Catch up with Monday's action
That’s all from me tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow with coverage of the women’s quarter-finals, plus the end of Juan Martin del Potro versus Gilles Simon. Thanks for reading and commenting. Bye!
The men’s quarter-finals are almost set and will be played on Wednesday:
Roger Federer (1) v Kevin Anderson (8)
Milos Raonic (13) v John Isner (9)
Novak Djokovic (12) v Kei Nishikori (24)
Juan Martin del Potro (5) or Gilles Simon v Rafael Nadal (2)
First, though, it’s the women’s quarter-finals tomorrow
Dominika Cibulkova v Jelena Ostapenko (12)
Daria Kasatkina (14) v Angelique Kerber (11)
Kiki Bertens (20) v Julia Goerges (13)
Serena Williams (25) v Camila Giorgi
Novak Djokovic speaks. “I’m very pleased. He started off with a break. He made a couple of great shots but I managed to break and get back into the set. He’s got weapons, a big first serve and a big forehand, but I managed to get serves back and make him play another shot. It was really difficult conditions to play in. The last couple of games, I couldn’t really see the ball very well. Hopefully I can carry today’s win into the next match.”
Novak Djokovic will play Kei Nishikori on Wednesday. He’s looking very impressive at the moment. He hit 29 winners, converted seven of his 14 break points, got 71% of his first serves and was always in control after dousing Karen Khachanov’s early fire. Djokovic still has much to prove given that there have been plenty of false dawns with him in the past two years, but he looks fit and is a definite contender for the title.
Novak Djokovic beats Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-2, 6-4!
When Novak Djokovic is returning well, you know he’s feeling good. Karen Khachanov saves two match points, but Djokovic wants this done now. The Russian nets a backhand on the third and this is over. Djokovic gives the crowd on Court 1 some love. He’s all smiles tonight.
Play has been suspended on Court 2 because of bad light. Juan Martin del Potro leads Gilles Simon 7-6, (1), 7-6 (5), 5-7 and will hope to get the job tomorrow. It isn’t ideal for either player. It means that the winner won’t be able to rest before a quarter-final against Rafael Nadal on Wednesday.
The fading light on Court 2 has worked against Juan Martin del Potro. Facing set point at 5-6 in the third set, he batters a serve at Gilles Simon, who returns with interest. It’s close enough Del Potro for him to continue the rally, but he leaves it, thinking it was out. Nope. Bang on the line. Del Potro challenges, but the third set belongs to Simon, who trails 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), 5-7. I don’t think Del Potro could see it properly. Both players are telling the umpire and referee that they’re happy to call it a night and come back tomorrow.
On Court 1, the outstanding Novak Djokovic is homing in on victory. A sharp return forces another error from the erratic Karen Khachanov on break point and Djokovic leads 6-4, 6-2, 4-2.
Two more holds; Simon leads 6-5. Over to Delpo to force a third tie-break.
Gilles Simon holds. He leads 5-4 in the third set. Juan Martin del Potro will serve to keep it alive. This has been a draining match, with so many long baseline rallies. Simon knows how to hang in there, even though he doesn’t have Del Potro’s force.
Juan Martin del Potro breaks back! He keeps Gilles Simon darting back and forth across the baseline and eventually the stubborn Frenchman blocks a ball into the air, allowing Del Potro to slap a volley past him. Del Potro leads 7-6, 7-6, 3-4 and will serve in the fading light on Court 2.
Novak Djokovic is pulverising Karen Khachanov. His 20th winner is a vicious backhand down the line for 0-30. Khachanov’s head is spinning and a backhand error hands Djokovic two set points. At this point it’s a surprise to see Djokovic net a backhand. He keeps probing, though, and a forehand into the right corner makes Khachanov lose his footing, allowing Djokovic to plonk a forehand into the open court. The 12th seed breaks and leads 6-4, 6-2. It’s been a supreme display from the three-time champion, who’s starting to look a lot more like his old self.
Gilles Simon isn’t going down without a fight. The scrappy Frenchman has broken a slightly dozy Juan Martin del Potro at the start of the third set. Del Potro leads 7-6, 7-6, 0-2. If he isn’t careful, he’ll need to come back tomorrow.
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Novak Djokovic is dealing with Karen Khachanov. He’s absorbing and neutralising the Russian’s power and turning it against him. He’s in complete control now and leads 6-4, 3-0 on Court 1.
Juan Martin del Potro moves into a 6-3 lead in the second-set tie-break on Court 2. Mr Grumpy’s already had four set points. Here are three more. He spurns the first with a rubbish drop shot. Gilles Simon saves the second with a good serve. But Del Potro won’t be denied for ever. A big serve carries him into a 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5) lead and moves him a set closer to a quarter-final with Rafa Nadal.
Karen Khachanov leaps to reach a backhand volley, only to tee up Novak Djokovic for a simple putaway for 0-15. Suddenly Djokovic is three points from the first set. Khachanov is under pressure and it shows when he nets a slice at 15-all. A ballooned forehand hands Djokovic two set points. Khachanov nets a forehand. Oh dear. Djokovic wins the first set 6-4. One down, two to go. Can he get it done tonight?
