Novak Djokovic’s blockbuster third-round match against three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka turned into one-way traffic on Centre Court for much of Friday evening.

Despite a late start and a late surge from Wawrinka, the seven-time champion Djokovic avoided the possibility of the match carrying over to Saturday by defeating the Swiss star 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(5) at just past 10:45 p.m.

“I have to say that it’s amazing what Stan is doing. Still his age, after several surgeries. We are two old guys fighting with the young guns, I think it’s important to acknowledge that,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “It’s amazing. It’s inspiring. Like Andy [Murray], he was forced to drop [in] the rankings in the last couple of years [and is] trying to build his ranking.

“We’ve had some amazing battles on the biggest courts in the sport. I respect Stan a lot as a player, I really love him as a person. He’s an extremely nice guy. So I wish him all the best for the for the rest of the season.”

After winning his second-round clash Thursday, Wawrinka made clear he did not believe he would upset the second seed. “Hopefully I can make a competitive match, but if you will look at recent results, I don’t really stand a chance,” he said.

The former World No. 3’s words proved prophetic. Wawrinka battled back to hold from 0/40 in his first service game of the match, but the adversity was a sign of things to come. Djokovic was laser-focussed en route to beating his opponent and the 11 p.m. curfew under the lights.

Wawrinka has as much firepower as any player on Tour, which he has used to defeat Djokovic at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open (only Roger Federer has defeated the Serbian at all four majors). But Djokovic absorbed all of Wawrinka’s aggression without appearing in difficulty, and always seemed to be a step ahead in rallies in the first two sets.

After Djokovic earned his second service break of the second set, Wawrinka quietly flicked his hands in the air in exasperation, wondering what he could do to turn the match around.

The Swiss showed his champion’s spirit in the third set, raising his level to make a match of it to the crowd’s delight. But despite winning four consecutive points in the third-set tie-break to turn a 1/3 deficit to a 5/3 advantage, he was unable to force a fourth set as his first serve deserted him. His first delivery proved problematic throughout the match, as he only landed 42 per cent of them against one of the best returners in history.

Djokovic buckled down when he needed to, advancing after two hours and six minutes less than 15 minutes before curfew. He is now 18-4 in tie-breaks this year and 3-0 in this edition of The Championships.

“He was two points away from extending this match to another day. Coming into the court today, we knew that it was going to be really tight to finish the match today,” Djokovic said. “One of us had to win in straight sets and it looked very, very good for me the first two sets. Then he raised his level, I dropped mine a little bit. And yeah, [the] crowd got involved. It was a good atmosphere. And hopefully you guys enjoyed it.”

The 23-time major champion now leads Wawrinka 21-6 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. This was just their third meeting since the 2016 US Open final, which the Swiss won.

Djokovic will next play 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated 14th seed Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day. The Polish star arrived at Wimbledon having not won more than two consecutive matches since February in Marseille.

But Hurkacz has found his form on the London grass, winning all three of his matches in straight sets without dropping serve. Djokovic leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 5-0, but needed four sets against Hurkacz in the third round of The Championships in 2019.

Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski began their quest for a first major crown Friday at Wimbledon.

The Dutch-British duo defeated Daniel Altmaier and Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 7-5 in the first round after winning 34 of 40 first-serve points. Koolhof and Skupski, who won their first title of the season last month at the ATP 250 event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, will next clash against Australian Open champions Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler, who ousted Marco Cecchinato and Thiago Monteiro 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round.

Also in first-round action, fourth seeds Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski cruised past Mackenzie McDonald and Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-4. Seventh seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer survived Marc-Andrea Huesler and Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6(7).

Dutchmen Tallon Griekspoor and Bart Stevens upset third seeds and last year’s semi-finalists Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas were locked in a battle against Luca Van Assche and Arthur Fils at 7-6(3), 4-6 when play was suspended due to darkness.

In mixed doubles, Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter moved past John Peers and Storm Hunter 6-2, 6-4 after fending off the two break points they faced.

When you watch Alexander Bublik play, you will be entertained.

The 26-year-old pulls opponents around with his court craft, combining deft drop shots with effortless power to light up the Tour. For Bublik, the ability to make people smile is why he plays the game.

