitrov double-faulted on break point down.

Did You Know?
Rune earned his first tour-level win on grass last month at The Queen’s Club where he reached the semi-finals.