Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a shaky start to beat unseeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic in straight sets to reach the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The world No 3 – who defeated Novak Djokovic in last year's final – was taken to a tiebreaker in the opening set, where he took a healthy 5-1 lead only for Vukic to win three straight points but manages to raise his level again and take the set as Spanish fans breathed a sigh of relief.
The French Open champion, who is bidding for a fourth Grand Slam title, did not give Vukic any more opportunities and closed out the second set quickly before easing through the third to seal victory in one hour 48 minutes on Court One.
“I'm really happy about my performance today,” said Alcaraz. “The first set was the key for me. He served for the set, then I played a really good tie-break. In the second set and third set, I played a really high level.”
He will now take on Frances Tiafoe of the US. “I'm going for him! We played a really good match in the US Open,” added Alcaraz. “He is a really talented player, a tough one, even tougher on grass with his style. Good volley, good slices. It is going to be a very difficult match.”
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev also hit back from a sticky start before overcoming Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a draining battle on Centre Court.
The Russian, who reached the semi-finals last year before losing to eventual champion Alcaraz, looked out of sorts early on and had to save a set point to avoid going 2-0 down.
However, Medvedev, runner-up at the Australian Open, found a bit more of his usual groove to level the match with a tiebreak before clinching the third set and then the match over three-and-a-half hours.
Casper Ruud continued his dismal record at the grass court Grand Slam as he lost in four sets to veteran Italian Fabio Fogini. Norway's Ruud, seeded eighth, was beaten 6-4, 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 on Court Two meaning the three-time Grand Slam finalist has never been beyond the second round at Wimbledon after four appearances in the main draw.
In the women's draw, second seed Coco Gauff kicked-off Wednesday's schedule by crushing 19-year-old Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni in just 66 minutes on her way to a 6-2, 6-1 victory on Court One.
The American, 20, was always in control but did produce 16 unforced errors and managed to land only 43 per cent of her first serves. But Gauff's nervous opponent, ranked 142 in the world, hit 23 unforced errors of her own.
“I do think I could have played cleaner at some points but overall I'm happy to have got through to the third round,” Gauff said in an interview on court.
Reigning US Open champion Gauff had disposed of countrywoman Caroline Dolehide in similar ruthless fashion, taking 65 minutes to knock out her friend on Monday.
Since losing to Sofia Kenin in the first round of Wimbledon 12 months ago, Gauff is now 19-2 at Grand Slam tournaments where she has looked particularly strong in the first week, not losing a set in either the Australian Open or French Open in her first four matches.
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur is due back in action on Thursday for her second round match against American teenager Robin Montgomery, ranked 161 in the world and making only her second appearance at the All England Club.
Two-time runner-up Jabeur, who lost to Elena Rybakina over three sets in the 2022 final and was then beaten by the unseeded Marketa Vondrousova in last year's final, eased through her opening match against Moyuka Uchijima of Japan on Tuesday, securing a 6-3, 6-1 win.
“If I make it a third year in a row to the final, that would be like a dream,” the 29-year-old 10th seed said. “I know I have a big capacity of doing it, I’ve been working on myself a lot. I can see myself winning this tournament hopefully.”
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
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Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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%3Cp%3E-%20US%20Congress%20is%20divided%20into%20two%20chambers%3A%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives%20and%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20435%20members%20make%20up%20the%20House%2C%20and%20100%20in%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20party%20needs%20control%20of%20218%20seats%20to%20have%20a%20majority%20in%20the%20House%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20In%20the%20Senate%2C%20a%20party%20needs%20to%20hold%2051%20seats%20for%20control%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20In%20the%20event%20of%20a%2050-50%20split%2C%20the%20vice%20president's%20party%20retains%20power%20in%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
