Quite why they hung around to play those two games, I don’t know. But day three here is done. Thanks for your company today, see you again tomorrow. Bye!
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Cilic seemed determined to resume this match so he could settle matters this evening but he’s probably now wishing he’d stayed in the locker room. At break point down, he slips on the greasy grass and, although he continues in the point, Pella pounces for the break. At which point the umpire does what he should have done around half an hour ago and announces that play - as it is on the other courts - is suspended for the day. Cilic will be kicking himself. From a game up in the third set the Croat is now a break down. He’ll resume tomorrow at 6-3, 6-1, 3-4.
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A cheer from the smattering of spectators who remain as Pella steps up to serve, trailing 6-3, 6-1, 3-2. The Argentinian looks keen to make up for lost time as he races 40-0 ahead. A one-two punch, sealed with a forehand winner from the left-hander, makes it game.
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After much procrastinating on the No 1 Court, Cilic and Pella are warming up again. The skies look ominous. But here’s something to light up the gloom:
Away from the show courts on Day 3 at #Wimbledon, there was a sprinkling of Monfils magic ✨ pic.twitter.com/qKRkeUbrGK
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2018
Cilic was warming up on the No 1 Court but the umbrellas spring up again and the Croat is putting his racket in his bag. The players remain on court as a slow hand clap echoes around the stadium. No one seems to have much idea what’s going on.
While we wait, here’s how the third-round draw is shaping up so far:
Women
Pliskova v Buzarnescu
Bertens v Venus Williams
Goerges v Tsurenko or Strycova
Wickmayer v Vekic
Mladenovic v Serena Williams
Rodina v Keys
Siniakova or Jabeur v Giorgi
Safarova v Makarova
Men
Federer v Struff
Mannarino v Medvedev
Querrey v Monfils
Kohlschreiber or Muller v Seppi or Anderson
Cilic or Pella v McDonald
Novak v Raonic
Isner or Bemelmans v Albot
Tsitsipas or Donaldson v Fabbiano or Wawrinka
The sky is a strange mixture of grey and blue but the covers are off again. Play will resume in about five minutes’ time on the No 1 Court, with the outside courts hopefully starting shortly after.
And here’s the Voice of Wimbledon over the speakers. “Regrettably this shower is continuing,” he says, stating the obvious. “The covers will remain on for the moment.” So the Wimbledon suits are yet to decide whether play will be called off for the day.
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So Cilic is very much on it, but then he’s forced off by another shower. It’s looking rather gloomy and it’s unclear whether there’ll be any more play this evening.
Bizarrely play has resumed on Centre Court (with the roof open) and the No 1 Court but not elsewhere. France’s Kristina Mladenovic quickly completes a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Germany’s Tatjana Maria, while Marin Cilic is in a hurry too, winning four out of five games since the resumption to take the second set and lead Guido Pella 6-3, 6-1, 2-1.
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Federer’s drop shot brilliance in case you missed it earlier:
Even by @rogerfederer's standards, this drop shot was one of his finest 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/KtCYN0yxxI
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2018
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A downcast Caroline Wozniacki has been speaking to the press after her second-round defeat to Ekaterina Makarova. The Australian Open champion and second seed came into this tournament having won the warm-up event in Eastbourne last weekend but she has never been past the fourth round in her 12 visits to SW19:
It’s frustrating because I feel like I could have gone and done something really great here. For her to keep this level, I would be very surprised if you saw her go far. But with someone playing like this today, I really did what I could. It just wasn’t enough.
It’s slightly frustrating that the rain is stalling the conclusion of day three but there again it almost feels good after a couple of weeks of constant sunshine. The covers are coming off, so play should be back under way soon.
Grass-court tune-up champions at #Wimbledon:
— Matt Trollope (@MattyAT) July 4, 2018
Wozniacki (Eastbourne) - OUT
M. Zverev (Eastbourne) - OUT
Kvitova (Birmingham) - OUT
Coric (Halle) - OUT
Gasquet (Rosmalen) - OUT
Maria (Mallorca) - ?
Other matches that are currently suspended: Marin Cilic 6-3, 4-1 Guido Pella; Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 1-1 Andreas Seppi; Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (6), 6-6 Giles Muller; John Isner 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (3), 3-4 Ruben Bemelmans; Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 3-4 Jared Donaldson.
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Wawrinka’s on the No 3 Court so can’t resume until the rain stops. Of course the roof can be called into action on Centre, where the match between Tatjana Maria and Kristina Mladenovic has been moved to because the rest of the programme was completed so quickly. Maria knocked out the fifth seed, Elina Svitolina, in the first round but trails 6-2, 3-0 this evening.
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Wawrinka won’t be happy with the interruption. He was pushing to reduce his arrears to two sets to one, leading 6-5 on serve in the third and at deuce on Thomas Fabbiano’s serve.
It’s raining. It’s not pouring. But for the first time at this year’s championships come the words “ladies and gentlemen, play is suspended”.
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Ivo Karlovic served 61 aces against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff and still lost, the Croat dropping serve for the first time in the final game of a near four-hour encounter to lose 6-7 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 13-11. Struff is probably now lying down in a darkened room recovering while contemplating what on earth he can do in the third round to combat Roger Federer.
