Alcaraz seeks top gear at Wimbledon as Sabalenka stays calm
Russia's Karen Khachanov was the first winner of the day, brushing aside Polish player Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 on Court Two to reach the quarter-finals.
He will face US fifth seed Taylor Fritz, who was only on court for 41 minutes before Australia's Jordan Thompson retired injured, trailing 6-1, 3-0.
Defending men's champion Alcaraz, 22, due on Centre Court later, has not hit top gear at this year's championships, dropping three sets in his three matches so far.
In contrast, his two main rivals -- top seed Jannik Sinner and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic -- have glided through the draw to reach the fourth round, looking ominously good.
But Rublev, who has never been beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam, knows he will have to be at the top of his game to stand a chance against the world number two, who has won 32 of his 35 grass-court matches.
"You cannot show any weaknesses," said Rublev on the challenge of facing Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in last month's French Open final.
Rublev, the 14th seed, has already enjoyed a much happier time at Wimbledon than 12 months ago when he repeatedly smashed his racquet over his own leg during a shock first-round exit.
He has credited the influence of two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin, himself a notorious hothead in his prime, for bringing some calm to his game.
"There are two options," he said. "Try to go deeper. Or, if I lose, to lose it in a mature, adult way.
"That would be success as well, to lose it in the right way."
- Sabalenka power -
Sabalenka, 27, is the only woman left standing out of the top six seeds, and is keen to make up for lost time at the All England Club as she prepares for a match against Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens.
The three-time Grand Slam champion missed last year's Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and was excluded in 2022 as part of a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Sabalenka overcame a stern test of her tennis and temperament to end British favourite Emma Raducanu's run in the third round in arguably the match of the tournament so far.
After losing control of her emotions in defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, the Belarusian, who has never been beyond the semi-finals at Wimbledon, said she feels like a "different person".
"Whatever happens on the court, you just have to be respectful, you have to be calm, and you just have to keep trying and keep fighting," she said.
"I was just reminding myself that I'm strong enough, and I can handle this pressure."
The odds are stacked against Mertens as she prepares to battle the power game of the world number one. Sabalenka has defeated no player on the tour more often -- a total of 10 times in 12 meetings.
Britain's Sonay Kartal went down 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, leaving Cameron Norrie as the only British player left in the tournament.
Pavlyuchenkova, 34, a former French Open runner-up, broke her opponent five times in the match and struck 36 winners against 47 unforced errors to reach the last eight at SW19 for the second time.
America's Fritz faced gruelling five-set battles in his opening two matches at the All England Club but it was a different story in his fourth-round encounter on Court One.
The Eastbourne champion broke Thompson twice to seal the first set in just 21 minutes and led 3-0 in the second set when the Australian decided he could not go on, due to an apparent thigh injury.
Former semi-finalist Norrie is in action against Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
3 hours ago
- The Australian
Alcaraz, Sabalenka headline Wimbledon quarter-finals, Aussies in doubles action
Rinky Hijikata has booked his place in the Wimbledon semi finals. Hijikata and Dutchman David Pel defeated Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo 7-6 6-4 to progress to the final four in the first games of the day on the No.2 court. The 24-year-old is the first of two Australians in doubles quarter finals, with Olivia Gadecki set to compete in the women's doubles. Rinky Hijikata is in quarter-finals action at Wimbledon. Picture: Marleen Fouchier/Olivia Gadecki and Desirae Krawczyk embrace after one of their wins on the way to the Wimbledon quarter finals. Picture: Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and women's number one Aryna Sabalenka headline the first day of quarter-finals at the All England Club on Tuesday. The the son of an Australian tennis great will also be looking to follow up his debut Wimbledon win. Hijikata and Pel took care of Brazilian pair Matos and Melo in straight sets, with Gadecki and her American partner Desirae Krawczyk taking on the 16th seeds Caroline Dolehide and former Australian Open singles champion Sofia Kenin immediately afterwards on the same court. Lleyton Hewitt's son, Cruz, plays his second round junior's singles match, trying to replicate what his dad did at the All England Club in 2002, with a Wimbledon win. Cruz Hewitt in action during his first round junior singles match. Picture:Carlos Alcaraz v Cameron Norrie Carlos Alcaraz has not had it all his own way at Wimbledon but he has stepped up a gear when it matters most. The two-time defending champion has dropped four sets during his run to the last eight, giving his fans palpitations before raising his level each time. The Spaniard produced his best tennis of the tournament so far against Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev in the last 16, rallying from a set down to set up a quarter-final against Britain's Cameron Norrie. Carlos Alcaraz during his fourth round win over Andrey Rublev. Picture: Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images Alcaraz is aiming to join an elite group of men who have won the tournament in three straight years in the Open era — Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The charismatic Spaniard has taken on Federer's mantle as the darling of Centre Court. But he will have competition on Tuesday, when large sections of the crowd will be behind Britain's Norrie, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022. 