Alcaraz ends Tarvet's Wimbledon adventure, Paolini crashes out
A record-breaking number of seeds crashed out at the All England Club in the first round, but Alcaraz and women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka avoided seismic shocks on Centre Court.
Second-seeded Alcaraz needed two hours and 17 minutes to subdue world number 733 Tarvet, who produced flashes of his emerging talent to delight the partisan crowd.
"First of all I have to give big praise to Oliver. In his second match on the tour, I just loved his game to be honest," Alcaraz said.
"I knew I had to play my best tennis. I was really happy with my performance but big praise to him as well."
Alcaraz has won his past 20 matches since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April, a blistering streak that has brought him titles at the Rome Masters, the French Open and Queen's Club.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who fought back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner on clay in an epic final at Roland Garros last month, has won 31 of his 34 Tour-level matches on grass.
His last defeat at Wimbledon came against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022.
Having vanquished Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, the world number two hopes to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after seven-time champion Djokovic, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.
In stark contrast to Alcaraz's fame and fortune, the unheralded Tarvet is just starting his tennis career and cannot even collect all of his Wimbledon prize money.
As a student of the University of San Diego, the 21-year-old has to maintain amateur status and will have to give up most of his earnings.
While Alcaraz is a five-time Grand Slam champion, Tarvet was playing just his second major main draw match after coming through three qualifiers and beating Leandro Riedi in the opening round.
"It was just really special. It's not every day that you get to play against maybe the best player in the world. I did a pretty good job of enjoying the moment and trying to play some good tennis, Tarvet said.
In the first two days, nine of the top 10 seeded players across the men's and women's singles draws were eliminated, a Grand Slam record in the Open era.
Second seed Coco Gauff, third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen all lost in the first round.
And Italian fourth seed Paolini was next to stumble in the second round.
Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in the 2024 Wimbledon title match, slumped to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against Russian world number 62 Kamilla Rakhimova.
Sabalenka bucked the trend, out-duelling 48th-ranked Marie Bouzkova 7-6 , 6-4 in a heavy-hitting contest.
The Belarusian, who suffered painful defeats in the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, lashed an impressive 41 winners in a match lasting one hour and 35 minutes.
"Honestly it's very sad to see so many top players losing but you better focus on yourself," said the three-time Grand Slam winner.
"I hope it's no upsets anymore in this tournament, if you know what I mean!"
Sabalenka's next opponent is Britain's Emma Raducanu, the former US Open champion beating 2023 Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3.
Sixth seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys also advanced, making short work of Serbia's Olga Danilovic in a 6-4, 6-2 win.
On the men's side, 13 seeded players lost in the first round, breaking the previous tournament record of 11 and tying the 2004 Australian Open for the most at a Grand Slam.
American 12th seed Frances Tiafoe was the latest leading man to endure a surprise defeat, losing to British world number 61 Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the second round.
smg/jc
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Djokovic achieves another milestone with his 100th Wimbledon victory to join Navratilova and Federer
LONDON — Novak Djokovic became only the third player in Wimbledon history to reach 100 victories — after Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer — with his 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 win in the third round over Miomir Kecmanovic on Saturday. HT Image Djokovic, who has won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the All England Club, took control by winning nine consecutive games from 3-3 in the first set on Centre Court against his Serbian compatriot en route to his latest milestone. 'Any history that I make in my favorite tournament, I'm blessed,' Djokovic said in an on-court interview. The 38-year-old Djokovic, playing in his 20th Wimbledon tournament, will next face No. 11 Alex de Minaur for a spot in the quarterfinals. Djokovic, who could potentially meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, has lost the past two Wimbledon finals to Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic made just eight unforced errors through two sets and led 5-1 in the final set before Kecmanovic made him work for the victory. 'I have enjoyed myself very much except maybe the last couple of games. Things got a bit complicated," said Djokovic, who finished with 60 winners and 19 unforced errors, along with 16 aces. The highlight of the match came in the eighth game of the first set, with Djokovic looking to break. His diving backhand volley winner at the net on the fourth deuce sailed past Kecmanovic, who slumped his shoulders as he watched the ball land in down the line. On the ground, Djokovic smiled and soaked in the applause for a moment before going on to earn the key break. 'I try not to take anything for granted, particularly this age, still going strong, still trying to compete with the young players and do some slides and some splits on the court, and push myself to the limit,' he said. Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon singles champion, amassed 120 singles victories. Eight-time champion Federer reached 105 singles wins. tennis: /hub/tennis This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Rugby-Ford drives depleted England to surprise win over Argentina