The word at Wimbledon is that Laura Robson is to undergo hip surgery tomorrow in an attempt to get her career back on track. The 24-year-old Brit won the junior title here nine years ago and reached a career-high of 27 in the world before tumbling down the rankings because of wrist problems. She’s currently down at 349 having not played a singles match since May. If she’s somehow able to get healthy, she may rise again. She certainly has the talent.
Beware the big-serving giants. The 6ft 10in John Isner has fired down 48 aces so far, while the 6ft 11in Ivo Karlovic’s tally is up to 59. 59!
There have been a fair few five-setters on the men’s side today. The former Brit Aljaz Bedene has lost out 6-3 in the decider to Radu Albot, the 39-year-old Ivo Karlovic is currently 11-10 down on serve to the German Jan-Lennard Struff and John Isner is about to enter a fifth set against the Belgian Ruben Bemelmans. And this after Dennis Novak and Mackenzie McDonald both won after going the distance earlier.
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Marin Cilic has only been playing for eight minutes on the No 1 Court and he’s already looking menacing, leading Argentina’s Guido Pella 3-0. Last year’s runner-up to Federer is arguably the defending champion’s biggest challenger for the title once again (although they can’t meet in the final this year, they’re seeded to meet in the semis).
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Stan showed on Monday that he can still be the man, coming from a set down to defeat Grigor Dimitrov, but Wawrinka is going to have to recover from two sets down if he’s to progress any further. The three-time grand slam champion, ranked 224 in the world as she struggles for consistent form after knee surgery, trails Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano 7-6 (7), 6-3, 3-20 on the No 3 Court.
Wozniacki’s exit means that Simona Halep is guaranteed to hold on to the world No 1 ranking after Wimbledon.
Makarova has to be the most giant of giant-killers. She's now beaten Serena, Venus, Wozniacki (twice), Kvitova, Pliskova, Azarenka, Radwanska, Kerber in grand slams
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) July 4, 2018
Meanwhile Serena speaks:
It was better than my first round match, I’m happy to be going in the right direction. My other match I didn’t move a lot but I’m moving a lot better since Paris, so that’s old news.
I’m getting there, I’m not there yet but I expect to get there not only for Wimbledon but for tournaments in the future.
Here’s what Makarova makes of her momentous win:
Caroline is always very tough and we have played so many times, I beat her for only the second time. It doesn’t matter what the score was, I couldn’t win with a lot of match points but I kept fighting and playing an aggressive game and finally it worked.
I was really nervous, because you need to win this point. I was a little bit ‘hurry up’ because I thought I needed to be more aggressive but I am so happy I got calm at 5-5 and did my work again. When it was 5-5 I started thinking about those match points on my serve at 40-0 but I told myself: ‘No, you are not going to lose this match.’ I forgot it and started over.
Updated
Five of the top eight seeds have gone out on the women’s side. Serena will be smiling this evening.
Updated
*Another* big upset at #Wimbledon as Caroline Wozniacki falls to @katemakarova1 😮 pic.twitter.com/RHbtRcB6R0
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2018
Ekaterina Makarova knocks out Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 1-6, 7-5!
But straight back to the No 1 Court, where Makarova has shown remarkable fight to recover from conceding a 5-1 final-set advantage and missing those four match points to lead 6-5. Three errors from Wozniacki and Makarova has another three match points at 0-40 ... a Wozniacki ace saves the first but the reigning women’s doubles champion Makarova shows her mettle at the net after a gruelling rally to finally secure the upset! Wozniacki has gone the way of Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens - and we’re only three days into the tournament.
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Serena Williams defeats Viktoriya Tomova 6-1, 6-4!
Makarova stops the rot by holding for 6-5 on the No 1 Court as Williams brings up two match points on Centre. Tomova works her way to the net after a long baseline exchange and volleys her way to victory in the longest rally of the match. But the Bulgarian’s resistance is futile. Williams claims the next point to wrap up a convincing win.
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No such drama on Centre, where Serena Williams is putting the finishing touches on victory against Viktoriya Tomova. It’s 6-1, 5-3. The seven-time champion has a match point after treating Tomova’s second serve with disdain - but she can’t capitalise. She’ll have to settle matters on her own serve at 6-1, 5-4.
Wozniacki holds to love and she’s back level at 5-all in the final set having been 5-1 down and saved four match points at 5-3.
Updated
Makarova has a second chance to serve this match out. The Russian settles the nerves by winning the opening point. A body serve almost cuts Wozniacki in half and it’s 30-0. A swinging serve out wide from the left-hander and it’s 40-0, three match points. Makarova thinks she’s finished things off with a drop shot but Wozniacki shows tremendous heart to chase it down and dispatch an angled winner! 40-15. Makarova misses the second match point with a makeable forehand! 40-30. And then she doubles! From 40-0 to deuce. Makarova regroups with a nerveless winner into the corner - before slapping into the net on her fourth match point! A second deuce. And then break point - and Makarova double faults again! She throws the game away after squandering four match points. They’re back on serve with Wozniacki trailing 4-6, 6-1, 5-4.
Updated
Wozniacki holds. So from 5-1 down it’s now 5-3.
At 30-15 on Makarova’s serve, Wozniacki puts away an easy volley. 30-all. Will it be match point or break point? Break point, as Wozniacki bends down low on the grass and digs out a backhand winner. Game Wozniacki! The second seed has given herself a chance but she’ll have to come from 5-2 down if she’s to reach the third round.
