Key events
Sierra is getting treatment for a blister. Not surprising given the amount of tennis she’s played over the last week, having competed in three matches in qualifying, before reaching the main draw as a lucky loser. Osaka, meanwhile, is set point down at 30-40 … and Pavlyuchenkova lets rip on the return! We’ve got ourselves another set of this to enjoy.
Osaka, after holding for 4-4, has her eye in, and it’s 0-30. Pavlyuchenkova has her heart in her mouth on the next point, as she leaves the ball, which only just drops long. 15-30 becomes 15-40, two break points. Take one of these and Osaka will be serving for the match. But Pavlyuchenkova produces three huge, gutsy serves to bring up game point and holds from there. Instead of serving for the match, Osaka must hold to stay in the second set at 6-3, 4-5.
There’s nothing between Anisimova and Galfi in the second set. It’s 3-3. And Bucsa breaks Sierra for 3-1.
Pavlyuchenkova doesn’t look impressed with that code violation, demonstrating to the umpire that she didn’t hit the grass hard. The umpire is immoveable. But Pavlyuchenkova doesn’t lose focus, holding to 15. It’s Osaka* 6-3, 3-4 Pavlyuchenkova.
Osaka, from 0-30 down, nails another forehand winner down the line. That shot is working so well for her today. A mis-hit from Pavlyuchenkova and it’s 30-all. A pin-point inside-in forehand from Osaka and it’s 40-30. But Osaka’s second double of the day gives Pavlyuchenkova a reprieve, and soon it’s break point. Pavlyuchenkova goes long, Osaka rattles off the next two points for a huge hold and Pavlyuchenkova gets a warning for giving the grass a little whack with her racket.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, both Pavlyuchenkova and Osaka love to hit a hard ball, and Osaka makes another loud thump as she hits a forehand winner down the line for deuce on Pavlyuchenkova’s serve. She then drills another winning forehand down the line after successfully chasing down a drop shot. So here’s a break-back chance … and Pavlyuchenkova goes wide! Osaka, having been a point from dropping 4-0 down, is now back in the second set, trailing 3-2 on serve.
Sierra edges an absorbing opener against Bucsa 7-5.
No sooner than Osaka takes the first set, she’s in a bit of trouble, sliding 3-0 down in the second, as Pavlyuchenkova holds, breaks and then holds, finishing with a one-two punch straight out of the tennis textbook. Has Osaka’s focus waned or has Pavlyuchenkova upped her level? A bit of both, I’d say. Pavlyuchenkova even has points for a double break at 15-40 but this time Osaka holds firm. That could prove to be a key hold if Osaka is to win this in two sets. It’s Osaka 6-3, 1-3 Pavlyuchenkova*.
Sierra can’t shake Bucsa off. Twice she’s broken and twice she’s been broken back, this time when serving for the set at 5-4. It’s now 5-5.
Osaka sends down back-to-back aces from deuce and that’s that, 6-3. She’s one set away from reaching the fourth round for the first time.
It’s a similar story on No 2 Court, where Osaka is broken back, before seeing Pavlyuchenkova’s new level and raising it, immediately breaking for a 5-3 lead. Osaka looks as if she’s going to win the first set of the third round, but blinks on her two set points from 40-15, just as Anisimova wins her fifth game on the spin to take the opening set 6-3 against Galfi.
As for Sierra, the Argentinian who lost in the third round of qualifying before being called up as a lucky loser and beating Britain’s Katie Boulter in round two, she’s just been broken back and it’s 3-3 against Bucsa. The world No 101 has already had to change her accommodation in London four times because of her unexpected run. “It’s a good problem to have,” she said after that win over Boulter. And move No 5 could be in the offing when she swiftly breaks again to lead 4-3.
The RSI-inducing Pavlyuchenkova (let’s hope Osaka gets the business done quickly because my fingers/wrists are already hurting enough five days into the tournament without having to type the Russian’s name too often), is shaky on serve again, and has already hit three double faults, but she squeezes through from deuce to win her first game and reduce her arrears to 3-1.
A few venerable tennis observers have spoken of Amanda Anisimova as a possible champion here given the carnage in the women’s draw, especially in her quarter. The 23-year-old American started her campaign by serving up a double bagel to a distracted Yulia Putintseva, and won in straight sets in the second round too, but she’s been broken in the early exchanges against Galfi and trails 3-1.
Make that 3-0 Osaka. Nick Kyrgios, who will play alongside Osaka at the rebooted US Open mixed doubles event next month, is watching on with Osaka’s team, and will be impressed with what he’s seen so far.
Osaka, the ultimate hard-court specialist who’s finally found her feet on grass, is attempting to reach the fourth round for the first time in her career. I’d love for her to have a deep run here; the former US and Australian Open champion has been so hard on herself for not quite hitting the heights since returning to tennis after the birth of her daughter, Shai, who turned two on Wednesday. Osaka opens with a comfortable hold, and then breaks to 15 when Pavlyuchenkova, the 34-year-old Russian who reached the French Open final in 2021, opens serve with an error-strewn game. It’s 2-0 to Osaka.