IT’S COMING HOME LATEST
Q. You tweeted about the football the other day, your three lines emojis. You said something to feel special. Obviously England won the other day. Do you think football is coming home to win the World Cup?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh. Well, it’s not coming home to America.
It’s interesting because when I’m here in London, Wimbledon, it’s the atmosphere, seeing all the English just get so excited. You can’t help but root for the team. Oh my God, what a game that was. Those goals were just incredible. They were playing so aggressive. Man, they really brought a power game to that. I thought that was really cool.
Q. Is there any particular player that stands out for you? Got a favorite? Do you know any of them?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Not this time around. Just been enjoying it. I just love it. So fun to watch. World Cup is a special time of the year. I just get almost depressed. I’m like, Oh, only two more matches, then one more. What is going to happen to my life after that?
I don’t know what I’m going to do for a couple of months. I’m going to be a little bit low. Hopefully I’ll recover and just wait for the next World Cup.
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Novak Djokovic tosses his racket away after netting a backhand slice to hand Karen Khachanov a simple hold. This first set’s on a knife-edge. Djokovic will serve at 4-4.
Gilles Simon has just saved three set points. Poor Delpo.
It’s a right old ding-dong on Court 1. Novak Djokovic sprints into a 4-2 lead in the first set. So Karen Khachanov punches back and breaks to 15 when Djokovic nets a forehand.
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Juan Martin del Potro has played some strange tennis this evening. At 5-5, he balloons a forehand to trail Gilles Simon 0-30. Then Simon earns two break points with a lovely piece of volleying. Time for Del Potro to wake up. He does, serving brilliantly to force deuce. He closes it out with an ace. Maybe he’ll cheer up a bit now. He leads 7-6, 6-5, with the set still on serve.
Juan Martin del Potro stomps into a 0-40 lead. He wastes the first two break points with a poor drop shot and limp slice, but he takes the third with a trademark forehand to break for 4-4 in the second set on Court 2.
Now Juan Martin del Potro’s really annoyed. After all those missed opportunities in the previous game, he finds himself under pressure on serve and he can’t keep Gilles Simon at bay. The Frenchman breaks to lead 4-3 in the second set. On Court 1, meanwhile, there have already been some vicious rallies - and Novak Djokovic’s response to being broken in the first game by Karen Khachanov is to break the impertinent youngster to love.
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Karen Khachanov breaks Novak Djokovic in the very first game on Court 1. “Ooo!” go the punters. “Ooo!”
Gilles Simon saves four break points and holds for 3-3 in the second set. Juan Martin del Potro seems very annoyed today.
Here comes Novak! The players are out for the final match on Court 1. It could be a humdinger. Karen Khachanov has the strength to blow anyone off court on his day. But it’s going to be tough for the young Russian to outlast one of the legends of the sport. Djokovic is bound to be in a hurry to finish this as soon as possible. He won’t have long before the light fades.
A snippet from Serena Williams’s press conference.
Q. The women’s final coincides with Donald Trump’s visit to Britain. If you are in the final, would it be a concern at all if he were to come in light of the boorish comments he’s made about women in sport?
SERENA WILLIAMS: I don’t know what comments he’s made about women in sport. But I feel like he has the right to do whatever he wants to do. If he wants to come to a Wimbledon final, he has that right. I hope I’ll be there. I don’t know. I still have a lot of matches to win. For me, I can’t even think that far. I’m just thinking one at a time.
Kevin Anderson beats Gael Monfils 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 5-7, 7-6 (4)!
That roaring you can hear in Serbian is coming from Novak Djokovic, who’s leaping around the locker room as a backhand volley from Anderson lands just inside the line. Court 1 is finally free for Djokovic and Karen Khachanov. As for Anderson, he’ll be delighted. He survived a mid-match wobble and held his nerve in three tie-breaks to reach his first Wimbledon quarter-final. The eighth seed and former US Open finalist will play Roger Federer next.
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The mixed doubles match Jamie Murray (GBR)/Victoria Azarenka (BLR) (30) and Robert Farah (COL)/Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) has been moved to Centre Court. What do you think about that, Novak? Djokovic, as it happens, has only been given a Centre Court slot once so far. He’s also played on Court 2. I’m sure he’ll be amused if his match doesn’t finish tonight.
Rafa Nadal walks off to a huge cheer from the Centre Court crowd. Elsewhere Gael Monfils and Kevin Anderson have gone to a fourth-set tie-break. Novak Djokovic will be desperate for Anderson to win this one.
Rafael Nadal beats Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-3, 6-4!
Nadal didn’t have to wait long. He earns a third opportunity and this time Vesely plonks a backhand wide to send Nadal into the last eight for the first time since 2011. This was as straightforward as it gets. Nadal was never losing this one. He will play the winner of the match between Juan Martin del Potro and Gilles Simon on Wednesday. Speaking of which, Del Potro has won a first-set tie-break on Court 2, taking it 7-1.
