Tennis-Sinner thrashes Vukic to roar into Wimbledon third round
LONDON (Reuters) -World number one Jannik Sinner demolished Australia's Aleksandar Vukic 6-1 6-1 6-3 in a Centre Court masterclass to move ominously into the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday.
The Italian was streets ahead of the 93rd-ranked Vukic who barely laid a glove on the top seed in the opening two sets before saving face with some third-set resistance.
Sinner, bidding to win the title for the first time, never loosened his grip on a one-sided contest although he did need six match points to finish off Vukic in a prolonged final game.
There was never any chance of a repeat of last month's French Open final when he squandered three match points in a spellbinding clash with Carlos Alcaraz though, and he duly slammed down his 12th ace as the light began to fade.
"I struggled a bit to close it out. I'm very happy, Centre Court is such a special occasion," Sinner said.
"Yes, I enjoyed (the last game) because I won the game! If not, I don't know. The match can change very, very quickly. If he breaks me there it can go long distance."
Apart from a defeat by Alexander Bublik in Halle in the build-up to Wimbledon, Sinner has shown few ill-effects from the heartache of losing to Alcaraz in Paris.
He parted ways with his trainer and physiotherapist, Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio, days before Wimbledon, but even that strange timing does not seem to have ruffled his feathers.
With so many seeds having fallen by the wayside already, his path through to the latter stages looks clear.
The 23-year-old has yet to drop serve, has conceded only 12 games in the six sets he has played so far and will now train his sights on unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez as he continues his quest to become Italy's first Wimbledon champion.
Not that he is getting ahead of himself.
"Every opponent is very difficult. Third-round matches in Grand Slams are always special," he said.
"We saw so many upsets this tournament so we try to stay focused and raise our level. Today I thought the level was good. I can improve a few things but I am looking forward to it."
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
41 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Djokovic eyes record 25th Grand Slam after demolishing Evans to notch 99th Wimbledon victory
LONDON, July 4 — Novak Djokovic stepped up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title as he moved into the Wimbledon third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 rout of British wildcard Dan Evans yesterday. Djokovic needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch Evans with a ruthless display in the second round on Centre Court. The sixth seed struggled with stomach issues in his four-set win against Alexandre Muller, praising the 'miracle pills' he took during the first round for his strong recovery. There were no lingering effects for the seven-time Wimbledon champion as he overwhelmed Evans with 46 winners. 'It means I've been playing quite a long time!' Djokovic said when told he had just secured his 99th Wimbledon match victory. 'I still enjoy it. This court has given me so much. Wimbledon has a special place in my heart. Any history made here is obviously extra special.' Djokovic is dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in tennis history. The 38-year-old has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles since winning his most recent major prize at the 2023 US Open. And despite losing the last two Wimbledon finals against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic believes the lawns of south-west London provide his best chance to win that elusive 25th major. 'I'm aware of the history on the line. I'm thinking about the big things I can do in this tournament,' he said. 'I don't reflect on it for now. I think that will come when I sip a margarita on the beach with (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal!' After losing to top seed Jannik Sinner in the recent French Open semi-finals, Djokovic is in the unusual position of no longer being regarded as the Wimbledon title favourite, having failed to make the championship match in his previous three Grand Slam appearances. Djokovic, who won his 100th tour-level title in May in Geneva, has been dogged by questions about when he will retire since fulfilling his long-held desire for Olympic singles gold in Paris last year. But he would draw level on a record eight men's Wimbledon singles titles with Federer if he wins the grass-court event for the first time since 2022, and on this evidence he is in the mood to make history at his favourite tournament. Evans, 35, had won his only previous meeting with Djokovic on clay in Monte Carlo four years ago and the Serb claimed he was the kind of tricky opponent he would have preferred to avoid. But Djokovic had never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as world number 154 Evans and he wasn't about to make unwanted history. 'I knew it would be a special atmosphere on Centre Court. A Brit in Britain is always hard to face,' Djokovic said. 'Technically and tactically I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I executed perfectly. Sometimes you have these kind of days when everything goes your way.' — AFP
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Novak Djokovic eyes record 25th Grand Slam after demolishing Evans to notch 99th Wimbledon victory
