Sports03 July, 20262 min read
Aryna Sabalenka Defeats Jelena Ostapenko to Reach Wimbledon Fourth Round
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Sabalenka defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 to reach Wimbledon fourth round. The match tested Sabalenka's grasscourt pedigree at this Wimbledon.
Sabalenka reaches Round 4
Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon on Friday by defeating Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4. Sabalenka secured the opening set with a 111 mph ace in the fifth game, and the match featured “lightning fast volleys” as she maintained control.
Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion, saved a match point in the second set but ultimately failed to continue her comeback. The Times of India later described Novak Djokovic’s third-round win as a test he survived against Arthur Rinderknech, while Sabalenka’s victory set up her own next step after reaching the fourth round.
Djokovic ties Federer
Novak Djokovic reached the fourth round at Wimbledon on Friday with a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Arthur Rinderknech. The Times of India said Djokovic’s Friday win featured 107 winners, including 67 from Rinderknech, and it drew level with Roger Federer’s record of 105 singles match wins on the men’s draw at Wimbledon.
In his on-court interview, Djokovic said, “A bit of luck, a bit of skill, in the end,” and he added that it was “pretty much a flawless tie-break from my side.” The BBC reported that qualifiers Roman Safiullin and Shintaro Mochizuki would now target the favourites for the Wimbledon title, with Djokovic and Jannik Sinner standing in their way.
Safiullin and Mochizuki surge
Roman Safiullin, in tears after a 6-3 6-3 6-3 win over Joao Fonseca, said he had to stop after the US Open to treat his injury and that “Even half a year ago, I didn't know whether I would be able to [come] back.” The BBC said Safiullin, now at 132 in the world rankings, was on a six-match winning streak in SW19 and goes into a fourth-round meeting with seven-time champion Djokovic on Sunday.
Shintaro Mochizuki, watched by Naomi Osaka, described his Wimbledon run as strange, telling the BBC, “I don't know how I've been winning here.” Mochizuki will face reigning champion Jannik Sinner in the fourth round after beating Rafael Jodar 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-4, and the BBC noted Osaka called it “really cool” to have another Japanese player making a run at Wimbledon.