NEW DELHI:
Novak Djokovic
overpowered
Holger Rune
in straight sets on Monday, advancing to the
Wimbledon
quarter-finals and maintaining his pursuit of a historic 25th Grand Slam title. In another notable match, Taylor Fritz pulled off an upset victory against fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, visibly emotional and wearing a black ribbon, progressed to the next round just hours after a devastating Russian missile attack in Kyiv claimed numerous lives and severely damaged a children's hospital.
Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, was anticipated to face a tough challenge from Rune.
However, the Serb delivered a commanding performance, securing a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory in just over two hours. Despite wearing a knee support following recent surgery, the 37-year-old dominated the match from the outset, not conceding a single point in the first three games against his overwhelmed opponent.
The Serbian star effortlessly broke Rune's serve once in the second set and twice more in the third, sealing his place in the quarter-finals, where he will face Australian ninth seed Alex de Minaur.
Notwithstanding his impressive performance, Djokovic expressed frustration with certain members of the Centre Court audience, accusing them of disrespectful behavior towards him.
"To all the fans that have had respect and stayed here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate it," said a frustrated Djokovic after reaching a 60th Grand Slam quarter-final.
"And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player -- in this case me -- have a good night," he added, mocking his tormentors.
Djokovic, the defending champion, is on a quest to match Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon men's singles titles. Additionally, he aims to surpass Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
In another match, Taylor Fritz, seeded 13th, staged a remarkable comeback against the powerful-serving Alexander Zverev. Despite being down two sets, Fritz managed to turn the tables, securing a 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 victory.
Initially, Zverev's formidable serve seemed insurmountable, and Fritz appeared to be on the brink of defeat. However, the American player achieved a pivotal break in the third set, marking the first time Zverev had been broken throughout the entire tournament. This shift in momentum proved to be the turning point of the match, propelling Fritz to an impressive victory.
"It was amazing to do that on Centre Court, two sets down in front of this crowd. It's a dream," said the American, who will face Italian 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the last eight.
"The thing was I still felt I was playing really well for being down two sets. I was just thinking it sucked to be playing this well and to lose in straights."
Zverev, sporting a brace on his left knee, revealed that he was essentially playing "on one leg today" due to an injury he sustained during his third-round victory over Cameron Norrie.
"It is nothing that I need surgery on," he added. "It is nothing that doesn't heal by itself. It just needs time."
Zverev, who finished second at Roland Garros in June, dismissed concerns about his ability to compete for gold at the forthcoming Olympics in Paris, despite being 27 years old.
After defeating Wang Xinyu of China 6-2, 6-1 in a mere 55 minutes, Svitolina shed tears on the court as she advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time.
The Ukrainian player, seeded 21st and sporting a black ribbon on her white shirt, took to the court following Russian missile strikes on various Ukrainian cities. According to Ukrainian authorities, the attacks claimed 36 lives and caused significant damage to a children's hospital in Kyiv.
"It's a very difficult day today for all Ukraine people," said the 29-year-old Svitolina.
"It was not easy to focus on the match. Since this morning it has been very difficult to read the news and go on court."
Svitolina's next opponent will be Elena Rybakina, a Kazakh player of Russian origin, who advanced when Anna Kalinskaya retired with the score at 6-3, 3-0.
De Minaur, the ninth-seeded Australian who recently triumphed at the grass-court tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch, overcame France's Arthur Fils in a four-set battle.
Despite losing the first set, Musetti managed to spoil the 21st birthday celebration of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the powerful French server, by rallying to secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Jelena Ostapenko, a past French Open winner, defeated Yulia Putintseva, who had previously upset Iga Swiatek, with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Ostapenko's next challenge will be Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic, who eliminated the 11th seed, Danielle Collins, in two straight sets.
English (US) ·