Novak Djokovic wary despite Wimbledon form, Jannik Sinner faces Grigor Dimitrov
Novak Djokovic plays a forehand return to Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic during their third round match at Wimbledon.
LONDON - Novak Djokovic and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner face their stiffest tests of the tournament on July 7 as they aim to take another step towards a blockbuster semi-final face-off at Wimbledon.
Djokovic, who has a record 25th Gland Slam singles title in his sights, meets Australia's Alex de Minaur while Sinner faces the talented Grigor Dimitrov.
Five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek is the main attraction in a wide-open side of the women's draw as she takes on Clara Tauson.
'Complete' De Minaur concerns Djokovic
Djokovic was in supreme form as he demolished compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 to the delight of his seven-year-old daughter Tara, who enjoyed a post-match celebratory dance with her dad.
But the seven-time champion is wary of the threat that lies ahead of him in the second week, even before potential meetings with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in each of the past two finals.
De Minaur was forced to pull out of a quarter-final meeting at Wimbledon with the Serb last year due to injury but gets another shot at glory against one of the sport's all-time greats.
A two-time winner of grass court titles, the world No. 11 has dropped just one set on his way to the last 16.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032
Singapore New SkillsFuture requirements by April 2026 to mandate regular training for adult educators
Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng
Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House
Asia Australian Erin Patterson found guilty of all counts in mushroom murders case
Singapore askST Jobs: Facing intrusive demands from your employer? Here's what you can do
Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest
Singapore Life After... blazing biomedical research trail in S'pore: Renowned scientist breaks new ground at 59
'He's playing the tennis of his life. He's definitely knocking on the door of the final stages of Grand Slams,' said Djokovic.
'You're not super excited to play Alex de Minaur on grass, that's for sure, because he's so quick and he's a complete player.'
Dimitrov not stressed by dominant Sinner
Jannik Sinner does not have the Wimbledon track record of Djokovic or Alcaraz, but the Italian has been the most dominant player in the men's draw in the opening week.
The US Open and Australian Open champion has matched the men's Open Era record at Wimbledon for fewest games lost – 17 – in reaching the fourth round, set by Jan Kodes back in 1972.
Sinner is also yet to lose his serve this year at the All England Club, not that his next opponent appears daunted by that prospect.
Jannik Sinner plays a forehand return to Pedro Martinez during their third round match at Wimbledon.
PHOTO: AFP
'We're in the second week of Wimbledon. Let's have fun,' said 34-year-old Dimitrov, who knows his days on the show courts at Grand Slams are numbered.
The Bulgarian appeared destined to be a future Wimbledon champion when he made the semi-finals in 2014, but has never progressed beyond the fourth round since.
'Smooth' Swiatek finds feet on grass
A rare defeat at the French Open has helped Swiatek finally feel at home on the grass as the former world No. 1 eyes just a second Wimbledon quarter-final on July 7.
Aryna Sabalenka beat Swiatek in the semi-finals at Roland Garros after the Polish player won four titles there in five years, but a slightly earlier exit gave her more time to adjust to the grass.
Swiatek reached her first grass-court final in Bad Homburg last week, after which she said there is 'some hope' for her on the surface.
'This year on grass I had some moments where I just felt comfortable and I didn't have to think much. It was just pretty smooth.'
A flurry of early exits for all of the top six seeds other than Sabalenka also means Swiatek could make the final without having to play another top-10 player. AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
36 minutes ago
- Straits Times
VAR needs to make quicker decisions, says Germany coach Wueck
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BASEL, Switzerland - Two lengthy video reviews halted the momentum of Germany's 2-1 victory over Denmark on Tuesday at Euro 2025 and had German fans at St Jakob-Park whistling and jeering the officials over the delays. There were long stoppages for both first-half VAR decisions against Germany, with seven minutes of time added on before the halftime break. Germany had celebrated what they thought was the opening goal by Klara Buehl and players from both teams were lined up to restart the game when the goal was disallowed after VAR determined it was offside after three minutes of deliberation. The Germans were also awarded a first-half penalty by the referee due to a Denmark handball but the decision was overturned after another lengthy VAR review. Germany were awarded another penalty in the 56th minute for a tackle in the box, but it took almost two-and-a-half minutes for the referee to point to the spot. Sjoeke Nuesken slotted her spot-kick into the bottom corner for Germany's first goal of the game. "I don't know if the decisions were right or wrong, but the system, football has to think about how they can speed that up," Germany coach Christian Wueck said. "The goal wasn't allowed, and then the penalty wasn't given. We have to take steps to make those decisions faster." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore Keep citizens at the centre of public service, Chan Chun Sing tells civil servants Singapore Man arrested for allegedly throwing bottle at SMRT bus, injuring passenger Asia As Trump plays tariffs hard ball, Asean has little choice but to play on Asia PM Anwar called out by his own lawmakers as Malaysia's judicial crisis heats up Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Sport Speeding likely cause of Diogo Jota car crash: Police Business Great Eastern could resume trading after delisting vote fails to pass; OCBC's exit offer lapses During Sweden's win over Denmark in the tournament, there was a review lasting over four minutes to decide whether Denmark should be awarded a penalty. Following the review, Sweden were awarded a free kick. VAR was first introduced into women's football at Euro 2022. The group stage at the current tournament has VAR and an assistant, and an extra assistant will be added from the quarter-final stage. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Four crew dead, at least two wounded in latest Red Sea attack on Greek ship