On No 2 Court: Naomi Osaka v Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
On No 3: the 13th seed Amanda Anisimova v Hungary’s Dalma Galfi
On No 12: Argentina’s lucky loser Solana Sierra v Spain’s Cristina Bucșa
The gates are open. The players are warming up on the outside courts. The spectators are finding their seats. The sun in shining. A high of 27C is forecast. Let’s play!
Today’s full order of play
Centre Court (1.30pm UK time)
(5) Taylor Fritz (US) v (26) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spa)
Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger) v (2) Carlos Alcaraz (Spa)
(1) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) v Emma Raducanu (GB)
Court 1 (1pm)
Diane Parry (Fra) v Sonay Kartal (GB)
Mattia Bellucci (Ita) v Cameron Norrie (GB)
(24) Elise Mertens (Bel) v (14) Elina Svitolina (Ukr)
Court 2 (11am)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) v Naomi Osaka (Jpn)
Laura Siegemund (Ger) v (6) Madison Keys (US)
Nicolas Jarry (Chi) v Joao Fonseca (Bra)
Court 3 (11am)
Dalma Galfi (Hun) v (13) Amanda Anisimova (US)
(14) Andrey Rublev (Rus) v Adrian Mannarino (Fra)
Nuno Borges (Por) v (17) Karen Khachanov (Rus)
Court 12 (11am)
Solana Sierra (Arg) v Cristina Bucsa (Spa)
Kamilla Rakhimova (Rus) v (30) Linda Noskova (Cze)
Kamil Majchrzak (Pol) v Arthur Rinderknech (Fra)
Court 18 (11am)
Lloyd Glasspool (GB) & Giuliana Olmos (Mex) v Jack Withrow (US) & Irina Khromacheva (Rus)
Hao-Ching Chan (Tpe) & Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) v (3) Sara Errani (Ita) & Jasmine Paolini (Ita)
Luciano Darderi (Ita) v Jordan Thompson (Aus)
Court 5 (11am)
Francisco Cabral (Por) & Lucas Miedler (Aut) v Petr Nouza (Cze) & Patrik Rikl (Cze)
Rafael Matos (Bra) & Marcelo Melo (Bra) v (8) Nikola Mektic (Cro) & Michael Venus (Nzl)
Hailey Baptiste (US) & Catherine McNally (US) v (11) Beatriz Haddad Maia (Bra) & Laura Siegemund (Ger)
Court 6 (11am)
Fernando Romboli (Bra) & John-Patrick Smith (Aus) v Guido Andreozzi (Arg) & Marcelo Demoliner (Bra)
Quinn Gleason (US) & Ingrid Martins (Bra) v (5) Mirra Andreeva (Rus) & Diana Shnaider (Rus)
Robert Cash (US) & JJ Tracy (US) v Rinky Hijikata (Aus) & David Pel (Ned)
Court 8 (12.30pm)
(3) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) & Tim Puetz (Ger) v Matthew Romios (Aus) & Ryan Seggerman (US)
(1) Katerina Siniakova (Cze) & Taylor Townsend (US) v McCartney Kessler (US) & Clara Tauson (Den)
(7) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) & Ellen Perez (Aus) v Nathaniel Lammons (US) & Alexandra Panova (Rus)
Court 14 (11am)
(10) Timea Babos (Hun) & Luisa Stefani (Bra) v Hanyu Guo (Chn) & Alexandra Panova (Rus)
(11) Sadio Doumbia (Fra) & Fabien Reboul (Fra) v Alexander Erler (Aut) & Constantin Frantzen (Ger)
(4) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) v Marta Kostyuk (Ukr) & Elena Gabriela Ruse (Rom)
Sadio Doumbia (Fra) & Fang-Hsien Wu (Tpe) v Neal Skupski (GB) & Desirae Krawczyk (US)
Court 15 (11am)
Eri Hozumi (Jpn) & Aldila Sutjiadi (Ina) v (14) Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) & Shuai Zhang (Chn)
(1) Marcelo Arevalo (Esa) & Mate Pavic (Cro) v Pedro Martinez (Spa) & Jaume Munar (Spa)
Sander Arends (Ned) & Demi Schuurs (Ned) v Joshua Paris (GB) & Eden Silva (GB)
(3) Andrea Vavassori (Ita) & Sara Errani (Ita) v Julian Cash (GB) & Heather Watson (GB)
Court 16 (12.30pm)
Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Col) & Alycia Parks (US) v (15) Nicole Melichar-Martinez (US) & Ludmilla Samsonova (Rus)
Jamie Murray (GB) & Emily Appleton (GB) v David Stevenson (GB) & Maia Lumsden (GB)
Yuki Bhambri (Ind) & Xinyu Jiang (Chn) v Christian Harrison (US) & Nicole Melichar-Martinez (US)
Court 17 (12.30pm)
Billy Harris (GB) & Marcus Willis (GB) v (2) Harri Heliovaara (Fin) & Henry Patten (GB)
Polina Kudermetova (Rus) & Zeynep Sonmez (Tur) v (2) Gabriela Dabrowski (Can) & Erin Routliffe (Nzl)
Henry Patten (GB) & Olivia Nicholls (GB) v Andres Molteni (Arg) & Asia Muhammad (US)
And a few other pieces for your perusal:
Tumaini Carayol
And Tumaini’s thoughts on the task facing Raducanu:
Hours after Emma Raducanu’s latest convincing defeat by Iga Swiatek just a few weeks ago at the French Open, the 22-year-old was understandably still seething. Once again, she had given herself an opportunity to face one of the best players in the world, and once again she simply could not keep up, losing 6-1, 6-2.