Rafael Nadal is hunting down victory; he leads 6-3, 6-3, 5-4 on Centre Court. A big serve from Jiri Vesely saves a match point. A forehand error gives Nadal another chance. This time Vesely slams an ace down the middle. Over on Court 1, meanwhile, Gael Monfils has held to lead 6-5 in the fourth set.
Gael Monfils holds comfortably enough to lead 5-4 in the fourth set on Court 1. Kevin Anderson will serve to keep it alive. Novak Djokovic’s impatience grows. At least it isn’t going to rain, Novak.
Gilles Simon is continuing to prod Juan Martin del Potro. The Frenchman holds to lead 6-5 in the first set. Don’t rule out an upset on Court 2.
Juan Martin del Potro is seriously irritable today. He almost thinks about breaking another racket after losing another point, only to think better of it. Gilles Simon holds to lead 5-4 in the first set on Court 2.
Gael Monfils saves a break point and holds in slightly unconvincing fashion. He leads 3-2 in the fourth set and Kevin Anderson’s frustration is building. This one’s dragging on, which isn’t great news for Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov.
Juan Martin del Potro receives a code violation for throwing his racket to the ground in a fit of pique. He was annoyed himself for teeing Gilles Simon up for an easy volley.
Juan Martin del Potro’s lying on his backside, but he isn’t hurt, he’s just a bit upset he hasn’t broken Gilles Simon. He’s had chances. This is an entertaining match.
On Court 2, Juan Martin Del Potro is being posed a few problems by the tricky Gilles Simon. The fifth seed saves a break point with a stunning drop shot. Simon earns another and Del Potro saves it with a backhand down the line. This has been a long, tense game. Del Potro eventually slaps a forehand away to hold for 3-3 in the first set.
Jiri Vesely is woefully out of his depth against Rafael Nadal, who breaks again to win the second set and lead 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court. It’s been a non-event there today.
Hopefully the BBC get him to do Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final.
Some news here at Wimbledon... Andy Murray will appear on BBC television tomorrow as a studio pundit and then again on Wednesday as a commentator.
— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) July 9, 2018
Gael Monfils gets there in the end! He has made some inroads on Kevin Anderson’s serve today and a break at the right time pulls him back into the match on Court 1. Anderson leads 7-6, (4), 7-6 (2), 7-5.
Jiri Vesely dumps a dismal backhand long to hand Rafa Nadal three break points. Nadal rips a forehand winner past the Czech to break for a 6-3, 3-2 and leaps into a celebratory fist bump that feels a bit over the top given how the one-sided nature of this match.
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Juan Martin del Potro and Gilles Simon have emerged for the final match of the day on Court 2. I suspect there will be a lot of important people secretly hoping for a Del Potro win. That would probably set up a quarter-final with Rafa Nadal, who’s cruising along against Jiri Vesely on Centre Court.
Gael Monfils breaks and serves for the third set at 5-3 against Kevin Anderson. He goes 30-0 up, plays a series of awful points and loses the game. Marion Bartoli is having a quiet chuckle to herself.
All very predictable on Centre Court. Rafa Nadal has won the first set 6-3 against Jiri Vesely. If England weren’t in a World Cup semi-final, I’d think it was 2010 again.
Kei Nishikori beats Ernests Gulbis 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (10), 6-1!
It was a battle for three sets, but Gulbis had nothing left to give after going behind. His movement has been restricted since that heavy fall during the second tie-break and the fourth set has been a doddle for Nishikori, who earns two more match points with a precise forehand. Gulbis has had enough. He batters a forehand return long and Nishikori is through to his first Wimbledon quarter-final. He’ll face Novak Djokovic or Karen Khachanov next.
Ernests Gulbis saves a match point before whacking a couple of aces past Kei Nishikori to hold. The problem for the Latvian is that Nishikori is about to serve for the match at 5-1 in the fourth set.
John Isner is through to his first Wimbledon quarter-final. The towering American has beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (4) and will look to win some tie-breaks against Milos Raonic next.
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Manic Monday doesn’t feel very manic. Let’s call it Mildly Diverting Monday. Rafa Nadal has broken early on against double-faulting Jiri Vesely.
In shock news, Kevin Anderson has won another tie-break. The No8 seed leads Gael Monfils 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2). He’s a set away from a quarter-final with Roger Federer.
Ernests Gulbis is back on Court 2, but the Latvian’s challenge is fading. Kei Nishikori leads 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 2-0.
This feels like a very optimistic answer from Roger Federer.
Not to get ahead of ourselves, but on the final there’s a potential clash with the World Cup final. Obviously England potentially could get through the semi-final and be playing at the same time as perhaps yourself on Sunday. Would you be concerned about the fact people can watch simultaneously the World Cup match, be reacting to that, while in Centre Court? Would it detract from the atmosphere?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, it’s going to happen anyway, if I’m going in the final or not, the Wimbledon final will take place, and so will the World Cup final (smiling). I’m more concerned the World Cup final will have issues because the Wimbledon final is going on. They’ll hear every point, Wow, Love-15, 15-30. The players are going to look up in the crowd and not understand what’s going on at Wimbledon. That’s how important Wimbledon is to me and to us over here. Maybe you should ask the questions over in Russia, how they’re going to feel about Wimbledon being played at the same time, so...