Wozniacki is wobbling. The second seed is 4-1 down in the final set and is facing a break point, a virtual match point at this stage. The net cord comes to Wozniacki’s rescue. Deuce. But here’s another break point for Makarova. Wozniacki pulls off the winner much to the appreciation of her watching father, who’s still the coach of the 27-year-old. Talk about cramping his daughter’s style. But I digress. Makarova makes no mistakes on a third break point and the Russian will serve for the upset of the day at 6-4, 1-6, 5-1.
Wozniacki down 1-5 in the third. We've already lost the No. 4 seed (Stephens) and oddsmakers fave (Kvitova) ...And S. Williams is in form....#Wimbledon
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) July 4, 2018
Updated
There are a few drops of rain in the air. The groundstaff are poised but the players are continuing. Williams doesn’t want to be forced off court now, she’s in her groove, leading Tomova 6-1 and 2-1 with the break in the second set. This is definitely a step up from her performance in the opening round.
There’s a battle of the Next Gen players taking place on the No 18 Court, with the 19-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 3-1 to the good against the 21-year-old American Jared Donaldson.
A Federer report for your perusal:
The first set on Centre Court has gone by in the blink of an eye. Three brilliant points from Williams brings up 5-1. And then Williams whizzes through her service game to wrap up the set in 24 minutes. She looked a little edgy in her opening match here, not surprising in only her fourth tournament since giving birth, but the seven-time champion is hitting her stride today. Maybe she didn’t want to be outdone by a certain R Federer.
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Around the grounds. Stan Wawrinka, after pulling off that result out of nowhere by beating Grigor Dimitrov on Monday, is under way on the No 3 Court against Italy’s Thomas Fabbiano. Last year’s US Open runner-up, Kevin Anderson, is also taking on an Italian, Andreas Seppi. Anderson leads 4-1 opening set. The American Mackenzie McDonald has outlasted China’s Nicolas Jarry 11-9 in a marathon final set – but of course that’s nothing compared to his compatriot John Isner’s 70-68 antics in 2010. Isner is currently two sets to the good against Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans. And Aljaz Bedene is into a final set with Radu Albot.
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Wozniacki, racket in one hand and bug spray in the other (OK, I may have made up that second part), has taken the second set against Ekaterina Makarova to force a decider. It’s 4-6, 6-1.
Updated
The No 1 Court seems the worst affected, the ants haven’t dared interrupt Serena on Centre. It’s going with serve in the early stages, with Williams leading 2-1. She doesn’t appear to be wearing the compression tights that she was in the first round, which are designed to keep her circulation going after the health problems she’s had in the past. I’m sure she’d be wearing the all-black catsuit she said made her feel like a “superhero” at the French Open if she could – but of course the Wimbledon dress code wouldn’t allow that. However she’s starting to show signs of playing like Superwoman as she breaks for 3-1.
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Just looking at all these ants is making me itchy.
Up until last year I had no idea what flying ant day was. But for the second year in a row, it seems that Wimbledon’s ants have chosen the first Wednesday of the championships to leave their nests. Wozniacki is looking rather bothered by the invasion on the No 1 Court. But she has managed to carve out a 3-0 lead over Ekaterina Makarova in the second set having lost the first 6-4.
From the king of Wimbledon to the queen: Serena Williams walks on to Centre Court following Federer’s victory. Williams is up against the Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova, who’s played seven and a quarter hours of tennis just to get this far and had never won a grand slam match before this week. She’s unlikely to make it victory No 2 today.
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How many times have we seen this before?@rogerfederer seals his third round spot at #Wimbledon with a textbook forehand pic.twitter.com/Y6SglG1qJN
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2018
Agnieszka Radwanska is out, losing 7-5, 6-4 to Lucie Safarova. Caroline Wozniacki will have to come from a set down if she’s to avoid the same fate. The second seed has lost the opener 6-4 to Ekaterina Makarova on the No 1 Court.
Gael Monfils has the No 3 Court crowd on their feet, because the flamboyant Frenchman has come from a set down to complete a four-set, three-hour victory against Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi. The score: 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).
Federer’s thoughts:
I think I played very well. I felt good out there, less nervous than in the first round. I’m happy with how I’m hitting the ball and with the concentration in my service games. Lacko can play well on the grass, he’s won his fair share of matches. Not wasting too much energy in the first matches is nice to have. From my end I’m very happy.
Federer beats Lacko 6-4, 6-4, 6-1!
Federer finishes in style, breaking Lacko with a forehand winner. A familiar sight as Federer skips to the net to shake the hand of his defeated opponent. There’s not a single bead of sweat on his face. But of course sweating is for mere mortals. With his usual Swiss timing, he’s sealed victory in a neat hour and a half.
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Federer moves to 35 unanswered points on serve before Lacko has the temerity to pull off a winner. A flummoxed Federer then throws in an error. But he still holds for 6-4, 6-4, 5-1 and Lacko must hold serve to stay in the match.
Federer is getting ready to dismiss Lacko in straight sets. He strikes for the double break and now has a 6-4, 6-4, 4-1 advantage. He’s up to 33 consecutive points won on serve and is closing in on his 26th consecutive set. The stats are quite ridiculous.