'He's going to use the crowd to his side,' said Alcaraz, who has beaten Norrie four times in six meetings. 'I have to be really strong mentally and focused to play good tennis if I want to beat him.' Aryna Sabalenka v Laura Siegemund Aryna Sabalenka looks unstoppable as she chases a fourth Grand Slam title but a first Wimbledon crown. Aryna Sabalenka is hoping to her Wimbledon drought. Picture: Zhao Dingzhe/Xinhua via Getty Images The Belarusian top seed, who has never been past the semi-finals at the tournament, has yet to drop a set as she prepares to take on Germany's Laura Siegemund, ranked a lowly 104th in the world. Sabalenka, who lost in the finals of the Australian Open and French Open, is the only remaining woman left out of the top six seeds. She said she relished the support of the crowd during her last-16 win against Belgium's Elise Mertens, during which she won her 14th consecutive tie-break. 'We all dream the same, holding the trophy, that winning moment,' said Sabalenka. 'It's always been my dream. I mean, I haven't achieved it yet. I had a lot of disappointments here.' Siegemund, 37, who has lost both of her previous matches against her opponent, is under no illusions about the task facing her in her second Grand Slam quarter-final. 'She's one of the greatest players that we have and one of the most aggressive also. The only good thing about that match is that I have absolutely nothing to lose,' she said. Siegemund is the fairytale story at Wimbledon this year. Picture:Taylor Fritz v Karen Khachanov Taylor Fritz came to Wimbledon with form on grass after winning titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne but he had a gruelling start to his campaign at the All England Club. The US fifth seed was taken to five sets in his opening two matches but he barely worked up a sweat in his last-16 match against Jordan Thompson, with the Australian forced to retire halfway through the second set. Taylor Fritz consoles Jordan Thompson after the Aussie retired from their fourth round match with injury. Picture:His quarter-final opponent Karen Khachanov, ranked 20th, has won both of their previous two meetings, though they have not met since 2020. 'We practise all the time, so we're pretty familiar with each other's games,' said Fritz. 'But I think I have improved a ton and have become a much, much better player since the last time we played.' Amanda Anisimova v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had to overcome the distraction of a potentially costly glitch in the electronic line-calling system in her fourth-round match against Sonay Kartal, which became a major talking point at the championships. The Russian, 34, is playing in her 65th Grand Slam — only Victoria Azarenka, in this year's women's draw, has more appearances (68). She has a tough task against 13th seed and Queen's finalist Amanda Anisimova, with the American beating her on all three occasions they have met. Read related topics: Wimbledon
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Women's tennis world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka praises Ash Barty as one the smartest oppositions she's faced ahead of Wimbledon quarter final
Tennis world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has heaped praise on old rival Ash Barty as her road to the Wimbledon final continues. The Belarusian cruised past home favourite Emma Raducanu in London in the third round of the tournament on Saturday, before knocking out her former doubles partner and 24th seeded Elise Mertens in the round of 16 with a convincing 6-4 7-6 performance. The Belarusian moves on to the quarter final where she will look to end the hot run of 104th ranked Laura Siegemund. The 37-year-old German has stunned tennis crowds, making history by reaching just the second Grand Slam singles quarter final of her career, one of the oldest competitors to achieve the feat. Siegemund stunningly has also not dropped a set along the way, including in a resounding knockout of against American ace Madison Keys in the third round. But it seems Sabalenka may have a particular edge after she revealed she has taken a lot of insight from some of the games best and applied it to her own, citing Aussie Barty as one of the sport's most knowledgeable competitors in the process. 'Someone I played against, I think actually Barty was always very smart and she definitely understands the game quite well. I think she was the smartest one,' Sabalenka said. The 27-year-old also detailed overcoming mental challenges, a successful venture learnt from Novak Djokovic. 'Not like someone I played against but definitely talking a lot to Novak, he definitely has a lot of knowledge of the game and it's really helped me a lot several times. Basically whenever I talked to him it really helped me. 'One of the conversations went to managing energy, another one about the mental part of the game, then we had another conversation about mentally approaching those big finals. 