The third match has started on Centre Court. Rafa Nadal leads 1-0 in his head-to-head with Jiri Vesely, the world No93 and another left-hander.
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Gulbis has disappeared for more treatment. It’s a shame he isn’t any good more often. He’s so watchable.
At the 147th time of asking, Kei Nishikori takes the tie-break when Ernests Gulbis nets a backhand pass. Nishikori leads 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (12). Gulbis has the trainer back on.
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Now it’s Gulbis’s turn to waste a set point. He fires a forehand wide at the end of a magnificent rally. This is an absolute farce.
Nishikori earns a set point. He nets a forehand. Get these two off.
Gulbis earns a set point. On his serve. Does he:
A) Batter a serve past Nishikori
B) Net a drop shot
There are no prizes for getting it right.
Facing a second set point, Gulbis slaps a backhand down the line. Oh Kei! He’s got one good knee!
Good Gulbis disappears, Bad Gulbis returns. He whacks a backhand long to give Nishikori a set point. But he saves it with a big serve.
Ernests Gulbis returns to Court 2 with heavy strapping on his left knee after his medical timeout. Down 5-2 in the tie-break, he then wins the next three points. Oh Kei! How could you!
Kevin Anderson has also seen the trainer on Court 1. The South African’s a break down in the second set to Gael Monfils, who lost the first set on a tie-break.
Over on Court 2, Ernests Gulbis is receiving treatment after hurting his left knee during the third-set tie-break with Kei Nishikori. The Latvian, who suffered a heavy fall behind the baseline, has had to leave the court. Nishikori leads 5-2 in the tie-break. They split the first two set.
The women’s quarter-finals are all set for tomorrow:
- Dominika Cibulkova v Jelena Ostapenko (12)
- Daria Kasatkina (14) v Angelique Kerber (11)
- Kiki Bertens (20) v Julia Goerges (13)
- Serena Williams (25) v Camila Giorgi
Serena Williams beats Evgeniya Rodina 6-2, 6-2!
A big backhand from left to right finishes off Rodina. Williams, the 25th seed, is through to a quarter-final against Italy’s Camila Giorgi. Can she be stopped? She hit 30 winners and 10 aces today.
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Serena Williams is almost there. She leads 6-2, 5-2 against Evgeniya Rodina.
We’re a set away from a quarter-final between Milos Raonic and John Isner. One for the purists.
The last singles match of the day on Court 12 is done. Milos Raonic is through to the last eight again after beating Mackenzie MacDonald 6-3 6-4, 5-7 (5), 6-2. There could be a few big servers in the next round. Kevin Anderson, the eighth seed, has taken the first set 7-6 (4) against Gael Monfils on Court 1 and John Isner, the ninth seed, leads 6-4, 7-6 (8) against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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Serena Williams leads Evgeniya Rodina by a set and a break on Centre Court, where it’s been very tepid today. Over on Court 12, Milos Raonic is pulling away from Mackenzie MacDonald in the fourth set.
Gael Monfils responded to being broken by Kevin Anderson by breaking back. It’s 5-5 in the first set on Court 1. I admit my attention rather drifted away from this match after Anderson broke. I made the mistake of assuming there was no way back against the big-serving South African.
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Evgeniya Rodina is limping a bit, which is problematic given that she’s playing Serena Williams. A double-fault from the Russian makes it 0-30. Then she pings a backhand wind to hand Williams three set points. Another double-fault is greeted by a sigh from the low-intensity crowd on Centre Court. Williams takes the set 6-2. Rodina disappears for a comfort break.
On Court 1, a double-fault from Gael Monfils gifts a break to Kevin Anderson, who leads 4-3 in the first set. The second serve from Monfils was miles out.
Daria Kasatkina beats Alison van Uytvanck 6-7, (8), 6-3, 6-2!
A match that proves it’s always worth fighting, even when the situation looks bleak. Daria Kasatkina trailed the unseeded Belgian by a set and a break but she hung in there long enough to earn a quarter-final with Angelique Kerber.
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Alert! Alert! Malfunction! System malfunction! The MilosBot 3000 has just lost a tie-break. But he still leads the USA’s Mackenzie MacDonald 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5) on Court 12.
A fast start from Serena Williams on Centre Court, where she already has a break against Evgeniya Rodina. This could be a doddle. For drama, then, perhaps we should go to Court 2, where Kei Nishikori has levelled his match against Ernests Gulbis after winning the second-set tie-break. A firm backhand down the line from the 24th seed did the trick.
Kei Nishikori has forced a second-set tie-break against Ernests Gulbis, who won the first set. Over on Court 3, meanwhile, ninth seed John Isner has won the first set 6-4 against the Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Serena Williams and Evgeniya Rodina walk out on Centre Court. Rodina has already beaten one American, but she’s likely to face Williams tougher than Madison Keys. The subplot here is that this is a match between two mothers.
Angelique Kerber beats Belinda Bencic 6-3, 7-6 (5)!
