Osaka takes the first set!

New York Times

4 days ago

Follow live coverage from our team at SW19 with third-round action featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and more Getty Images
French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, and women's World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka headline day five at Wimbledon today with American Taylor Fritz (5) currently on Centre Court at the All England Club.
Upsets have been the story of the tournament so far and day four was no different, with contenders such as British hope Jack Draper (5) and U.S. player Tommy Paul (13) dumped out.
As the field narrows, the intensity continues to pick up, setting the stage for another intriguing day of tennis. Follow along for the latest updates, analysis and reaction throughout day five. Watch: BBC (UK), ESPN (U.S.); Get involved: [e-mail]
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Wimbledon recap: Grand Slam champions hold firm as tournament sets seed record
Pavlyuchenkova 3-6, *0-0 Osaka
That's an excellent first set from Naomi Osaka.
She let's out a big cry of 'Come on!' after two aces in a row to take that final game and the first set.
Pavlyuchenkova fought back to 40-40 there on Osaka's serve but she had the answers. Getty Images
Pavlyuchenkova 3-5* Osaka
These players are mutually raising their level now after Pavlyuchenkova has come back into this set.
But Osaka is meeting the challenge of her opponent and drills a forehand down the line from so wide on the court it drew a gasp from the crowd on the way to breaking Pavlyuchenkova again.
Only 46 per cent of first serves are in the court for Pavlyuchenkova so far, and Osaka is just one game away from taking the set. Getty Images
Plenty of British celebrities have made an early appearance at Wimbledon ahead of play starting on Centre Court at 1.30pm BST (8.30am EDT).
From L-R: former astronaut Tim Peake, celebrity chef and national treasure Dame Mary Berry, and physicist and musician Brian Cox. Getty Images
Pavlyuchenkova *0-3 Osaka
Wow, what a start from Naomi Osaka!
She's flying through this first set with early breaks and a couple of double faults for her opponent and she's already three games to the good.
It's looking promising for Osaka.
This was a disappointing one for the Brits in the crowd at Wimbledon yesterday — home favorite Jack Draper was knocked out of the tournament by Marin Cilic.
Fourth seed Draper was the latest to exit in another early, underwhelming Wimbledon departure for him.
His struggles on grass continue despite an otherwise very impressive 12 months of Grand Slam performances for the world No. 4, with runs to the semifinals at the U.S. Open and then fourth-round appearances in Melbourne and Paris.
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Jack Draper out of Wimbledon in second round as Marin Cilic's grass pedigree triumphs
Seeds are tumbling, suspensions are altering the order of play, and it can be easy to miss out on big talking points from this year's Wimbledon.
The good news is, we've got The Briefing to fill you in on all the big issues, every day of the Championships. On the agenda today: Surprise: there were more upsets at Wimbledon
Wimbledon's fastest security guard strikes again
Read all about it on the link below!
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Wimbledon recap: Grand Slam champions hold firm as tournament sets seed record Getty Images
It's another warm one today in SW19, which means perfect conditions for strawberries and cream and plenty of Pimms.
The good news is that the forecast is showing zero per cent chance of rain with temperatures rising to 26 degrees by late afternoon.
Time to slap on some sun cream!
We've got some big ones today on the show courts, with action on No. 1 Court set to start at 1 p.m. BST, 8 a.m. ET and half an hour later on Centre Court.
Here's some of the best coming up: Taylor Fritz (5) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (26)
Diane Parry vs. Sonay Kartal
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Emma Raducanu
A very good morning everyone and welcome along to another day of scintillating Wimbledon action.
Action on the outdoor courts is due to commence at the top of the hour — here's a look at some of the best matches to look out for: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Naomi Osaka
Dalma Gálfi vs. Amanda Anisimova
Márton Fucsovics vs. Gael Monfils (to finish)
Neil Stubley, Wimbledon's head of courts and horticulture, is the man in charge of keeping the tennis courts pristine as he enters his 30th tournament.
He and his team of 18, which grows to 31 during the event, are responsible for 'anything that grows' — including weeds.
'Every day we test the ball bounce height and the hardness of the surface,' Stubley says.
'If they're getting too hard, we can add a little more water. If they get too soft, we can just hold off on irrigation and let Mother Nature dry it out a little more.
'Last week, it got its final liquid fertilizer on to give it the right color that we need.'
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How Wimbledon gets its grass courts, flowers and tennis balls ready for Grand Slam action
There's some serious history behind the trophies at Wimbledon.
The men's singles trophy was first presented in 1887 while the women's singles trophy was first presented a year earlier.
The women's trophy is dish-shaped with a mythological theme and is known as the Rosewater Dish or Venus Rosewater Dish. The winner will receive a three-quarter size replica of the trophy bearing the names of all past champions.
Meanwhile, the men's trophy is cup-shaped and stands 18 inches high and has a diameter of 7.5 inches. Like the women's trophy, the winner receives a three-quarter size replica of the cup with the names of all the past champions engraved on it.
This year at Wimbledon the singles champions take home a pretty tasty prize pot.
Both the men and the women's singles champions will win an equal prize pot of £3million each.
That would set up the summer pretty nicely ...
The grass-court season is short — meaning it brings additional challenges for players to master the surface.
Last year, Carlos Alcaraz said, 'Every time I step on a grass court I have to learn how to move better, how to play better.' Quite the statement from someone who has won Wimbledon twice.
The issue for players is the constant change of surfaces throughout the year and that so few tournaments are played on grass.
Grass requires sometimes-staccato movements and rewards players with clean ball striking and effective serves, as well as being an ideal service for a variety of shots using slicing and drop shots.
Wimbledon's second-biggest and second-most important court, with a seating capacity of 12,345 (singer Lou Bega's ears have perked up).
Opened in 1997, it was renovated in 2019 and has a retractable roof.
Arguably, it's the most famous tennis court in the world.
It is the main showpiece court, only ever used at the Wimbledon Championships (apart from the 2012 London Olympic Games), and has a capacity of 14,979.
Distinguished guests sit in the Royal Box, with a 3,000-tonne retractable roof installed in 2009.
The inscription above the entrance quotes Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If': 'If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same.'
Wise words for anyone playing on it.
We'd love to hear from you ahead of today's 2025 Championships action getting underway in around two-and-a-half hours.
Who do you think is going to win this year with so many big names out? Who will be the most successful British and American players? Is Wimbledon your favourite Grand Slam of the season, and if so why?
Let us know by emailing [e-mail].
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