LA PLATA, Argentina, - England winger Tom Roebuck scored two tries and veteran flyhalf George Ford delivered a virtuoso performance in a 35-12 win over Argentina in the first test in La Plata on Saturday. Rugby-Ford drives depleted England to surprise win over Argentina Freddie Steward and substitute Cadan Murley also touched down as 32-year-old Ford, celebrating his 100th cap, kicked two penalties, a drop goal and three conversions. With 14 internationals away on British & Irish Lions duty in Australia, a depleted England side started as underdogs against the Pumas, who beat the Lions in Dublin two weeks ago. A gutsy defensive display, however, was complimented by Ford's astute leadership in a performance that will add to the debate over whether he, rather than Owen Farrell, should been called up as a Lions' injury replacement. England showed resolute defence in the first half, three times holding up the ball to deny Argentina tries as the hosts crossed the visitors' goal line but could not dot down. Yellow cards for lock Alex Coles and debutant Seb Atkinson within six minutes left England down to 13 men but despite this disadvantage, they took the lead from their first foray into Argentina territory when Ford sent over a 20th-minute drop kick for the only points of the first half. After the break, England went on the attack and scored three tries in the first 10 minutes of the second half to build a commanding 22-0 lead, to a cacophony of jeers for the home side from their supporters. Roebuck, in only his second international, went over in the corner one minute into the second half, followed four minutes later by a try for Steward on his return to the England line-up as Ford's pass allowed him to burst through a gap in the home defence. Roebuck strolled in for his second try after Ford again pulled the strings in a simple move down the line. The jeers turned to cheers of hope as Argentina attempted a fightback with a 53rd-minute try for veteran flanker Pablo Matera, marking a record-equalling 110th appearance for the Pumas, and a forward inspired break finished off by lock Pedro Rubiolo. That reduced the deficit to 10 points but Argentine mistakes handed England penalties at key moments and Ford slotted over two penalties to keep the tourists' comfortably ahead before Murley's late try made sure of victory. The second test is next Saturday in San Juan. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Tennis-Djokovic hits century to lead veterans into last 16, Krejcikova crashes
* HT Image Djokovic completes 100th match win at Wimbledon * Fellow veteran Dimitrov hits ton across the majors * Krejcikova reduced to tears as title defence ends * Top seed Sinner sets record in another brutal show * Cilic joined by Shelton and De Minaur in last 16 By Shrivathsa Sridhar LONDON, - Seven-times champion Novak Djokovic scored his 100th match win at Wimbledon and led the march of the old guard into the last 16 on Saturday while an ailing Barbora Krejcikova's title defence ended in defeat and tears. World number one Jannik Sinner was at his ruthless best yet again as the Italian gathered momentum in his quest for a maiden All England Club title while American Ben Shelton and Australian Alex de Minaur announced themselves as dark horses. Djokovic is on an altogether different plane as he looks to capture his eighth title to match Roger Federer's record on the pristine lawns of London and his 25th major overall to surpass Margaret Court on the all-time list of champions. The 38-year-old showed exactly why Wimbledon could be his best chance of achieving the elusive targets when the 2023 and 2024 runner-up dismantled Davis Cup teammate Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-0 6-4 in a little under two hours. A ton of victories put him among elite company as the sixth seed became only the third player to achieve that feat at the tournament after nine-times champion Martina Navratilova and Swiss great Federer. "Wimbledon is a favourite and a dream tournament for not just myself, but probably the majority of players. Growing up, most of the kids dream of playing here and winning here," Djokovic said. "I've been blessed to do it multiple times. Any history that I make in my favourite tournament, I'm blessed." Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgarian 34-year-old, also scored his 100th match win across the four Grand Slams when he quelled the challenge of Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 7-6. Joining him was fellow veteran Marin Cilic, the Croatian 36-year-old getting past spirited Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-4 to book a meeting with Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli who took apart big-serving Czech teenager Jakub Mensik 6-2 6-4 6-2. While Cobolli may not be relishing a meeting with the tricky Cilic, his compatriot Sinner will welcome the chance to test his metronomic hitting against Dimitrov's elegant approach in what promises to be a classic. SUBLIME SINNER A sublime Sinner booked that clash with a 6-1 6-3 6-1 hammering of Pedro Martinez. The top seed, who has lost just 17 games in his first three matches, equalled the professional era record for fewest games dropped to make the Wimbledon fourth round along the way. "About the games lost, this is whatever," Sinner said, his grounded nature coming into sharp focus. "I'm not looking on these kind of records. I know everything can change very quickly from one round to the other." After the unexpected high of last year's title triumph, Krejcikova came crashing down when she was beaten 2-6 6-3 6-4 by American 10th seed Emma Navarro in a disjointed Court One contest. The distressed 29-year-old Czech, who has endured her share of injuries this season, was in tears as she prepared to serve to stay in the tournament at 3-5 in the deciding set before eventually crashing out. "It was tough, neither of us played our best tennis, she was dealing with some injuries and I was dealing with whatever I was dealing with," Navarro said, adding that it was difficult to focus when her opponent was struggling. "It's not easy to be composed. Part of you is saying just put a bunch of balls in the court and that's all you need to do. But then you trick yourself into not playing the way that you want to play." Krejcikova's exit and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina's 7-6 6-3 defeat by Danish powerhouse Clara Tauson means a first-time women's champion will be crowned at the Grand Slam for the eighth consecutive year. Iga Swiatek will hope she can be the one after the five-times major champion secured a 6-2 6-3 victory over American Danielle Collins, whose compatriot Hailey Baptiste crashed to 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva 6-1 6-3. Shelton gave Americans something to smile about when the powerful left-hander made quick work of Hungarian lucky loser Marton Fucsovics 6-3 7-6 6-2 while De Minaur swatted aside Dane August Holmgren 6-4 7-6 6-3 to go through. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