An entertaining match draws to a close as Kerber edges a tight tie-break. The highest seed left in the women’s draw is through to the last eight and awaits the winner of the match between Alison van Uytvanck and Daria Kasatakina. Kerber, seeded 11th, will fancy her chances. She knows how to win a grand slam, unlike most of the women still around.
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Roger Federer has won 32 consecutive sets at Wimbledon. He needs two more to equal his record from 2005-06. He also hasn’t been broken since last year’s semi-final against Tomas Berdych.
Roger Federer beats Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 7-5, 6-4!
An immense struggle for the top seed. He must be exhausted. He’ll need a long ice bath after this one.
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Roger Federer has broken in the third set in the epic on Centre Court. He leads Adrian Mannarino 6-0, 7-5, 5-4 and will serve for his quarter-final spot.
Belinda Bencic shakes her head, shrugs her shoulders and smiles ruefully after netting a forehand to hand Angelique Kerber a match point at 5-6 in the second set. She saves it by taking a high ball out of the air with a crashing volley. From there, it’s advantage Bencic. Kerber lifts a backhand long. She challenges. Bencic puts her hands together and looks to the skies. HawkEye answers her prayer and we will have a tie-break on Court 1.
Dominika Cibulkova was unrepentant about the dispute with the umpire during her win over Hsieh Su-wei.
This is another thing I really don’t want to talk about because I would get really upset and angry about that, because it was ridiculous what happened there. It never happened to me in my career that this would happen. Just a player is complaining. Sometimes I’m also complaining because I think it was a wrong call.
But it never happened to me that the umpire changed the decision. It was really ridiculous for me. I think it was really bad decision from the supervisor and from the umpire. They changed their mind. The umpire told me she don’t remember what happened after the ball. Is it my fault you don’t remember if she hit the net or if she put it on my side?
It doesn’t matter. The call was after when she played the ball. She made a decision. After she was complaining, they were talking in Chinese, whatever language, I don’t know. It was all wrong I think. It really messed with me for two balls, then I tried to just calm down, to play my game. The right decision was, of course, to keep the decision. I mean, how many times it’s happening that a chair umpire is changing the decision?
I think there should be, like, maybe one rule for this because you never know what’s going to happen. It’s only about the chair umpire, what he thinks on his mind. Sometimes they can be wrong or right. Even if they are wrong or right, they are not going to change. I’m just talking it was not right to change the decision that she made.”
Daria Kasatkina, the subtle young Russian, trailed by a set and a break to Alison van Uytvanck. Now she’s 4-2 up in the second set. How quickly it turns.
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Kei Nishikori is having more treatment on his right elbow on Court 2. Ernests Gulbis, who won the first set, is waiting to serve at 1-2 in the second.
All those set points. Belinda Bencic couldn’t take any of them, though, and that gives Angelique Kerber a glimmer of hope. The German breaks straight back to level the second set at 5-5 and walks off with a steely glint in her eye. You fear for Bencic now.
Angelique Kerber is battling hard to keep the second set alive on Court 1. Belinda Bencic has had three set points. The game is still going.
Julia Goerges of Germany has beaten Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-2. That’s definitely a positive sign before Wednesday night. Right?
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On Court 1, Belinda Bencic reaches a drop shot from Angelique Kerber and rams a backhand down the line to lead 0-30 in the ninth game of the second set. The young Swiss has a satisfied grin on her face. She spies an opening, a chance to level the match. Kerber has other ideas. The German forcefully snatches the next three points. Bencic responds with another killer backhand down the line for deuce. Then Kerber stoops to net a low forehand, handing Bencic a break point. Kerber tries another lame drop shot. Bencic leads it again and finds the break with a crosscourt backhand! She’ll serve to level the match!
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Kei Nishikori is having treatment to his right elbow. He always seems to be troubled by something. He’s having a medical timeout.
Thanks, Ben. And let’s go straight to Court 1, where Ernests Gulbis is serving for the first set against Kei Nishikori. Gulbis really is a baffling player. He arrived at Wimbledon with one tour win this year, but he has the talent and it doesn’t take much for him to put a run together. He’s already sent Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, on his way and now he’s tormenting a former grand slam finalist. Nishikori said that his win over Nick Kyrgios on Saturday was his best ever performance on grass, but he’s up against it against Gulbis, who seals the first set 6-4 with a rapier backhand winner.
And, just like that, Federer takes the second set. He’s heading for the quarter-finals, surely. Also in the fourth round, Raonic is a set and a break up against Mackenzie McDonald, of the United States. In that tie-break, Van Uytvanck has taken the first set against Daria Kasatkina. And now here’s Jacob, refuelled, to guide you through the rest of the day’s action ...
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A roaring “Come on!” as Federer takes the next, to snatch back the serve and move within touching distance of a two-set lead. Over on No 3 Court, Vekic is in real trouble against Julia Görges, with the German 3-1 up in the second after cruising through to take the first. On No 2, Nishikori is serving to stay in the first set, as he trails the Latvian, Ernests Gulbis.