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Caroline Wozniacki, who won her first grand slam title at the Australian Open this year, is also in trouble but has more time than Radwanska to turn it around. Wozniacki is 5-1 down in the opening set against last year’s women’s doubles champion Ekaterina Makarova.
Agnieszka Radwanska, the 2014 finalist, saved six match points in the first round and she’s going to have to pull off another act of escapology here. The Pole trails Lucie Safarova, the former French Open finalist, 7-5, 5-2.
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This could be the beginning of the end for Lacko, because right at the start of the third set Federer breaks. He then holds to love of course. He doesn’t concede points on serve in this kingdom. It would be against the laws of the land. Federer leads 6-4, 6-4, 2-0.
This second set has been a serving masterclass by Federer. He then underlines the point by holding to love with the absolute minimum of fuss to take the set 6-4. Lacko isn’t doing a whole lot wrong but Federer’s serve is supreme. He ends the second set 100% on first and second-serve points won. That’s 20 unanswered serving points from 20.
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The big Russian talent Daniil Medvedev, who was fined for unsportsmanlike conduct after showering the umpire with coins following his exit at this stage last year, has enjoyed a better time of it in the second round today. The 22-year-old’s beaten Spain’s Gael Garcia-Lopez in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Back on Centre there are two break points for Federer, who flicks a forehand beyond Lacko’s right wing to seize a 3-2 advantage. Federer then backs up the break for 6-4, 4-2.
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USA! USA!! USA!!! Sam Querrey, a semi-finalist last year, has beaten Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3. So next up on Court 12, aiming for the American hat-trick after Madison Keys’ earlier win too, is John Isner. He plays the Belgian Ruben Bemelmans.
Speaking of Bedene, the former Brit leads Radu Albot 2-6, 6-4, 5-4, with Albot serving to stay in the third set at deuce.
Kyle Edmund’s getting in on Aljaz Bedene’s act:
We're reliably informed that it's coming home...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/GwD61bJPgS
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2018
Federer has the Centre Court in raptures at 1-1 in the second seed with a looping drop shot. Lacko, undeterred by the strength of support for his opponent, then holds serve for 2-1. So it’s Federer 6-4, 1-2.
Tough one today but overall a great experience. First main draw slam win, first top 50 win & into the top 200 for the first time. Pumped to get back out there for doubles later with @KatieBoulter1 come show us some support !! 😊 pic.twitter.com/LTYtfVelv9
— Katie Swan (@Katieswan99) July 4, 2018
That was Williams’s 89th match victory at Wimbledon and it went much the same way as her 88th: a lost first set followed by devastating second and third sets.
As for the man who’s won 92 matches here, he’s serving for the first set at 5-4. 15-0. 30-0. 40-0. Game and set Federer. That’s the 24th consecutive set he’s claimed at Wimbledon.
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Venus speaks.
She played well the first set. I don’t know if I’ve ever played her before which is tough. Credit to her, she just played really well. It’s just about winning the match.
Insightful stuff.
Venus Williams defeats Alexandra Dulgheru 4-6, 6-0, 6-1!
Federer consolidates the break for 5-3 as another champion closes in on victory. Venus Williams, having lost the opening set to the Romanian qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru, now has two match points on the No 1 Court at 4-6, 6-0, 5-1, 40-15. The five-time champion takes it on the second when Dulgheru dabs long. Williams, with her right arm heavily strapped, shakes hands with Dulgheru, who has her left leg taped. It’s like the walking wounded out there.
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Federer, having kindly allowed Lacko to win three games, has decided it’s time to get serious. At 3-3, he has two break points on the ponytailed Slovakian’s serve at 15-40. Lacko saves the first but misfires with a forehand on the second. Federer breaks, leads 4-3 and all is as it should be in his Centre Court kingdom.
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Another hold apiece and it’s Lacko leading Federer 3-2 on Centre Court. Meanwhile, given the paucity of Brits in singles action today, let’s claim Bedene. I’m sure he won’t mind given he was wearing a Harry Kane shirt during practice yesterday. The 28-year-old, who decided to switch his allegiance back to Slovenia last year after rules prevented him from representing GB in the Davis Cup, is currently level at a set all against Moldova’s Radu Albot.
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Milos Raonic rattled down 34 aces on his way to a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) win over Australia’s John Millman. But the 2016 runner-up still has some way to go to beat the 42 aces Nick Kyrgios served up in his match yesterday.
Serving down 34 aces, @milosraonic books his third round spot at #Wimbledon
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2018
This was the pick of the bunch... pic.twitter.com/PcjKlpByyX
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Thanks Michael. So the king is holding court in front of his adoring subjects on Centre. Though some still haven’t returned to their seats after Pliskova’s win over Azarenka. The heresy! Lacko then challenges the established order by holding after a seven-minute service game to lead Federer 2-1.
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Venus Williams did well to close out that second set to love, so she’s into a third set against Dulghera. It’s currently 1-1 there.
Katy is back from her break, so I’ll hand back to her now. Cheers!
Lukas Lacko does well to win his opening service game against Federer. It’s so easy for players to be overawed by the occasion on Centre Court and be 4-0 down before they’ve even got into their stride.