'So I think mostly we're talking about the mental part of the game, but also one time he really helped me with my returns. 'Now he's always making fun of me copying his return, but I'm like man it's working, I'm copying the best. I probably have to talk to him more about tennis stuff.' Djokovic also heads into the quarter final of the mens singles after coming back to defeat Aussie Alex de Minaur in four sets after what was a frustrating start. Sabalenka will be taking all her experiences into the final stages of the tournament as she looks to make amends in London with hopes of obtaining her first Wimbledon trophy to add to her grand slam haul. The Belarusian came agonisingly close to winning her maiden French Open title back in June after a three set thriller against American Coco Gauff so her fall just short, but will look to go one step further this time round.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Alcaraz, Sabalenka headline in quarter-finals action at Wimbledon, Aussies in doubles action
Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and women's number one Aryna Sabalenka headline the first day of quarter-finals at the All England Club on Tuesday. Prior to that though, Aussies Rinky Hijikata and Olivia Gadecki will join their doubles partners for a spot in the semi-finals of the Wimbledon gentleman's and ladies' doubles. And the son of an Australian tennis great will be looking to follow up his debut Wimbledon win. Hijikata and Dutchman David Pel will take on Brazilian pair Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo, while Gadecki and her American partner Desirae Krawczyk have a task ahead of them against the 16th seeds Caroline Dolehide and former Australian Open singles champion Sofia Kenin. Lleyton Hewitt's son, Cruz, plays his second round junior's singles match, trying to replicate what his dad did at the All England Club in 2002, with a Wimbledon win. Carlos Alcaraz v Cameron Norrie Carlos Alcaraz has not had it all his own way at Wimbledon but he has stepped up a gear when it matters most. The two-time defending champion has dropped four sets during his run to the last eight, giving his fans palpitations before raising his level each time. The Spaniard produced his best tennis of the tournament so far against Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev in the last 16, rallying from a set down to set up a quarter-final against Britain's Cameron Norrie. Alcaraz is aiming to join an elite group of men who have won the tournament in three straight years in the Open era — Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The charismatic Spaniard has taken on Federer's mantle as the darling of Centre Court. But he will have competition on Tuesday, when large sections of the crowd will be behind Britain's Norrie, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022. 'He's going to use the crowd to his side,' said Alcaraz, who has beaten Norrie four times in six meetings. 'I have to be really strong mentally and focused to play good tennis if I want to beat him.' Aryna Sabalenka v Laura Siegemund Aryna Sabalenka looks unstoppable as she chases a fourth Grand Slam title but a first Wimbledon crown. The Belarusian top seed, who has never been past the semi-finals at the tournament, has yet to drop a set as she prepares to take on Germany's Laura Siegemund, ranked a lowly 104th in the world. Sabalenka, who lost in the finals of the Australian Open and French Open, is the only remaining woman left out of the top six seeds. She said she relished the support of the crowd during her last-16 win against Belgium's Elise Mertens, during which she won her 14th consecutive tie-break. 'We all dream the same, holding the trophy, that winning moment,' said Sabalenka. 'It's always been my dream. I mean, I haven't achieved it yet. I had a lot of disappointments here.' Siegemund, 37, who has lost both of her previous matches against her opponent, is under no illusions about the task facing her in her second Grand Slam quarter-final. 'She's one of the greatest players that we have and one of the most aggressive also. The only good thing about that match is that I have absolutely nothing to lose,' she said. Taylor Fritz v Karen Khachanov Taylor Fritz came to Wimbledon with form on grass after winning titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne but he had a gruelling start to his campaign at the All England Club. The US fifth seed was taken to five sets in his opening two matches but he barely worked up a sweat in his last-16 match against Jordan Thompson, with the Australian forced to retire halfway through the second set. His quarter-final opponent Karen Khachanov, ranked 20th, has won both of their previous two meetings, though they have not met since 2020. 'We practise all the time, so we're pretty familiar with each other's games,' said Fritz. 'But I think I have improved a ton and have become a much, much better player since the last time we played.' Amanda Anisimova v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had to overcome the distraction of a potentially costly glitch in the electronic line-calling system in her fourth-round match against Sonay Kartal, which became a major talking point at the championships. The Russian, 34, is playing in her 65th Grand Slam — only Victoria Azarenka, in this year's women's draw, has more appearances (68). She has a tough task against 13th seed and Queen's finalist Amanda Anisimova, with the American beating her on all three occasions they have met.