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We have new balls and a seesawing second set, with Federer flying through that service game to 5-5 against Mannarino. A quick rain check elsewhere: Daria Kasatkina has fought back to take the first to a tense tie-break against Alison Van Uytvanck, while Kerber is 3-2 to the good against Bencic in the second.
A couple of sprawling forehand groundstrokes puts Federer temporarily back level on Centre Court. But Mannarino is composed, and though he seems to be struggling to reach a couple of the Swiss’s more elaborate shots, he is showing his steel. And some brilliant tennis, fit with Mannarino, one-handed, dragging the ball back from the death mid-exchange to take the next. He leads Federer 5-4 in the second. All of a sudden, he’s a game away from levelling this match-up, believe it or not.
Mannarino is back for more, eking out another game against Federer to edge in front to 4-3 in the second. Thomas Bjorn, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, among the golfing spectators in the Royal Box, looks pretty impressed. Over on No 3 Court, Julia Görges is making relatively light work of Vekic. Inside 47 minutes, she’s within three games of a straight-sets victory. Lovely stuff.
Federer pulls it back to 3-3 in the second, teed up by a neat serve and volley, but at least Mannarino, the Frenchman, is making him work for it after breezing the first set 6-0. Elsewhere, Nishikori and Ernests Gulbis are tied at 2-2 in the first, while Raonic is very much up and running after taking the first against McDonald 6-3.
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Kerber, after going 3-1 down, has taken that first set 6-3. She looks in the groove now against Bencic. Julia Görges is one-up against Donna Vekic, who got the better of Sloane Stephens early on in this competition. Raonic, meanwhile, is serving to take the first set ...
So, over on No 1 Court, Angelique Kerber is wrestling with the impressive swiss Belinda Bencic. She’s 5-3 up in the first set after being stuck at advantage for a lifetime, while the No 14 seed, Daria Kasatkina, is behind against Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck. Back on Centre Court, Mannarino is making a few waves but nothing to get too excited about just yet. After taking the first set, Federer and the Frenchman are level-pegging at 2-2 in the second.
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While Adrian Mannarino battles to preserve his dignity, I’m off to find some lunch. Ben Fisher will take over for a bit.
Milos Raonic has made a strong start against the USA’s Mackenzie Macdonald on Court 12. The 13th seed leads 3-0 in the first set. Over on Court 2, meanwhile, Kei Nishikori and Ernests Gulbis are about to get underway. This one could have been Alexander Zverev against Nick Kyrgios. But, well, y’know.
A future Wimbledon champion?#bbctennis #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/YakHJ4CYC2
— BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) July 9, 2018
That first set was so humiliating for Adrian Mannarino that the Centre Court crowd are actually cheering against Roger Federer. Even they don’t want to see a slaughter. Obviously they want Federer to win without any hiccups. But that was just embarrassing. At least there’s more fight from Mannarino at the start of the second set. The 22nd seed saves four break points and comes through deuce to hold.
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By the way, Kei Nishikori’s first set against Nick Kyrgios on Saturday also lasted 16 minutes. I’m not sure if that’s the record for a men’s match here.
Karolina Pliskova’s exit means that all of the top 10 women’s seeds are out. But Angelique Kerber, the 11th seed and 2016 finalist, is still with us. The German has just broken back against Belinda Bencic on Court 1. Bencic leads 3-2 in the first set and it’s going with serve.
Adrian Mannarino earns a break point! It’s the first break point Roger Federer has faced in this tournament! The comeback’s on! Or not. Federer wipes it out with an ace. He carves out a set point with a forehand winner. A volley forces Mannarino forward and the Frenchman’s lob goes long. Federer needed 16 minutes to win the first set 6-0. Dearie me. Mannarino won five points. He only made five unforced errors. Unfortunately Federer only made one. He also hit 11 winners to Mannarino’s zero. This is ridiculous.
Kiki Bertens beats Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 7-6 (1)
A fabulous performance from Bertens gets its reward. She dominates the tie-break and takes the first match point with a drive volley to reach her first Wimbledon quarter-final and take out the highest seed left in the draw.
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Roger Federer leads 5-0 on Centre Court. Adrian Mannarino has won two points so far. Still, he’s having a nice day out.
The second match on Court 3 sees the 13th seed Julia Goerges play Donna Vekic, who’s from Croatia. Boo! Hiss! Luka Modric doesn’t scare us!
They’ve played six minutes on Centre Court. Roger Federer has broken twice against Adrian Mannarino, who looks beaten already.
Camila Giorgi beats Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-4!
The Russian’s giantkilling exploits are over. It was a routine win for Giorgi, who will play Serena Williams next. Or Evgeniya Rodina.
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Dominika Cibulkova beats Hsieh Su-wei 6-4, 6-1!
It was plain sailing in the end for Cibulkova, although she didn’t endear herself to the crowd with her antics at the end of the first set. It will be interesting to hear what both players have to say about that awful call from the umpire. If you missed it, Cibulkova had a shot called out during a Hsieh service game. A challenge showed that was in and the point was awarded to Cibulkova, even though Hsieh had sent the ball back into play. It was a preposterous decision from the umpire and Cibulkova should have offered to replay the point. Hsieh was justifiably furious and play was held up for around 10 minutes while the referee spoke to the umpire. Eventually they decided to replay the point, infuriating Cibulkova. What a mess. The episode seemed to work against Hsieh. It wasn’t as though the feisty Cibulkova, who plays Jelena Ostapenko next, needs any further motivation this week.
