Wimbledon: Djokovic, Swiatek ease into third spherical; Medvedev advances

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates defeating Australia’s Jordan Thompson within the males’s singles match on day three of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London. AP

Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek had been in cruise management at Wimbledon on Wednesday, however confetti-throwing local weather protesters and rain delays induced extra complications on the All England Membership.

Djokovic, bidding for a report equalling eighth Wimbledon males’s title and twenty fourth Grand Slam crown, defeated Australia’s Jordan Thompson 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.

It was the 36-year-old’s 350th Grand Slam singles win, third solely to Roger Federer and Serena Williams on the all-time record.

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Victory additionally preserved his 10-year undefeated report on Centre Court docket.

“We now have a really romantic and particular relationship, this courtroom and I,” stated Djokovic who might face previous rival Stan Wawrinka within the third spherical.

Whereas Djokovic and Swiatek moved effortlessly into the final 32, there have been nonetheless 4 first spherical matches which had but to start out.

They had been 4 of the 21 matches cancelled till Thursday as a result of rain.

The day earlier than, solely eight ties had been accomplished as torrential rain swamped the All England Membership.

On Wednesday, a brand new headache offered itself within the form of Simply Cease Oil local weather protesters.

Two activists, each of their 60s, ran onto Court docket 18 to scatter orange confetti and jigsaw items throughout Grigor Dimitrov’s match towards Sho Shimabukuro.

“Following an incident on Court docket 18, two people have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and legal injury and these people have now been faraway from the grounds,” stated a Wimbledon spokesman.

‘Touched’ by welcome 

Simply hours later, the match between Katie Boulter and Daria Saville on the identical courtroom was held up when one other protestor repeated the confetti-jigsaw gesture to jeers from pissed off followers.

Ladies’s prime seed Swiatek beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 6-0 to brush into the third spherical.

The reigning US Open and French Open champion has by no means been past the fourth spherical at Wimbledon however has dropped simply six video games up to now on this yr’s match.

World quantity three Daniil Medvedev marked his return to Wimbledon after final yr’s ban on Russian gamers with a primary spherical win.

Former US Open champion Medvedev defeated French-born British wild card Arthur Fery 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.

In 2022, the All England Membership banned all Russian and Belarusian gamers in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

“The reception at present, I don’t really feel it that usually. I used to be actually touched,” stated the 27-year-old after his match on Court docket One.

Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas survived an exciting five-set battle towards Dominic Thiem to guide a blockbuster second spherical conflict towards two-time champion Andy Murray.

Tsitsipas held his nerve in a closing set tie-break to safe a 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (10/8) victory after nearly 4 hours in a match which had began on Tuesday.

“For a second I believed we had been doing the repeat of Isner versus Mahut,” Tsitsipas stated in reference to the longest match in historical past, performed at Wimbledon in 2010.

Tsitsipas should shortly get well as his Centre Court docket duel with Murray is ready for Thursday.

“I’m not anticipating anybody supporting me, but it surely’s not my first rodeo,” he stated.

Danish sixth seed Holger Rune reached the second spherical for the primary time with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-2 win towards British wildcard George Loffhagen.

US ninth seed Taylor Fritz noticed off Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in 5 units in a match which had began on Monday.

Frances Tiafoe, the American tenth seed who made the final 16 in 2022, noticed off China’s Wu Yibing in straight units.

Wu wanted a medical day out on the finish of the primary set after falling sick however nonetheless pushed his opponent with some spectacular shot-making.

‘Enjoying Superman?’ 

“Am I taking part in Superman proper now?” requested a bemused Tiafoe.

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk clinched the day’s huge shock by downing Greek eighth seed Maria Sakkari 0-6, 7-5, 6-2 in a primary spherical tie twice interrupted for the rain.

“I used to be like numb in a method. So I had a very good cry each occasions, that helped, as a result of I used to be determined,” stated Kostyuk as she defined the turnaround.

Canada’s Milos Raonic, the 2016 runner-up to Murray however now ranked at 849, defeated Austria’s Dennis Novak in 4 units for his first win on the match in 4 years.

Ninth-seeded Petra Kvitova, broadly seen as a contender for a 3rd girls’s title, edged out Jasmine Paolini of Italy, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1.

The veteran Czech arrived on the All England Membership contemporary from successful her sixth profession grass-court title in Berlin.

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