Lucas Pouille is out, losing in five sets to world 171 Dennis Novak! The No 17 seed’s frustrating 2018 continues: Pouille had come back from two sets down but couldn’t carry that momentum into the final set, which he lost 6-2. This will be the first time that Novak has reached the third round of a grand slam.
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Sue Barker and Tim Henman are talking about how ‘magical’ Centre Court is, and have just explained to the TV audience that Roger Federer is a popular player. Please BBC, show me some actual tennis.
Venus Williams has roared into a 5-0 lead in the second set. Her match against Dulghera will surely go the distance.
Next on Centre Court? Some guy called Roger.
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This is good: Marina Hyde on the Wimbledon wormhole.
Karolina Pliskova beats Viktoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-3!
This could well have been the game of the day, but to be honest, it wasn’t even close. Pliskova’s depth was excellent but Azarenka was desperately poor. Remarkably, this is the first time that Pliskova has ever reached the third round (this year’s achievement follows five consecutive second-round exits). For Azarenka, she’s going to have to focus on the mixed doubles, she partners Jamie Murray. They are expected to start their campaign tomorrow.
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Back to Court 1 and after breaking Dulghera in the second game, Venus Williams misses an easy backhand at 40-15 up to extend her lead in the second set to 3-0. It matters not, for Dulghera fires a groundstroke long on the next point and after a failed review, Venus does indeed have a 3-0 lead. At this rate, we’ll be into a third set in about 20 minutes. Let’s see if Dulghera can respond.
Jacob Steinberg’s report on Katie Swan’s second-round exit:
No 17 seed Lucas Pouille is in real trouble against the world No 171 Dennis Novak: the Frenchman recovered from two sets down to force a fifth set on on Court 18, but he’s down a break, with Novak 2-0 up.
Hi there, Michael Butler here: Katy has popped out for a well-deserved break, so I’ll be here for a short while: you can email me on michael.butler@theguardian.com or tweet @michaelbutler18 with any thoughts.
Williams was also a set down in the first round against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson before conceding only three games in the next two sets, so she won’t be pressing the panic button yet. But she may not be relishing the prospect of another three-setter. At the age of 38 she needs to conserve her energy is she’s to have a chance of repeating last year’s run to the final.
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The forehand errors are flying off Venus Williams’s racket and Alexandra Dulgheru has two set points at 5-4, 40-15. Williams saves the first but balloons a backhand long on the second! Dulgheru, the qualifier from Romania, leads the five-time champion by a set to love, 6-4.
The main priority is #Wimbledon for team @kyle8edmund...
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2018
...but there could be tension in the ranks with his Swedish coach Fidde Rosengren for #SWEENG in the @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/JZCdXTk9x4
Pliskova secures the opening set on Centre Court. The Czech takes it 6-3 after 40 minutes with just the one break.
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Gael Monfils, who defeated another mainstay of French tennis, Reeechard Gasquet, in the first round, is a set down, 6-3, to Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi.
Daniil Medvedev, who took out Borna Coric, Roger Federer’s conqueror at Halle, is a set up, 6-3, against Spain’s Gael Garcia-Lopez.
And Aljaz Bedene, the former Brit who beat the current Brit Cameron Norrie on Monday, is in the early stages against the Moldovan Radu Albot.
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Milos Raonic leads Australia’s John Millman 7-6, 7-6, 2-1. No breaks of serve and two tie-breaks is no less than you’d expect from robotic Raonic. Meanwhile another big server Sam Querrey is just getting under way against Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky.
Venus Williams dropped her opening service game on the No 1 Court and now trails the Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru, who on Monday won her first match at the All England Club since 2011, 3-1.
Pliskova and Azarenka are both strongly motivated to do well at Wimbledon this year. Pliskova, the world No 7, was the favourite for the title in 2017 but was bumped out by a player ranked outside the top 100. Azarenka, the two-time Australian Open champion, is determined to make up for lost time on tour after the conclusion of a custody battle which meant she could not take her son out of California.
The tall, big-serving Pliskova opens the day’s proceedings on Centre Court with a hold. Azarenka then has to save three break points before coming through her own service game. It’s 1-1.
Mihaela Buzarnescu remains the most incredible tennis story of 2018.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 4, 2018
She's into the #Wimbledon R3 and should prove tough for either Pliskova or Azarenka.
A couple more results on the women’s side to bring you. The American 10th seed, Madison Keys, has defeated Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum 6-4, 6-3. The big-hitting Keys has the ability to do some real damage here but inconsistency is often her downfall. And the unseeded but dangerous Donna Vekic has followed up her first-round victory over Sloane Stephens with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson.
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It’s past one o’clock so it’s almost show time on the show courts, where the players are warming up. On Centre: what could be the match of the day between Victoria Azarenka. On No 1: Venus Williams v Romania’s Alexandra Dulgheru.
Swan will be disappointed by the scoreline but there’s no shame in losing to a player ranked 176 places higher, who is in the form of her life and making up for her lost decade. Swan showed enough to suggest she’ll have a bigger say in Wimbledons to come.
Buzarnescu beats Swan 6-0, 6-3
Buzarnescu could soon be the second winner. Swan’s second-set resistance proves futile as Buzarnescu breaks and then brings up two match points at 40-15 on serve. Buzarnescu biffs long. But the call is overruled by the umpire! Swan decides to challenge. Hawk-Eye shows the ball clipped the line. They’ll replay the point, and Swan wins it. But a biting Buzarnescu backhand down the line on the second match point seals the win. Swan is out, 6-0, 6-3.