“I want to be seen as a good man who has respect for the game, for the fans and for the entertainment, because that is what sport is all about,” Bublik told ATPTour.com.

The Kazakhstani’s all-court game saw him capture his second tour-level title in Halle last week. This week, he is putting on a show at Wimbledon, where he next plays Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.

Bublik’s fun personality has been on display since he made his debut in 2016, but what is he like off court?

“I am laid back and honest. I enjoy playing table tennis. I enjoy walking around and discovering things,” Bublik said as he cracked a smile. “I love nature. Back home we have a lot of forests and parks and castles. I grew up discovering all of this. I went and discovered dungeons when I was younger because we had them all open. Where I live now is all nature with a lot of history.”

Holding a key interest in a variety of subjects, Bublik enjoys spending his downtime investigating and learning.

The 26-year-old revealed he has held a love for history from a young age. In recent years, this has grown further, with Bublik grasping the travel opportunities the Tour gives him to further enhance his knowledge.

“You must know history to know about the future because history repeats itself all over again,” Bublik said when discussing the subject. “Reading is important for your own education. When I was in Paris I went to the Louvre and looked at some sculptures from Ancient Greece, which I found very interesting.

“Then I started reading about that period and it was interesting. If you gain information little by little, by the age of 40 you can have a conversation about a range of topics. I think it is very important to be able to talk about different topics with different people.”

With London home to a wide variety of world-leading museums, the opportunities for Bublik to explore are huge. However, for him, there is something else that catches his eye in the UK capital and it is not strawberries and cream that are served up at The All England Lawn Tennis Club.

“I like the aesthetics of a good car in front of a building,” said Bublik, who clinched his second tour-level title in Halle last monht. “Especially in London. It is the different culture and architecture of buildings in London I like and I think fancy cars in front of them look good.”

When Bublik takes to court against Rublev, his focus will be back on the job at hand. By reaching the fourth round, he has recorded his best run at a Slam.

If he can go one step further and secure his spot in the quarter-finals for the first time, a celebration may be in order when he returns home to Monte-Carlo before heading out to the United States for the hard-court swing.

Sixth-seeded Dane Holger Rune rallied from a break of serve down in the first and third sets to secure a gritty 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-4 win over Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena to charge into the Wimbledon third round Friday.

Rune dictated play in the match with 45 winners (double that of his opponent) and 47 unforced errors and steadily improved on serve after winning just three of 12 second-serve points in the opening set.

“It wasn’t easy today; he made it very difficult,” said Rune, who won 33 of 48 net approaches. “He’s the type of player who doesn’t give you anything for free. So I had to finish the points myself and try to play good. He makes a lot balls. I managed to raise my level close to the end and I got unbelievable support from the crowd.”

The 2022 Rolex Paris Masters champion will next meet Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 31st seed Davidovich Fokina won his lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Rune earlier this year at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The 20-year-old Rune, who saved eight of 11 break points against him, has not dropped a set in advancing to the Wimbledon third round for the first time. In the opening round he defeated British wild card George Loffhagen 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2.

Rune’s deepest runs at the majors have come at Roland Garros, where he has reached the quarter-finals the past two years. During this grass season he reached the semi-finals at Queen’s (l. to De Minaur). Rune is at a career-high No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, with a chance to break into the Top 5 for the first time with a deep run at The All England Club.

In third-round action, Italian Jannik Sinner rallied to beat Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. After dropping the opening set, the eighth seed lost just three points behind his first serve for the remainder of the match. A quarter-finalist at Wimbledon last year, Sinner won 62 per cent of points behind his second serve, compared to the Frenchman’s 46 per cent.

The 21-year-old Sinner awaits the winner of Daniel Elahi Galan and Mikael Ymer.

Sinner has defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Diego Schwartzman, and Halys to reach the fourth round of a major for the second time this season (Australian Open). 

In 2022, the seven-time tour-level titlist Sinner led Novak Djokovic two-sets-to-love in the Wimbledon quarter-finals before the Serbian mounted a comeback to win in five sets. Djokovic went on to capture his seventh Wimbledon title.

Jannik Sinner advances to the Wimbledon fourth round.” />
^{Jannik Sinner advances to the Wimbledon fourth round. Credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images}