Jannik Sinner thrashes Vukic to roar into Wimbledon third round
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NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka Headline Action In Wimbledon Quarter-finals
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. AFP Sport looks at the match-ups ahead of the last-eight ties. 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.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Grigor Dimitrov's Wimbledon dream ends in tears
Grigor Dimitrov 's Wimbledon journey came to a heartbreaking end as injury forced him to retire during his fourth-round match against Jannik Sinner . The Bulgarian star broke down in tears after sustaining an apparent elbow injury early in the third set, unable to continue despite receiving medical attention. It marked the fifth consecutive Grand Slam in which Dimitrov has been unable to complete a match. The unfortunate streak includes retirements at this year's Australian Open and French Open, as well as last year's Wimbledon and US Open. Top seed Sinner had cruised through Wimbledon without dropping a set until falling behind No. 19 seed Dimitrov 6-3, 7-5. However, with the match level at 2-all in the third set, Dimitrov suddenly stopped playing and was forced to retire due to injury. — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) Dimitrov, who had been in strong form throughout the tournament, was visibly emotional as he left the centre court to a standing ovation. Sinner advanced to the quarterfinals, but the victory came in somber fashion. Live Events On what turned out to be his final point, Dimitrov served and instantly grabbed at his chest, grimacing in discomfort. He took a few steps before lowering himself onto the grass. — janniksin (@janniksin) After being evaluated courtside by a trainer and doctor - with Sinner kneeling nearby in concern - Dimitrov walked off with medical staff. Minutes later, he returned only to inform officials he couldn't continue, bringing the match to a premature close. Ironically, it was Sinner who had appeared vulnerable earlier. In the match's opening game, the top seed slipped behind the baseline and landed awkwardly, using his right hand to break the fall. Trailing 2-3 in the second set, he received a medical timeout and was visibly in pain as a trainer worked on his elbow. His coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi , looked on anxiously from the players' box. — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) What began as a battle between two in-form contenders ended in mutual adversity, with Sinner advancing and Dimitrov leaving in heartbreak.
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
The fading human touch in tennis' electronic line-calling system
Mumbai: This was Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's response when asked how she would have felt if that point, which has since become the talking point of Wimbledon, cost her the match: 'I would just say that I hate Wimbledon and never come back here.' Members of the public watch the a player training on court 16 on the eighth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 7, 2025. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (AFP) Pavlyuchenkova could later chuckle about it because she could be human about it (and, well, because it didn't cost her the match). That human touch has, incidentally, gone missing around the on-court officiating system at Wimbledon. At, ironically, a Grand Slam which prides on tradition. After 147 years of existence, Wimbledon has done away with line judges – those crisply-dressed men and women scattered around the green that sprung to life the theatre around line calls and debatable decisions. They've been replaced by 12 cameras per court for an electronic line-calling system beaming on 144 screens in a room operated by 50-odd humans. That's not quite the problem, for, other than the French Open, all Slams and many ATP and WTA tournaments now have this system in place. That this system was absent for practically one full game for calls on half of the Centre Court also wasn't the pressing problem (unless, of course, you're Pavlyuchenkova who had to replay a game point she had won before losing the point and the game). The biggest problem was that no one on that court, including the chair umpire and the players, could do anything about it. That wasn't the case before, even in this modern era of Hawk-Eye technology that added to the human eye and aided players seeking to challenge the latter. That's where tennis as a whole, and specifically this Wimbledon, has drifted away from the human touch of sport. In football's Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, also much-debated, there's still dialogue between the referee on the pitch and the virtual assistance off it. In cricket's Decision Review System (DRS), the on-field umpire's call still plays a key role in LBW decisions. On the most crucial point of that 4-4 game, in the most obvious 'out' call that the electronic system wasn't up and running to detect, the chair umpire could do little but pause and replay the point. That's in contrast to what umpires and judges have done for years: make calls. World No.5 Taylor Fritz had the most basic question about the incident: 'The chair umpire has to make the call. Why is he there if he's not going to call the ball?' When technology is asleep or misfiring – which, statistically, is a miniscule percentage of the total calls – there has to be a case for the human to take over. Not partially, like it was in this case, but totally. 'That's why we have a chair umpire. Otherwise, I think soon let's just play without them and then we're going to have everything automatic,' Pavlyuchenkova said. 'I think we are losing a little bit of the charm of actually having human beings… it just becomes a little bit weird and robot orientated.' The players themselves don't seem to be big fans of this 'robot oriented' system. The debate, as per Belinda Bencic, is a hot topic in locker rooms. In this Wimbledon alone, multiple players have questioned the accuracy of the electronic system. Britain's Jack Draper reckoned it's not 100% accurate, while Emma Raducanu believed wrong calls were made in her loss to Aryna Sabalenka. 'No, I don't,' Raducanu said when asked if she trusted the system. 'I think the other players would say the same thing. There were some pretty dodgy ones, but what can you do?' The players could do something earlier. After Hawk-Eye's introduction to tennis in 2007, players could challenge calls. Apart from that process also adding to the drama, it effectively blended the best of both worlds while also giving weightage to the other humans on court – the players. With that gone too, even the players are left mechanical in the largely robotic exercise. Fancy another irony in this all? Wimbledon confirmed the electronic system being non-functional was, well, a human error.