Her uncomfortable afternoon on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the end of May was reflective of a pattern that has defined her recent months. Raducanu has performed admirably when facing the players she should defeat, compiling a 14-3 record against lower-ranked players over the past year. Against the elite players, however, she has consistently been flattened.
“I think I have done a pretty good job of staying with and getting some good wins over players not in the top 10,” she said, sighing. “But there is a big difference as you go up into the top five and then playing, like, slam champions. It is a completely different ball game.”
There have been times when those top players have almost appeared to be playing a different sport. Raducanu’s 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Swiatek at Roland Garros had actually marked an improvement after her 6-1, 6-0 loss in their Australian Open third-round match. She has also suffered heavy defeats against Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen in recent weeks and is 1-9 against top-five players in her career. The common theme in those performances was how underpowered Raducanu’s game appeared against players who are capable of completely overwhelming her with their superior pace and weight of shot.
Now she will take on the very best, and most powerful, adversary of all in Aryna Sabalenka, the undisputed women’s world No 1. Over the past few years, Sabalenka’s evolution has become one of the most impressive sights in the sport. After arriving on the tour as a wildly inconsistent shot maker who entered every match with the sole intention of bashing the ball as hard as possible while having no control over her emotions, the 27-year-old has evolved into a more refined, well-rounded player who has learned how to harness her power into consistently devastating tennis.
Click here for the full preview.
Paul MacInnes
Here’s Paul MacInnes’s report on Draper’s premature exit:
The question that sprang into Jack Draper’s mind after this chastening defeat was simple: how did Andy Murray do it? Draper, the new hope of British men’s tennis, had come into these championships with expectations that he would leave his mark. Instead he was taught a grand slam lesson by the veteran Marin Cilic and leaves Wimbledon with fresh lessons to take on board in his burgeoning career.
There has been distinct excitement at Draper’s prospects in SW19 this summer after his heady ascent up the rankings and victory at Indian Wells in the spring. That this was only his fourth Wimbledon appearance and that none of his previous outings had gone beyond the second round was not given much weight. But perhaps a lack of experience told here, at least in how Draper managed the match, while the 36-year-old Cilic, a Wimbledon finalist in 2017, revelled in his own on-court Indian summer.
“It makes me think that Andy’s achievement of what he did, winning here twice, was just unbelievable,” Draper said, having collected his thoughts after the 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 reverse. “I wasn’t going out there thinking I was under so much pressure. I just didn’t play good enough today. I lost to a better player. I wasn’t able to find the level I wanted.”
It seems, too, fair to imagine there’s an element of deflection in that answer. Part of Murray’s great triumph was to rise above the clamour of expectation that met him every time he set foot in the All England Club. And Draper did look tight in the match, particularly the opening two sets. But there were other obvious factors: he points to a struggle to find his feet on grass, and then there was the form of Cilic.
The Croat’s strength of serve is well known and his whipped forehand a deadly weapon. What was less clear was how able he would be to summon those powers after more than two years out of the game dealing with a knee injury that required two rounds of surgery. An omen was to be found in Nottingham last month, when the 36-year-old won the grass-court tournament and became the oldest winner ever of an ATP Challenger event (usurping Murray). Here he looked a player who had emerged fully from rehabilitation, and was the more mobile player on court.
You can read the rest here.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to our coverage of Wimbledon, where there’s a mixture of shock and awe early on day five: shock after Jack Draper’s chastening exit last night and awe at how Marin Cilic – at the age of 36, with only one good knee and without a win at Wimbledon since 2021 – so comprehensively took out the leader of Britain’s pack. Oasis’s isn’t the only comeback making headlines this morning.
Draper’s exit means that of the 23 British players who started in the singles, we’re left with only three as the third round begins. Emma Raducanu will have to play the match of her life later on Centre Court to oust the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the only survivor among the women’s top five seeds, but the way in which Raducanu relished the challenge against the 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the previous round was encouraging.
Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie are both on No 1 Court: Kartal, Raducanu’s childhood rival, has a (dare I say it) very winnable match against the French qualifier Diane Parry, while Norrie, finally playing with a smile on his face again after problems with injury and illness, starts as the favourite against Italy’s Mattia Bellucci.
Also in action: Carlos Alcaraz, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca, along with Jasmine Paolini Kamilla Rakhimova and Alexander Zverev Arthur Rinderknech, while marathon man Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova are the American force in action on the fourth of July.
Play begins at: 11am UK time on the outside courts, 1pm on No 1 Court and 1.30pm on Centre Court. Don’t be late!