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The first player of the day to put a W by their name is Yanina Wickmayer. The Belgian’s beaten an ailing Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-3.
Poor Petkovic very much on the sick side of things, vomiting into a bag at the changeover as the doc visits - continues but rough luck.
— René Denfeld (@Renestance) July 4, 2018
My colleague Jacob Steinberg had put his suncream on before heading out to the No 3 Court to follow Swan. He needn’t have bothered with the cream because he returned after the first set saying the match was all but over. However Swan isn’t sticking to Steinberg’s script, out of nowhere she comes from 4-1 down to reduce her arrears to 4-3. She’s now serving to level up this second set.
What of Katie Swan, you say. Well no sooner did she break than she was broken back, the first of three consecutive games Buzarnescu has claimed. Swan trails 6-0, 3-1 and has her head in her hands. This is a level at which the teenager is just not used to playing but there are occasional flashes of her big potential, including a wonderful forehand winner at the start of the fifth game of this second set.
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Milos Raonic served 15 aces in that first set against John Millman.
The Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina, one of four mothers playing in the singles today along with Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Tatjana Maria, is a set down, 6-1, to Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. And Donna Vekic, the conqueror of the US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round, has taken a tight first set, 7-5, against Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson.
Meanwhile Court 12 is where the American fans are celebrating the Fourth of July. There’s a hat-trick of American players in action, with Madison Keys currently a set up, 6-4, against Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum, with Sam Querrey and then John Isner to follow.
The 2016 finalist, Milos Raonic, who was the villain in the home crowd’s eyes on Monday when he overwhelmed Liam Broady, has secured the first set on a tie-break, 7-4, against the Australian John Millman. That’s on the No 3 Court.
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A first break point for Swan in the first game of the second set. Buzarnescu shows some tremendous defensive skills to stay in the rally before undoing all her good work by blazing into the tramlines. The No 3 Court erupts! Swan breaks for 0-6, 1-0, and that game is no less than she deserves for her effort so far.
Some interesting pairs in the @Wimbledon mixed doubles, inc Jamie Murray & Victoria Azarenka, Daniel Nestor & Eugenie Bouchard, Thanasi Kokkinakis & Ashy Barty, Mike Bryan & Bethanie Mattek-Sands & former champs Henri Kontinen & Heather Watson
— Simon Cambers (@scambers73) July 4, 2018
First set to Buzarnescu 6-0. It wasn’t as one-sided as that but easy to see why Buzarnescu has won so many matches. The game she played to win the set must be one of the best return games of the tournament
— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 4, 2018
Swan, serving to stay in the set trailing 5-0, hits in desperation. She slides 0-30 down. And Buzarnescu gobbles up an inviting second serve for 0-40, three set points. A cute drop shot seals the first-set whitewash after exactly half an hour.
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Buzarnescu isn’t the only tennis player who’s a doctor, you know. The Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who lost in the first round to Ivo Karlovic, has a PhD in philosophy. According to Wikipedia: “His thesis was entitled Professional Tennis Players on the Court and ‘was about other players and how they compared up against one another’. When asked about his thesis, he said: ‘I wrote it slowly when I had the time ... You find out about other players and try to compare them with you. You look at what you have to do against them or what changes they may make before their matches or during your match with them.’”
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The first set of the day has gone to the Novak that isn’t Djokovic, the Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak taking it 6-4 against the 17th seed, France’s Lucas Pouille.
Buzarnescu, sorry Dr Buzarnescu, fizzes a forehand winner down the line. At 30-all on Swan’s serve the pair engage in a cross-court rally, Swan’s backhand going to the left-handed Buzarnescu’s forehand, and Buzarnescu prevails. Break point. Swan survives after withstanding a barrage at the net, and then sends down an ace for game point at her advantage. Deuce. Advantage Buzarnescu. Deuce. Advantage Swan. Deuce. Advantage Buzarnescu. Deuce. Advantage Buzarnescu. Game Buzarnescu, as Swan throws the game away with two consecutive double faults. She’ll be kicking herself after working so hard to try to get on the board. 4-0 Buzarnescu.
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Buzarnescu has quite some backstory. The 30-year-old was a very successful junior but did not have a successful transition to the seniors because of injuries. Eventually she decided to swap tennis for studying, and gained a PhD in sports science in 2016. Soon after, while having a hit, she realised her knee pain had almost disappeared and decided to launch a comeback. Her first grand slam appearance was at last year’s US Open and her first slam match win was at this year’s French Open, where she reached the fourth round.
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Swan has another Romanian test today in the form of Mihaela Buzarnescu, the 29th seed who is playing the best tennis of her life, and the Brit is struggling to make an early impact. Buzarnescu holds and Swan is then broken to 30. It’s 2-0 Buzarnescu. Make that 3-0.
So what of Katie Swan? The 19-year-old world No 204 made waves in the first round by bridging a gap of 168 places in the rankings to rock the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu for the loss of only four games and secure her first grand slam match victory. She’s been spoken of as the next big thing in British tennis, which is underlined by Andy Murray’s support. He signed her up to his management company earlier this year and texts her regularly to find out how she’s getting on.