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The players have emerged on Centre Court and Court 1. Roger Federer and Adrian Mannarino are on the former, Angelique Kerber and Belinda Bencic are on the latter.
Jelena Ostapenko beats Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6 (4), 6-0!
Jelena Ostapenko can smile, wave and blow the crowd a few kisses now, though she wasn’t feeling too positive an hour or so ago. She made an awful start to this match and trailed by two breaks in the first set. Yet the former French Open champion woke up after receiving a warning for coaching and that was the beginning of the end for Sasnovich, who was powerless to resist once Ostapenko started pretending the ball was the umpire’s head. Sasnovich knocks a backhand long on match point and that’s enough for Ostapenko to reach her second consecutive quarter-final.
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Jelena Ostapenko will do well to lose from here. She leads 7-6 (4), 5-0 against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who can only think about what might have been.
Serving for a 6-3, 5-2 lead over Karolina Pliskova, Kiki Bertens marches to 40-15. That should be that. But Pliskova has other ideas. She fights back to deuce before breaking to give herself hope of a famous comeback. It could be a turning point on Court 2.
Jelena Ostapenko is running away with it on Court 3. From 2-5 in the first set, she’s skipped into a 7-6 (4), 3-0 lead over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Dominika Cibulkova hasn’t made many friends on Court 18, but she is closing in on her third quarter-final appearance. The 32nd seed unseeded Slovakian leads 6-4, 3-0 against Hsieh Su-wei.
It’s looking grim for Karolina Pliskova. The seventh seed is in danger of going out with a whimper. Kiki Bertens leads 6-3, 3-0 on Court 2.
Being warned for coaching jolted Jelena Ostapenko into life on Court 3. The Latvian’s fought back from 5-2 down to snatch the first set off Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who served for it twice. The set went to a tie-break and Ostapenko dominated it. Over on Court 12, meanwhile, Italy’s Camila Giorgi won the first set 6-3 against Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova.
Play resumes, with both players seething. Fuelled by righteous indignation, Hsieh pulls it back from 0-30 to 30-all. But Cibulkova earns a set point with a clean winner. She nets a backhand, but another forehand winner gives her a second chance. She’s striking the ball venomously and it’s too much for Hsieh to handle. Cibulkova slaps a drive volley away and the first set’s in the bag. She takes it 6-4. Hsieh hasn’t held once.
After a long discussion, now it seems that the umpire has seen sense and has ordered the point be replayed. It’s Cibulkova’s turn to argue with the umpire. Hsieh was refusing to continue. Cibulkova showed very little regard for fair play. She ought to have intervened on behalf of her opponent. The crowd are firmly on Hsieh’s side now.
Everybody’s angry today. Over on Court 18, Hsieh Su-wei’s having an argument with the umpire after a call goes against her, leaving her down 0-40 at 4-5 to Dominika Cibulkoba. “Replay the point!” someone in the crowd shouts. Soon others are shouting in support of Hsieh. The referee has come on court to talk to the umpire. Cibulkova hit a shot that was called out. It was in. Hsieh hit it back in the court. Cibulkova challenged. HawkEye showed it was in and the point goes to Cibulkova. This is an outrage. It should be replayed.
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Kiki Bertens, the 20th seed, is a set away from knocking out Karolina Pliskova, the highest seed left in the women’s draw. She’s taken the first set 6-3 against the seventh seed. A Bertens win would leave Angelique Kerber as the highest seed. The No11 seed plays Belinda Bencic later.
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It turns out that Jelena Ostapenko was given a warning for coaching. She’s pumped up now, though, roaring after driving a backhand down the line to break once again! Aliaksandra Sasnovich has served for the set twice on Court 3, but it’s 5-5 and it feels like it’s Ostapenko’s to lose!
There have been eight consecutive breaks on Court 18. Nobody’s held yet! Dominika Cibulkova and Hsieh Su-wei aren’t exactly up there with your Isners, your Andersons, your Steinbergs.
Jelena Ostapenko isn’t feeling it. The Latvian’s already hit four double-faults today. That’s how many she usually averages per match, so she’s clearly not in the zone at the moment. Aliaksandra Sasnovich has taken full advantage and finds herself serving for the set at 5-2 on Court 3. Time for Ostapenko to left off a little steam, then. She rams a forehand away for 0-15 and she has an argument with the umpire - I’m not sure what it was about, but Ostapenko walks back to the baseline with a ravenous expression and takes out her frustration on the unfortunate Sasnovich. Ostapenko breaks to love!
You break, I break. Hsieh Su-wei has broken for a 3-2 lead over Dominika Cibulkova. They’re yet to hold serve on Court 18!
Karolina Pliskova has broken back against Kiki Bertens. There might be a lot of this sort of thing today.
