Wimbledon 2023: Novak Djokovic makes it to the fourth round and maintains his title chances

On Friday, Novak Djokovic advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the fifteenth time by defeating his old foe Stan Wawrinka and a nighttime curfew as Andy Murray suggested his days at the All England Club could be coming to an end. The 38-year-old Wawrinka was defeated by Djokovic 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) as he pursued an eighth Wimbledon championship to tie the record and his 24th career Grand Slam victory.

For a spot in the quarterfinals, world number two Djokovic will play Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who he has already beaten five matches in as many encounters. The victory on Friday was Djokovic’s 21st triumph against Wawrinka in 27 matches. The Swiss player memorably beat the Serb in the 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open finals.

Djokovic never faced a break point on Centre Court, and he won the match only 15 minutes before the curfew of the All England Club at 11 p.m., saving them from having to play again on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Djokovic surpassed Pete Sampras’ record of 31 straight victories in the event. “Stan’s doing an amazing job for his age — we are two old guys,” he remarked.

“Over the years, we’ve fought some amazing fights. He is a player I admire and a guy I adore. He is a really lovely man.

Djokovic’s victory put him on track for a final match meeting with top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, the US Open winner, who overcame France’s 84th-ranked Alexandre Muller 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.

To advance to the round of 16, the 20-year-old Alcaraz will compete against Nicolas Jarry of Chile.

After losing to fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (2/7), 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 in a marathon second round match that lasted four hours and 40 minutes, Murray said he is unsure whether he will return to Wimbledon.

Since reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2017, the 36-year-old has not advanced to the second week of a Grand Slam.

When asked whether he will return in 2024, former world number one Murray said, “I don’t know.”

Motivation is undoubtedly important. Early defeats in competitions like these don’t necessarily assist with that, either.

Tsitispas defeated Murray with 90 victories and will now play Serbian Laslo Djere for a spot in the round of 16.

“Going up against Andy is never easy. The 24-year-old Greek remarked, “He’s quite popular here.

When the match was called off on Thursday owing to the tournament curfew, Murray had a two sets to one lead.

Despite not losing serve throughout the match until the third game of the final, he was unable to retain the momentum on Friday.

RUN THROUGH MEDVEDEV

The Frenchman who upset him at Wimbledon five years ago, Adrian Mannarino, is the second-round opponent for men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev.

The unpredictable Russian promptly sealed victory in a third set tie-break after being two sets and 4-4 up when play was suspended on day four.

Holger Rune, the sixth seed from Denmark, defeated Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 to get to the third round for the first time.

Andrey Rublev, the seventh-seeded Russian, and Jannik Sinner, the eighth-seeded Italian, both advanced to the round of 16 with victories against David Goffin and Quentin Halys, respectively.

Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked player in the world and the reigning US Open and French Open winner, defeated Petra Martic 6-2, 7-5 to go to the round of 16, where she will play 14th-ranked Belinda Bencic.

The 22-year-old Pole will go to the quarterfinals for the first time if he wins that match.

Ukraine vs Belarus

Varvara Gracheva, the second seed who just changed her nationality from Russia to France, was defeated by second seed Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 after falling down a set.

Fifth-seeded When Caroline Garcia lost to Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7/0), 4-6, 7-5, she made 53 unforced mistakes, becoming her the fourth top 10 female to be eliminated.

Victoria Azarenka, who has been to the semifinals twice, eliminated Daria Kasatkina of Russia to reach the round of 16.

Elina Svitolina, her Belarusian opponent, will once again decline to shake hands with her due to the nation’s backing of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It’s a major source of inspiration for me and my nation. Many Ukrainians will be watching and cheering me on. Svitolina said, “I’ll go out there and bring my battling attitude.

Lesia Tsurenko, a fellow Ukrainian, won the longest tiebreak in a Grand Slam women’s singles match.

The 34-year-old overcame Ana Bogdan 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (20/18) after saving five match chances and converting a sixth match point of her own. The decisive breaker lasted a record 38 points.

Bianca Andreescu, a former US Open winner, defeated Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (10/7), rallying from a set and a half down.

Ons Jabeur, last year’s runner-up, will compete against the Canadian.