LONDON, July 4 — Novak Djokovic stepped up his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title as he moved into the Wimbledon third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 rout of British wildcard Dan Evans yesterday. Djokovic needed just one hour and 47 minutes to dispatch Evans with a ruthless display in the second round on Centre Court. The sixth seed struggled with stomach issues in his four-set win against Alexandre Muller, praising the 'miracle pills' he took during the first round for his strong recovery. There were no lingering effects for the seven-time Wimbledon champion as he overwhelmed Evans with 46 winners. 'It means I've been playing quite a long time!' Djokovic said when told he had just secured his 99th Wimbledon match victory. 'I still enjoy it. This court has given me so much. Wimbledon has a special place in my heart. Any history made here is obviously extra special.' Djokovic is dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in tennis history. The 38-year-old has been tied with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam titles since winning his most recent major prize at the 2023 US Open. And despite losing the last two Wimbledon finals against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic believes the lawns of south-west London provide his best chance to win that elusive 25th major. 'I'm aware of the history on the line. I'm thinking about the big things I can do in this tournament,' he said. 'I don't reflect on it for now. I think that will come when I sip a margarita on the beach with (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal!' After losing to top seed Jannik Sinner in the recent French Open semi-finals, Djokovic is in the unusual position of no longer being regarded as the Wimbledon title favourite, having failed to make the championship match in his previous three Grand Slam appearances. Djokovic, who won his 100th tour-level title in May in Geneva, has been dogged by questions about when he will retire since fulfilling his long-held desire for Olympic singles gold in Paris last year. But he would draw level on a record eight men's Wimbledon singles titles with Federer if he wins the grass-court event for the first time since 2022, and on this evidence he is in the mood to make history at his favourite tournament. Evans, 35, had won his only previous meeting with Djokovic on clay in Monte Carlo four years ago and the Serb claimed he was the kind of tricky opponent he would have preferred to avoid. But Djokovic had never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as world number 154 Evans and he wasn't about to make unwanted history. 'I knew it would be a special atmosphere on Centre Court. A Brit in Britain is always hard to face,' Djokovic said. 'Technically and tactically I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I executed perfectly. Sometimes you have these kind of days when everything goes your way.' — AFP
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Russell says likelihood of leaving Mercedes "exceptionally low"
SILVERSTONE, England: George Russell said he was almost certain to stay with Mercedes next season amid increasing speculation that his old Formula One foe Max Verstappen could move to the team from Red Bull. The Briton is out of contract at the end of this year while four-times world champion Verstappen is known to have performance clauses that could release him from a contract that runs to 2028. "The likelihood I'm not at Mercedes next year, I think is exceptionally low," Russell told reporters ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone when quizzed again about his situation. Verstappen is third in the standings but a huge 61 points behind McLaren's leader Oscar Piastri. Once-dominant Red Bull are fourth in the constructors' championship. "I wouldn't be surprised if he (Verstappen) comes. And if he comes I'd welcome him as a team mate. But I don't think he will," said Russell, who has had a number of clashes with the Dutch driver this season and last. "I personally think things will continue as they are. But again until the contract is on the table on my side, and also for Kimi (Antonelli), you can never be sure." Russell, who won in Canada last month, said he was not losing any sleep about his performance and was also pretty thick-skinned when it came to rumours. "I'm not scared of Max. He's obviously an amazing driver in the same way (previous teammate) Lewis (Hamilton) was an amazing driver." Russell has been managed by Mercedes since he was 16 and pointed out that there was therefore not much negotiation to be done on his contract. Mercedes had admitted to talks with Verstappen but more for the long term. "I want to continue with Mercedes into the future. The fact is (team boss) Toto (Wolff) has never let me down. He's always given me his word but he's also got to do what's right for his team, which includes me," said Russell. "For me, it's nothing to worry about because I don't think I'll be going anywhere." The rumour mill has suggested that 18-year-old Italian rookie Antonelli could be loaned to Renault-owned Alpine, who will have Mercedes engines next year and are run by Italian Flavio Briatore. Others have predicted a pairing of Verstappen and Antonelli as more likely. There has also been speculation that Verstappen might take a sabbatical for a year to see how the new 2026 engines affected the pecking order, but the Dutch driver dismissed that categorically.
