LONDON: World number one Novak Djokovic clinched his 75th win at Wimbledon on Friday as Ons Jabeur overcame vomiting on match point to become the first Tunisian woman to reach the second week at the All England Club.

Defending champion Djokovic survived a nervy third set to defeat 114th-ranked American qualifier Denis Kudla 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) to book a place in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the 55th time.

Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling 20th major, cruised through the first two sets but then had to fight back from 1-4 down and also 1-4 in the tiebreaker on Court One.

“It’s the trademark of every pro athlete that you never give up,” said Djokovic who is halfway to becoming only the third man in history — and first since Rod Laver in 1969 — to complete the calendar Slam. “I am always trying to give my maximum out there especially when playing one of the biggest tournaments.”

Next up for Djokovic is Chilean 17th seed Christian Garin who defeated Spain’s Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

World number 24 Ons Jabeur defeated 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 on the back of 44 winners and generating 29 break points.

Muguruza saved 24 of them but was still unable to break the spirit of Arab trailblazer Jabeur who came through despite throwing up at the Royal Box end on Centre Court as she served for the match.

Jabeur next takes on Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the seventh seed, who was the first player into the last 16 with a 55-minute 6-1, 6-0 demolition of Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.

Swiatek, the 2018 junior champion, had only won one match on grass on the main tour prior to Wimbledon.

In a wide open women’s draw, Swiatek is just one of three top 10 seeds still standing along with top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, who plays the third round on Saturday, and second seeded Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka made the last 16 for the first time by beating Colombian qualifier Maria Camila Osorio Serrano 6-0, 6-3.

Sabalenka next faces fellow big-hitter Elena Rybakina, the 18th-seeded Kazakh who saw off Shelby Rogers 6-1, 6-4.

Former world number one Karolina Pliskova made the last 16 for the third time with a 6-3, 6-3 win over fellow Czech Tereza Martincova.

Pliskova will meet Russian wildcard Liudmila Samsonova who defeated former US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

In other men’s play, Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev booked a last-16 spot for the first time by seeing off mercurial Italian Fabio Fognini 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Rublev next faces Marton Fucsovics who stunned Argentine ninth seed Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4 to become the first Hungarian man in the fourth round since Balazs Taroczy in 1980.

Karen Khachanov made it a double Russian celebration by putting out Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 while Roberto Bautista Agut swept Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

Results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Third round: 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Denis Kudla (US) 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7); Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) bt 9-Diego Schwartzman (Argentina) 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4; 17-Christian Garin (Chile) bt Pedro Martinez (Spain) 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; 5-Andrey Rublev (Russia) bt 26-Fabio Fognini (Italy) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; 25-Karen Khachanov (Russia) bt Frances Tiafoe (US) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; 8-Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) bt Dominik Koepfer (Germany) 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

Women’s singles:

Third round: 8-Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) bt Tereza Martincova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-3; Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) bt Sloane Stephens (US) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) bt Madison Brengle (US) 6-2, 6-1; 7-Iga Swiatek (Poland) bt Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) 6-1, 6-0; 21-Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) bt 11-Garbie Muguruza (Spain) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2; 18-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) bt Shelby Rogers (US) 6-1, 6-4; 2-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) bt Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Colombia) 6-0, 6-3.

Thursday’s remaining results:

Men’s singles:

Second round: 16-Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) bt Mikael Ymer (Sweden) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; 32-Marin Cilic (Croatia) bt Benjamin Bonzi (France) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) 6-Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Richard Gasquet (France) 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 6-4; Nick Kyrgios (Australia) bt Gianluca Mager (Italy) 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, 6-4; 31-Taylor Fritz (US bt Steve Johnson (US) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4; 23-Lorenzo Sonego (Italy) bt Daniel Galan (Colombia) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1; 14-Hubert Hurkacz (Poland bt Marcos Giron (US) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) bt 18-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4).

Women’s singles:

Second round: Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) bt Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-4; 25-Angelique Kerber (Germany) bt Sara Sorribes (Spain) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4; Ajla Tomljanovic (Australia) bt Alize Cornet (France) 6-4, 0-6, 6-3; Kaja Juvan (Slovenia) bt Clara Burel (France) 6-3, 6-4 Sorana Cirstea (Romania) bt 12-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-4.

Published in Dawn, EOS, July 4th, 2021