Australia’s last remaining hope in the singles draw is three wins away from glory as Alex de Minaur reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final, but not without an injury cloud hovering over him.
An influx amount of injuries during the Championships has people questioning whether it is a coincidence or a severe problem, especially after the latest seed to fall victim on Centre Court.
Men’s Results:
Alex de Minaur [9] d. Arthur Fils
6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Novak Djokovic [2] d. Holger Rune [15]
6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Taylor Fritz [13] d. Alexander Zverev [4]
4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3
Lorenzo Musetti [25] d. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard [LL] 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2
A near flawless display from Alex de Minaur had all the answers against up-and-coming 20-year-old talent Arthur Fils in four sets, but picked up an injury scare that could derail his tournament hopes.
The faster grass court conditions suited the Sydneysider, able to generate natural pace from the hard-hitting Fils to dictate points and play the match on his terms to take a comfortable two-set lead.
Up a break in the third, a lapse in concentration and a slight dip in form meant it was suddenly game on - broken twice in the space of a few games to open the door ajar for the Frenchman.
De Minaur used that period as a chance to regroup and from that point there was only going to be one winner, breaking Fils nine times throughout the encounter to wrap it up in two hours and 54 minutes.
He becomes the sixth Aussie in the Open era to reach quarter-finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.
Stretching for a remarkable volley on match point, de Minaur admitted after the match that he experienced pain in his hip but assured he will be fine.
“I’m feeling pretty decent. Again, my body went through a pretty physical match out there. (The) body feels a little bit ginger everywhere. I’m not going to lie. I’ve done my recovery. I’m sure I’ll be feeling great tomorrow,” he said.
“I just slid out to a forehand on my first match point. I felt like I jarred it a little bit. I kind of was a little bit ginger. Again, it’s probably a little bit of a scare more than anything. The situation was tight. In a way helped me relax and finish off the match.”
A different beast awaits de Minaur in the quarter-finals, set to face world No.2 Novak Djokovic after the Serb produced his most complete performance of the tournament against Holger Rune.
Still the best grass court player in the world, the seven-time champion has defied all odds after undergoing knee surgery straight after the French Open, creating ridiculous shots for the highlight reel to claim a somewhat surprising straight sets victory.
The key takeaway from this tournament for Djokovic thus far are his service games - not broken once against one of the best players in the world in Rune.
Roland Garros finalist Alexander Zverev let slip yet another two-set advantage in his career, going down to 13th seed Taylor Fritz ticking over three and a half hours.
The American sets up a quarter-final date with Lorenzo Musetti, reaching his first-ever last eight appearance at a major to end Frenchman Giovanni Mpestshi Perricard’s fairytale run.
Having entered the main draw as a Lucky Loser, 203cm giant Mpetshi Perricard will be one to watch for the future, averaging a whopping 29 aces over the past week.
Women’s Results:
Elena Rybakina [4] d. Anna Kalinskaya
6-3, 3-0 (retired)
Elina Svitolina [21] d. Xinyu Wang 6-2, 6-1
Jelena Ostapenko [13] d. Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3
Barbora Krejčíková [31] d. Danielle Collins [11] 7-5, 6-3
2022 winner Elena Rybakina will fancy her chances of claiming her second Wimbledon title, winning eight straight games before her opponent Anna Kalinskaya retired through injury.
The script could not have been written better so far for Rybakina, breezing through her previous games including a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Caroline Wozniacki to now expending less energy on court in her fourth round match.
Former Wimbledon finalist Elina Svitolina ensured she achieved back-to-back finals at the All England Club, sweeping aside 22-year-old Xinyu Wang in a routine straight sets win.
Having reappeared on the WTA tour after a lengthy layoff due to giving birth, Svitolina’s form and rise is a true inspiration to current and future players who wish to follow the same path and share the same success.
A success rate of 80 percent first serves won and avoiding the need to concede any breaks of serve told the story in a scintillating performance.
Yulia Putintseva was the talk of the town after her impressive come-from-behind win against word No.1 Iga Swiatek, but she couldn’t keep her emotions in check as the Kazakh came crashing back down to earth against former Grand Slam champion Jelena Ostapenko.
Adopting a game style of fine margins, Ostapenko successfully picked off the lines, making use of her power and pinpoint precision on a surface which has not been the best hunting ground in year’s past.
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