Hsieh Su-wei must be a nightmare to play against. She has such an unorthodox game - a particular favourite of mine is her aggressive forehand slice, which is so hard to read. Whether she can serve well enough to beat Dominika Cibulkova remains to be seen, though. They’ve shared a four early breaks on Court 18.
Karolina Pliskova sends a forehand way past the baseline and Kiki Bertens, who was so very impressive and gritty against Venus Williams, breaks to lead 2-1 on Court 2. Jelena Ostapenko’s also in a spot of bother on Court 3. She’s already been broken twice by Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Tim Henman, meanwhile, is criticising Novak Djokovic for having a row with the Centre Court crowd during his win over Kyle Edmund on Saturday. “You want him to go back to hugging everyone?’ John McEnroe says. He’s in waspish form.
On the BBC, they’re having a conversation about whether the length of the grass will help Rafa Nadal. John McEnroe makes up some statistics from the “Institute of Grass” and then asks when the matches start. They’ve started on the outside courts, Mr McEnroe!
Here they come, our cast and crew, umpires, line judges, ball kids and, most importantly of all, the players. Play on the outside courts will begin imminently. Here’s to tennis!
Name of the day: Hurricane Tyra Black, an American junior who plays Japan’s Yuki Naito in fourth match on Court 10. Hurricane’s sister is called Tornado. Their brother is called Breeze.
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Gael Monfils, who plays the No8 seed Kevin Anderson in the second match on Court 1, has told L’Equipe that he deserves more respect. Marion Bartoli criticised the 31-year-old Frenchman last week, accusing him and Nick Kyrgios of behaving like children. Kyrgios hit back at the former Wimbledon champion, before slightly undermining his case by folding meekly against Kei Nishikori on Saturday, and Monfils sounds similarly unimpressed.
“My career has been unbelievable. People want to judge my career. But who are these people? Do we know each other? People dream for other people. But dream for yourself!”
In this tournament of giantkillers, watch out for Ekaterina Makarova. The unseeded Russian, who knocked out Carolina Wozniacki, meets the dangerous Italian, Camila Giorgi, in the first match on Court 12. As for Court 18, it’s angry unseeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova against conjurer of riddles Hsieh Su-wei.
There is a general assumption that the cull of the top seeds means that Serena Williams is going to waltz to the women’s title. She could probably win it with baby Olympia under her left arm, right? It’s easy to see why people think that. There aren’t many big names left. But there are a few threats left in the draw. The first match on Court 2, for instance, sees Karolina Pliskova, the seventh seed, meet Kiki Bertens, the conqueror of Venus Williams. Pliskova has a huge serve and the game for grass. On Court 3, meanwhile, the first match sees former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko meet Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who beat Petra Kvitova. Ostapenko’s on a hot streak at the moment. The explosive Latvian can beat anyone on her day.
Here’s an amusing story: one of the chefs in the media canteen has quit because he doesn’t want to have to work through England’s World Cup semi-final on Wednesday or their possible final on Sunday afternoon. “I’ve only got one life,” he told me at the end of his shift on Saturday night.
Centre Court, Roger Federer’s kingdom, overlooks Court 14. The king has stepped outside of his palace this morning and is helping himself to a hit on one of his outside lawns. Hundreds of fans are watching the Swiss’s training regime. He’ll be on Centre Court in a couple of hours. His fourth-round opponent is Adrian Mannarino, a Frenchman who is yet to beat Federer in five attempts.
Preamble
Hello. It was a strange first week at Wimbledon. On the one hand anyone resistant to change will be glad to hear that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are still standing. On the other hand we’ve already lost Alexander Zverev, Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Nick Kyrgios, David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic from the men’s side. Garbine Muguruza, the defending women’s champion, is out. Simona Halep, the world No1, was sliced and diced by Hsieh Su-wei on Saturday. Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina, Petra Kvitova, Carolina Wozniacki, Caroline Garcia, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys have all left unfashionably early, leaving the No7 seed Karolina Pliskova and the No11 seed Angelique Kerber as the highest ranked players in the women’s draw. They call this day Manic Monday, but the chaos started early this year.
A penny for the thoughts of the any All England Club suits. You have to feel for them. Any more unpredictability, any more upsets, and they’ll probably just give up. That’ll be it. What would be the point? The umpires would turn up in their pyjamas. The ball kids would be allowed to update their Instagram accounts in between points. Danny Dyer would be allowed in the Royal Box. In fact, he’d be allowed to introduce the players to the crowd. “Now, who’s this tw...”
But it hasn’t reached that point. Not yet. The Blessed Roger should beat Adrian Mannarino today, snarling, seething Djokovic ought to have too much for the big Russian Karen Khachanov, Rafa should be too strong for Jiri Vesely in these scorching conditions and the regal Serena should continue her progress against fellow mother Evgeniya Rodina. As long as that quartet keep going, everything will be fine. Nothing to worry about. And if Croatia want to knock England out of the World Cup on Wednesday night, well, that would be ever so unfortunate, a real blow - but would anyone like to wash down a bowl of strawberries with a pint of Pimm’s?
Play begins at 11.30am BST on the outside courts and at 1pm BST on the show courts.