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The players have battled past the spectators and made their way to the outside courts. Britain’s Katie Swan is warming up on the No 3 Court against the Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu. Other players in early action include Milos Raonic, Madison Keys, Donna Vekic and D Novak. But it’s not that Novak. It’s the Austrian Dennis Novak, who’s up against the French 17th seed, Lucas Pouille.
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Johanna Konta has been spotted carrying a Tupperware full of cake by the practice courts. Perhaps it’s for Novak Djokovic.
Mind you at the moment the Centre Court roof is half closed because they’re trying to keep the sun out. That’s a sentence I haven’t typed often at Wimbledon.
Weather watch. The imposter that’s claiming to be the British summer may make way for the real thing today. The Wimbledon weather forecast says there’s a 20-30% risk of a shower late this afternoon “which may be on the heavy side with the outside risk of a rumble of thunder”.
Today’s order of play
CENTRE COURT - SHOW COURT - 13:00 (BST) START
1 Karolina Pliskova (CZE) [7] 65 vs Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 68
2 Roger Federer (SUI) [1] 1 vs Lukas Lacko (SVK) 3
3 Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 102 vs Serena Williams (USA) [25] 104
No.1 COURT - SHOW COURT - 13:00 START
1 Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) 77 vs Venus Williams (USA) [9] 80
2 Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 126 vs Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [2] 128
3 Marin Cilic (CRO) [3] 33 vs Guido Pella (ARG) 36
No.2 COURT - SHOW COURT - 11:30 START
1 John Millman (AUS) 45 vs Milos Raonic (CAN) [13] 48
2 Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [32] 121 vs Lucie Safarova (CZE) 124
3 Andreas Seppi (ITA) 30 vs Kevin Anderson (RSA) [8] 32
4 Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 85 vs Barbora Strycova (CZE) [23] 88
No.3 COURT - SHOW COURT - 11:30 START
1 Katie Swan (GBR) 70 vs Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU) [29] 72
2 Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 22 vs Gael Monfils (FRA) 23
3 Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 62 vs Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 63
4 Tatjana Maria (GER) 98 vs Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 100
COURT 12 - SHOW COURT - 11:30 START
1 Luksika Kumkhum (THA) 109 vs Madison Keys (USA) [10] 112
2 Sam Querrey (USA) [11] 17 vs Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 19
3 John Isner (USA) [9] 49 vs Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 52
4 Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 114 vs Ons Jabeur (TUN) 116
COURT 18 - SHOW COURT - 11:30 START
1 Lucas Pouille (FRA) [17] 41 vs Dennis Novak (AUT) 44
2 Kiki Bertens (NED) [20] 73 vs Anna Blinkova (RUS) 76
3 Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [31] 57 vs Jared Donaldson (USA) 60
COURT 5 - 11:30 START
1 Ana Bogdan (ROU) / Kaitlyn Christian (USA) 43 vs Yingying Duan (CHN) / Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 44
2 Taro Daniel (JPN) / Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 37 vs Antonio Sancic (CRO) / Andrei Vasilevski (BLR) 38
3 Dominic Inglot (GBR) / Franko Skugor (CRO) [15] 41 vs Marton Fucsovics (HUN) / Mischa Zverev (GER) 42
COURT 6 - 11:30 START
1 Mirza Basic (BIH) / Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 35 vs Fabrice Martin (FRA) / Purav Raja (IND) 36
2 Shuko Aoyama (JPN) / Jennifer Brady (USA) 51 vs Darija Jurak (CRO) / Qiang Wang (CHN) 52
3 Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA) [4] 17 vs Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) / Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 18
4 Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) / Yifan Xu (CHN) [6] 49 vs Alison Riske (USA) / Olga Savchuk (UKR) 50
COURT 7 - 11:30 START
1 Anett Kontaveit (EST) / Monica Puig (PUR) 39 vs Nicole Melichar (USA) / Kveta Peschke (CZE) [12] 40
2 Matteo Berrettini (ITA) / Maximilian Marterer (GER) 29 vs 4 Roman Jebavy (CZE) / Andres Molteni (ARG) 30
3 Maria Irigoyen (ARG) / Carina Witthoeft (GER) 59 vs Kaia Kanepi (EST) / Andrea Petkovic (GER) 60
4 Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) / Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) [9] 9 vs David Ferrer (ESP) / Marc Lopez (ESP) 10
COURT 8 - 11:30 START
1 Rebecca Peterson (SWE) 94 vs Donna Vekic (CRO) 95
2 Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 38 vs Nicolas Jarry (CHI) 39
3 Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) [25] 25 vs Gilles Muller (LUX) 27
COURT 9 - 11:30 START
1 Andre Begemann (GER) / Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) 55 vs Pablo Cuevas (URU) / Marcel Granollers (ESP) [11] 56
2 Christina McHale (USA) / Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 29 vs Naomi Broady (GBR) / Asia Muhammad (USA) 30
3 Katie Boulter (GBR) / Katie Swan (GBR) 23 vs Lucie Hradecka (CZE) / Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) [14] 24
4 Elise Mertens (BEL) / Demi Schuurs (NED) [8] 33 vs Sorana Cirstea (ROU) / Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 34
COURT 10 - 11:30 START
1 Robin Haase (NED) / Robert Lindstedt (SWE) 39 vs Ivan Dodig (CRO) / Rajeev Ram (USA) [10] 40
2 Sofia Kenin (USA) / Sachia Vickery (USA) 5 vs Nicola Geuer (GER) / Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6
