Novak Djokovic wins 100th Wimbledon match to set up clash with Alex de Minaur

Australia Broadcast Center

12 hours ago

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.
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 favourite 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 Australia's Alex de Minaur for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Djokovic, who could potentially meet number one 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 (at) 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.
As well as Jannik Sinner is playing at Wimbledon, he doesn't appear to need much in the way of help. Still, he got some when his opponent, Pedro Martinez, was dealing with a problematic shoulder and often put in first serves at so-so speeds.
The top-ranked Sinner, who has dropped a record-tying total of only 17 games so far, made his way to the fourth round for the seventh consecutive grand slam tournament and never was truly in trouble during a 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Martinez.
"We all saw that he was struggling," Sinner said.
Sinner is the second man in the Open era, which began in 1968, to cede just 17 games through three completed matches at the All England Club. The other player to do that, Jan Kodes, ended up losing in the semifinals in 1972.
For Sinner, there's been zero sign of any sort of inability to move past last month's French Open final, which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets despite taking the first two and holding three championship points.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Sonego won a five-set thriller in over five hours, defeating Brandon Nakashima 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2), 3-6, 7-6 (3).
A ninth woman in the past nine editions of the tournament will leave the All England Club with the trophy.
That's because defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was eliminated by number 10 Emma Navarro of the United States 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina lost to number 23 Clara Tauson by a 7-6 (6), 6-3 score.
Krejcikova had her blood pressure checked during a medical timeout in the last set.
Mirra Andreeva, an 18-year-old Russian, moved into week two with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Hailey Baptiste of the United States, and five-time major title winner Iga Swiatek overwhelmed Danielle Collins 6-2, 6-3.
Another fourth-round match-up was set up when Liudmila Samsonova and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro advanced.
AP