All the latest reports and results from Day 5 at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
MEN’S
Federer breaks British hearts
Roger Federer racked up his 150th tour-level win on grass as the world No 3 crushed Britain’s Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the third round. Evans became the second Briton in as many rounds to be eliminated by Federer after the seven-time Wimbledon champion ended the fairytale of British No 23 in the second round. Third seed Federer, bidding for an 18th grand slam title, will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov or Steve Johnson of the United States for a place in the quarter-finals.
Rain saves the day for Djokovic
Novak Djokovic was teetering on the brink of a stunning Wimbledon exit when rain and bad light halted play with the defending champion trailing by two sets against Sam Querrey on Friday.
Djokovic, who holds all four Grand Slam titles at present, was 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 down when he retreated to the locker room facing his earliest Wimbledon exit since a second round loss in 2008.
Djokovic is bidding for a third successive Wimbledon title and a rare calendar Grand Slam, but the world number one may have been spared one of the most embarrassing defeats of his glittering career by the bad weather on Court One.
The 29-year-old Serb had been made to wait around all day by the dismal drizzle in south-west London before finally getting on court for his third round tie and when he did he looked completely out of sorts against American 28th seed Querrey,
Del Potro sends Wawrinka crashing
Juan Martin del Potro sent Swiss fourth seed Stan Wawrinka crashing out of Wimbledon with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 victory in the second round.
The world No 165 from Argentina, who was a semi-finalist in 2013 in what was his last appearance at the tournament, next faces either French 32nd seed Lucas Pouille or Donald Young of the United States.
Del Potro is playing in his first major since the Australian Open in 2014 after undergoing three wrist surgeries.
“It feels amazing, it’s a great sensation,” said 27-year-old Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion. “I enjoyed the crowd. It’s an incredible feeling, that’s why my hands are still shaking. I feel alive again. After sitting at home for two years, this feels like a second or third career.”
Tsonga and Berdych finally through
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was in no mood to hang about, racing to a one-set lead in just 18 minutes against Argentina’s Juan Monaco some three hours after they first warmed up on another rain-interrupted day. Monaco put the brakes on the Frenchman in the second and third sets and Tsonga’s service level dipped, but the 12th seed won through 6-1 6-4 6-3 in one hour 23 minutes - the third fastest men’s match of the tournament so far.
Czech 10th seed Tomas Berdych also sped through to beat the rain, downing Germany’s Benjamin Becker 6-4 6-1 6-2 and taking just a minute longer than Tsonga to secure his place in round three.
Isner the tie break master
American 18th seed John Isner ended the Wimbledon odyssey of Australian qualifier Matthew Barton, serving his way to victory 7-6(8) 7-6(3) 7-6(8) in a high-octane second-round clash. The 6ft 10in American fired down 43 aces, including a 142 mph bullet that was the joint fastest of the tournament. He was forced to knuckle down by the gritty Australian, at 248th the lowest-ranked competitor left in the men’s singles draw. Barton, whose rasping forehand drives often had Isner scampering and who struck 16 aces of his own, saved five set points in the first set and drew a howl of triumph from the American after he converted the sixth with another howitzer serve. Isner now boasts a trio of third-round appearances at the All England Club and has reached the last 16 or better at the other three grand slam events.
Kyrgios tames Brown
The good, bad and ugly sides of Nick Kyrgios were on display as the Australian firebrand beat German showman Dustin Brown 6-7(3) 6-1 2-6 6-4 6-4 to reach the third round. A wild five-setter fully lived up to its pre-match billing and the crowd on Court Two were treated to some astonishing points, and histrionics from Kyrgios, as the 15th seed survived. He will next play either Italian Fabio Fognini or Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.
WOMEN’S
Beck batters Sasnovich
German Annika Beck showed few signs of fatigue on her way to a crushing 6-2, 6-1 victory against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich to reach the third round.
Beck, 22, prevailed in a marathon three set match with Briton Heather Watson on Wednesday 3-6, 6-0, 10-8. Yet the world No 43 had far too much for Sasnovich, racing through their match in 57 minutes.
Venus survives
Experience wrestled aside youth when Venus Williams, at 36 the oldest woman in the draw, overcame rain interruptions and Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina 7-5 4-6 10-8 to reach the fourth round. Kasatkina, 19, demonstrated clearly how she has leapt 128 places up the rankings in the last year, saving two match points, one after a lengthy rain stoppage. The women were forced off court with Williams on match point as the heavens opened for a third time in the match, the scoreboard showing 7-5 4-6 7-6 and 40-30 in the eighth seed’s favour. Kasatkina won the next three points using a hefty serve.
Serena scrapes past McHale
Serena Williams composed herself after a first-set loss and a burst of anger to vanquish tenacious fellow American Christina McHale 6-7(7) 6-2 6-4 in a nail-biting second-round match. The defending champion finally ran out a winner against the world No 65, marching on in her quest to emulate Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 grand slam singles titles. Williams thought she had won the first set and was walking back to her chair after a McHale forehand was called long with the world No 1 5-4 and 40-30 up. To her chagrin, however, a Hawkeye challenge showed the ball brushing the baseline. McHale went on to win the game and force a tiebreak in which a rattled Williams made a string of errors, including two double faults, before burying a forehand into the net to lose the set. Furious as she sat down, she hammered her racket into the ground in frustration before hurling it behind her. But the 34-year-old put the disappointment behind her and showed the battling form that has won her six Wimbledon crowns to take the next two sets, closing out the two-and-a-half hour match with three aces.
DAY 5 RESULTS
MEN
3rd round
Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Daniel Evans (GBR) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
2nd round
Tomas Berdych (CZE x10) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
Lucas Pouille (FRA x32) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG) bt Stan Wawrinka (SUI x4) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3
John Isner (USA x18) bt Matthew Barton (AUS) 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/8)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x12) bt Juan Monaco (ARG) 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x15) bt Dustin Brown (GER) 6-7 (3/7), 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Feliciano Lopez (ESP x22) bt Fabio Fognini (ITA) 3-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
WOMEN
3rd round
Venus Williams (USA x8) bt Darya Kasatkina (RUS) 7-5, 4-6, 10-8
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP x12) bt Marina Erakovic (NZL) 6-2, 6-2
2nd round
Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-4
Annika Beck (GER) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-2, 6-1
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) bt Tara Moore (GBR) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x21) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 7-5, 6-1
Barbora Strycova (CZE x24) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-4, 6-0
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