Another day, another milestone was reached for Novak Djokovic when he ousted Australia’s Jordan Thompson at Wimbledon on Wednesday to reach Grand Slam win number 350.
The defending champion was given a tough fight by Thompson but always looked in control at crucial moments as he cruised to the third round with a 6-3, 7-6(4) 7-5 win.
He is the only player along with Roger Federer and Serena Williams to reach 350 wins at the Slam, but the 36-year-old has his sights set on higher goals.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev completed his rain-delayed first-round match with a straight sets win over British wild card Arthur Ferry, while American Frances Tiafoe also advanced in straight sets against Wu Yibing. Grow up
Playing with his usual clinical accuracy, Djokovic eventually subdued Thompson, who offered something rare at Wimbledon these days – serve-and-volley tennis.
It certainly kept Djokovic honest, but the second-seeded Serb, seeking a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon and fifth in a row, always looked in control.
70th-ranked Thompson was within two points of leveling the match at the end of the second set, but once Djokovic aced the tiebreak at times, there was really only one possible outcome.
As noted, Thompson was strongly supported by the Center Court crowd, eager to see the contest, she refused to back down.
But serving at 5-6 in the third set, the Australian could not stop Djokovic, who volleyed to end the contest.
Djokovic said, “He was a little unlucky in the second set. He had a few chances but yeah, he played a great match and definitely deserves a big round of applause.”
Next up is either Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, to whom he famously lost in the French Open final eight years ago, or 29th seed Tomas Etcheverry of Argentina.
Russia’s Medvedev fought off Ferri’s spirited efforts to win 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 over the 20-year-old wild card player and launched his latest attempt at a serious challenge at Wimbledon.
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, world No. 1 in 2022 and winner of five tournaments this year, has reached the fourth round only once, though he missed last year’s tournament because of a ban on Russian players.
Ferry, making his tour-level debut, took them out of their rhythm for a while with a consistent serve-and-volley approach, but at 5-5 in the first set, rain changed the situation and Medvedev quickly won the opener. Summed up ,
After that it was not the procession many expected, however, as Ferry collapsed early in the second set and the 27-year-old Medvedev struggled for consistency. However, his serve remained a potent weapon and enabled him to survive further scares.
Tiafoe began her bid for a maiden Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-4 win over Chinese debutant Wu in a rain-curtailed first round match.
Tiafoe, seeking to become the first American man to win the trophy since Pete Sampras won his seventh title in a grass-court major in 2000, came back after losing serve early in the first set and took 2 before rain stopped play. Equalized with -2.
The players returned but were held back after two games, and when play resumed, it was the 25-year-old Tiafoe who commandeered a tight opening set in the tiebreak and ended it with a powerful serve.
“I love playing on grass and I have high hopes here for Wimbledon,” said Tiafoe, who is preparing for Wimbledon by winning the Stuttgart grass-court title.
“I’m definitely not here for the holidays. I want to do real damage here and hopefully be here two Sundays from now.”
Wu, making his Wimbledon debut and only his fourth Grand Slam appearance, took a medical timeout at the start of the second set to have his pulse checked, but resumed after a lengthy off-court assessment.
The world number 62 didn’t seem too affected by the unspecified issue, but Tiafoe switched gears to double her lead in the match. After trading breaks freely in the third, she finished off the win with a solid service game.
Tiafoe said, “Obviously, he’s a high quality player. It’s tough, he wasn’t feeling well.” “I’m glad he felt well and was able to finish the match and play at a high level. I thought the last two sets were of a very high standard.”
“I’m a really laid-back person, but I like to finish tennis matches. I’m happy with how I handled it.”
Tiafoe, seeded 10, reached the fourth round last year and will next face Dominic Stryker after the Swiss qualifier beat Australian Alexey Popirin 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
Last year’s quarter-finalist Taylor Fritz also made it to the second round against Mikael Ymer after a 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over Yanick Hanfman.
That match was suspended on Monday due to darkness and could not resume due to rain on Tuesday with Fritz leading 3–2 in the decider.
Fritz said, “It’s great. I have to play tomorrow. It rained all day yesterday and in between today, so I really wanted to go out on the court and play.”
“I’m glad I can just focus on the next match.”
The world number nine, along with Tiafoe, is seeking to become the first American men’s Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick won the US Open in 2003.
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas needed nearly four hours and five sets to beat former world No. 3 Dominic Thiem of Austria as he won 3-6 7-6 (1) 6-2 6-7 (5) 7- Won by 6. (10-8) to advance to the second round of Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old Greek, chasing a maiden Grand Slam title, will next face two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray.
Holger Roon advanced to the second round of Wimbledon for the first time after beating British wild card Georg Lofgen 7-6 (4) 6-3 6-2 in a rain-interrupted match on Wednesday.
The sixth seed became the first Dane since Kenneth Carlsen in 2004 to win a match at the All England Club when he won the match that started on Tuesday morning but was suspended due to weather.
“It means a lot. … It’s nice to come back with good memories, (and I) want to bring back better memories than last year,” Rooney, a first-round loser in 2022, said during an interview after the match. hopefully.”
Roone will face Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi or Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round.
Janik Sinner advanced to the third round of Wimbledon with a 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win over Diego Schwartzman on Wednesday as the eighth seed claimed a second win over the Argentine in as many matches.
The 21-year-old Sinner beat Schwartzman’s fellow countryman Francisco Cerundolo in a first-round game.
Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, Christopher Eubanks and Marcos Giron made it an encouraging day for the American men as they all advanced to the second round.
But 22nd seed Sebastian Korda failed to join them and was beaten 7-6(7) 4-6 6-2 6-3 by Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic.
This report used information from Reuters