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON/ATHENS - Four seafarers on the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C were killed in a drone and speedboat attack off Yemen, an official with knowledge of the issue said on Tuesday, the second incident in a day after months of calm. The Red Sea, which passes Yemen's coast, has long been a critical waterway for the world's oil and commodities but traffic has dropped since the Iran-aligned Houthi militia began targeting ships in November 2023 in what they said was solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war. The deaths on the Eternity C, the first involving shipping in the Red Sea since June 2024, bring the total number of seafarers killed in attacks on vessels plying the Red Sea to eight. The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, was not immediately available to comment on the reported fatalities. A source with knowledge of the matter said that one more injured crew member had died on board following the attack. An official with Aspides, the European Union's mission assigned to help protect Red Sea shipping, also said that at least two other crew members were injured. Liberia's shipping delegation had told a United Nations meeting earlier that two crew members had been killed. Eternity C, with 22 crew members - 21 Filipinos and one Russian - on board, was attacked with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from manned speed boats, maritime security sources told Reuters. The ship was now adrift and listing, the sources said. According to sources, Greece was in diplomatic talks with Saudi Arabia over the incident. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore Keep citizens at the centre of public service, Chan Chun Sing tells civil servants Singapore Man arrested for allegedly throwing bottle at SMRT bus, injuring passenger Asia As Trump plays tariffs hard ball, Asean has little choice but to play on Asia PM Anwar called out by his own lawmakers as Malaysia's judicial crisis heats up Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Sport Speeding likely cause of Diogo Jota car crash: Police Business Great Eastern could resume trading after delisting vote fails to pass; OCBC's exit offer lapses Hours before the latest attack, the Houthis had claimed responsibility for a strike on another Liberia-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier, the MV Magic Seas, off southwest Yemen on Sunday, saying the vessel sank. The vessel's manager said the information about the sinking could not be verified. All crew on the Magic Seas were rescued by a passing merchant vessel and arrived safely in Djibouti on Monday, Djibouti authorities said. The Houthis have not commented on the Eternity C. "Just as Liberia was processing the shock and grief of the attack against Magic Seas, we received a report that Eternity C again has been attacked, attacked horribly and causing the death of two seafarers," Liberia's delegation told a session of the International Maritime Organization. Since November 2023, the Houthis have disrupted commerce by launching hundreds of drones and missiles at vessels in the Red Sea, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel. While the Houthis reached a ceasefire with the United States in May, the militia has reiterated that they will keep attacking ships it says are connected with Israel. "After several months of calm, the resumption of deplorable attacks in the Red Sea constitutes a renewed violation of international law and freedom of navigation," IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said on Tuesday. "Innocent seafarers and local populations are the main victims of these attacks and the pollution they cause." 'ELEVATED RISKS' Both the Eternity C and Magic Seas were part of commercial fleets whose sister vessels have made calls to Israeli ports over the past year. "The pause in Houthi activity did not necessarily indicate a change in underlying intent. As long as the conflict in Gaza persists, vessels with affiliations, both perceived and actual, will continue to face elevated risks," said Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with the Britain-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech. Filipino seafarers - who form one of the world's largest pools of merchant mariners - have been urged to exercise their right to refuse to sail in "high-risk, war-like" areas, including the Red Sea after the latest strikes, the Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers said on Tuesday. Shipping traffic through the region has declined by around 50% from normal levels since the first Houthi attacks in 2023, according to Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer with shipping association BIMCO. "This reduction in traffic has persisted due to the ongoing unpredictability of the security situation. As such, BIMCO does not anticipate the recent attacks will significantly alter current shipping patterns," Larsen said. Monday's attack on Eternity C, 50 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, was the second on merchant vessels in the region since November 2024, according to an official at Aspides. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over persecution of women
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: An Afghan woman walks among Taliban soldiers at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo THE HAGUE - The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls. The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, chief justice of the Taliban, had committed the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds against girls, women and other persons non-conforming with the Taliban's policy on gender, gender identity or expression. Since the Islamist Taliban returned to power in 2021 it has clamped down on women's rights, including limits to schooling, work and general independence in daily life. The Taliban condemned the warrants as an example of hostility towards Islam. "We neither recognise anything by the name of an international court nor do we consider ourselves bound by it," the Taliban government's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, added in a statement. It is the first time judges of the ICC have issued a warrant on charges of gender persecution. "While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the court said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore Keep citizens at the centre of public service, Chan Chun Sing tells civil servants Singapore Man arrested for allegedly throwing bottle at SMRT bus, injuring passenger Asia As Trump plays tariffs hard ball, Asean has little choice but to play on Asia PM Anwar called out by his own lawmakers as Malaysia's judicial crisis heats up Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Sport Speeding likely cause of Diogo Jota car crash: Police Business Great Eastern could resume trading after delisting vote fails to pass; OCBC's exit offer lapses The full warrants and details on the specific incidents they are based on remain under seal to protect witnesses and victims, the court said. NGOs hailed the warrants and called on the international community to back the ICC's work. "The international community should fully back the ICC in its critical work in Afghanistan and globally, including through concerted efforts to enforce the court's warrants," Human Rights Watch International Justice director Liz Evenson, said in a statement. The ICC has been under increased criticism from non-member states such as the United States, Israel and Russia. Last year the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 on suspicion of deporting children from Ukraine. Neither Russia nor Israel is a member of the court and both deny the accusations and reject ICC jurisdiction. Last month the United States imposed sanctions on four ICC judges including two who were involved in a ruling that allowed prosecutors to open a formal investigation into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, including alleged crimes committed by American troops. The ICC said it was an attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution that provides hope and justice to millions of victims. REUTERS
