Sam Groth and Robert Lindstedt ended doubles play on Friday at Wimbledon with an upset over third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. The Aussie/Swedish duo hit 22 winners in the three-hour, nine-minute victory to reach the third round. Their next opponents will be Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor, who defeated Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos, the No.15 seeds, 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-4. Earlier, British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski ousted eighth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3. Their third-round opponents, Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner, defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-6(0), 6-4 in just over two hours. Seventh seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram needed three hours...
Gilles Muller is continuing to enjoy his best season after 16 years on tour. The Luxembourg native, seeded 16th, is through to the second week at Wimbledon for the first time after a convincing 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-4 win over local favourite Aljaz Bedene. Muller’s serve has been on song throughout the grass-court season and today was no exception. He even hit a game of aces at 5-5 in the opening set to emphatically demonstrate his strength on that shot. The positive tennis didn’t stop there. Muller hammered 48 winners and 19 aces, winning 82 per cent of his first-serve points to advance in two hours and 27 minutes. He leads the tournament in aces, with 72 hit over three rounds....
There is a menace, a swagger and a steely determination to Rafael Nadal this week at The Championships. Right from the moment he straps up his feet, puts on his socks and shoes, tapes up his fingers and ties the knot in his white bandana to walk out onto one of the show courts at the All England Club. The great Spanish champion is determined to do well, six years on from reaching the last of his five Wimbledon title matches (2006-08, 2010-11). For the first two sets on Centre Court, scene of his famous 2008 triumph (d. Federer) and 2010 crown (d. Berdych), Nadal was often at his awesome best Friday, a perennial threat to Karen Khachanov, largely nullifying...
Roberto Bautista Agut had only won two sets in four previous meetings against Kei Nishikori, but his consistent depth of groundstroke and never-say-die attitude enabled the Spanish roadrunner to reach the fourth round at The Championships on Friday. Bautista Agut, the No. 18 seed, blocked ninth seed Nishikori’s path into Wimbledon's second week for the third time (2014, 2016) with a 6-4, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3 victory in three hours and 21 minutes. The match featured 107 points of five strokes or more. "I couldn't maintain my level high enough to beat Bautista today," said Nishikori. "I think he served well in every set... I had many chance, but I think he played well on the important points." Bautista Agut, who...
Recreational players, take heart: Even Roger Federer gets nervous. The seven-time Wimbledon champion admitted to feeling a few nerves at the start of his second-round match on Thursday against Serbian Dusan Lajovic. The butterflies affected his play as well, as Federer was broken in his first service game and fell behind 2-0 in the first set. But the Swiss right-hander quickly resumed regular proceedings and dazzled a packed Centre Court crowd en route to reaching the third round at the All England Club for the 15th time. Federer advanced 7-6(0), 6-3, 6-2 against Lajovic, who was looking to make the third round for the first time. “I think I just struggled early on. I was feeling nerves for some reason....