3 Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) / Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 7 vs Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) / Monica Niculescu (ROU) [13] 8
4 Max Mirnyi (BLR) / Philipp Oswald (AUT) [16] 57 vs Julio Peralta (CHI) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 58
COURT 11 - 11:30 START
1 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / Samantha Stosur (AUS) 3 vs Nadiia Kichenok (UKR) / Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 4
2 Liam Broady (GBR) / Scott Clayton (GBR) 45 vs Frances Tiafoe (USA) / Jackson Withrow (USA) 46
3 Matthew Ebden (AUS) / Taylor Fritz (USA) 13 vs Peter Gojowczyk (GER) / Benoit Paire (FRA) 14
4 Maria Sakkari (GRE) / Donna Vekic (CRO) 53 vs Xinyun Han (CHN) / Luksika Kumkhum (THA) 54
COURT 14 - 11:30 START
1 Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 106 vs Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 107
2 Adrian Mannarino (FRA) [22] 9 vs Ryan Harrison (USA) 11
3 Julia Goerges (GER) [13] 81 vs Vera Lapko (BLR) 83
4 Jay Clarke (GBR) / Cameron Norrie (GBR) 5 vs Marcelo Arevalo (ESA) / Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) 6
COURT 15 - 11:30 START
1 Jonathan Erlich (ISR) / Marcin Matkowski (POL) 61 vs Jonathan Eysseric (FRA) / Hugo Nys (FRA) 62
2 Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 5 vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7
3 Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) / Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 21 vs Danielle Collins (USA) / Jessica Moore (AUS) 22
COURT 16 - 11:30 START
1 Ken Skupski (GBR) / Neal Skupski (GBR) 11 vs Ilija Bozoljac (SRB) / Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 12
2 Aljaz Bedene (SLO) 53 vs Radu Albot (MDA) 55
3 Belinda Bencic (SUI) / Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 19 vs Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) / Arantxa Parra Santonja (ESP) 20
COURT 17 - 11:30 START
1 Andrea Petkovic (GER) 90 vs Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 92
2 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 13 vs Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 15
3 Madison Brengle (USA) 118 vs Camila Giorgi (ITA) 119
4 Alex Bolt (AUS) / Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 7 vs Raven Klaasen (RSA) / Michael Venus (NZL) [13] 8
MATCHES TO BE ARRANGED
NOT BEFORE 17.00
Raquel Atawo (USA) / Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) [11] 25 vs Xenia Knoll (SUI) / Anna Smith (GBR) 26
Luke Bambridge (GBR) / Jonny O’Mara (GBR) 63 vs Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) [2] 64
Ysaline Bonaventure (BEL) / Bibiane Schoofs (NED) 31 vs Hao-Ching Chan (TPE) / Zhaoxuan Yang (CHN) [7] 32
Some more reading for you:
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Spare a thought for Maria Sharapova this morning. Not only was her match in the gloam completely overshadowed by last night’s World Cup action, she then went and lost it in three sets, suffering her first ever opening-round defeat here having been a set and 5-2 up. Hardly the way she would have wanted to mark her Wimbledon return after an absence of three years.
Another former champion to fall yesterday was the pre-tournament favourite Petra Kvitova, who’s won five titles this year, more than anyone else on tour. But she’s been unable to bring her best to the grand slams in 2018. Kvitova admitted the pressure got to her but said the career-threatening knife attack she suffered 19 months ago allows her to put defeats such as yesterday’s in perspective.
Here’s Simon Cambers’ report on Sharapova and Kvitova’s exits:
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Preamble
It’s the morning after the night before. So what to do if you’re an England fan? You could watch the penalty shootout on an endless loop. You could add Jordan Pickford to your World Cup fantasy football team. You could make sure you’re prepared for Saturday’s quarter-final by playing Sweden on Fifa 18. Or you could celebrate by pouring yourself a large Pimm’s, treating yourself to some strawberries and cream and following Wimbledon’s finest.
And they don’t get much finer than Roger Federer and Serena Williams. The two GOATs, who share 15 Wimbledon and 43 grand slam titles between them, headline the action on day three, with Federer flaying sorry playing the Slovakian Lukas Lacko and Williams walloping sorry facing the Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova. The other match on Centre Court is between two former world No 1s as Victoria Azarenka – who, like Williams, is attempting to re-establish herself at the top of the game after becoming a mother – takes on Karolina Pliskova.
On the No 1 Court, it’s Venus Williams followed by Caroline Wozniacki and then Maric Cilic, who’s arguably Federer’s biggest threat to the title. Elsewhere Stan Wawrinka, whose comeback from injury suddenly sparked into life on Monday when he beat Grigor Dimitrov, is in second-round action, along with two former finalists Milos Raonic and Agnieszka Radwanska, the 2010 marathon man John Isner, last year’s semi-finalist Sam Querrey, the US Open runner-up Kevin Anderson and the rising Russian Daniil Medvedev.
And last but not least the British teenager Katie Swan is first on Court Three against Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu. She’s the only Brit playing in the singles today but, after last night’s penalty drama, perhaps that’s all the excitement the home crowd can take.
Play begins at: 11.30am BST on the outside courts and 1pm BST on the show courts.
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