Wimbledon briefing: Day three recap and order of play for day of the Jacks
Here, the PA news agency looks back at Wednesday's action and previews day four of the Championships.
Emma Raducanu set up a blockbuster clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka by easing past 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3.
The British number one said: 'You want to play the best. You are going to have to play them at some point if you want to win one of these tournaments.
'Of course, Aryna is number one in the world. I know it's going to be a massive challenge. I'm going to have to play some really good tennis.'
Her victory came after British number threes Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie both impressively reached the third round.
Oliver Tarvet said he lived the 'most special day of my life' in his straight-sets defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Centre Court.
The British qualifier, ranked 733 in the world, broke the two-time Wimbledon champion's serve twice in an encouraging showing.
And he certainly impressed his opponent, who said on court 'I just love his game', before adding in his press conference: 'If he keeps working hard, if he keeps practising hard and playing in a professional level, I think he can go far.'
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Jack Draper faces a tricky second-round clash with former runner-up Marin Cilic.
The Croatian reached the final back in 2017, three years after winning the US Open, and has struggled with a knee problem in recent seasons, but he is now fit again and won the warm-up event in Nottingham.
Draper said: 'Unbelievable career, amazing player. Anyone who wins a Challenger on the grass before coming here, they're feeling good on the grass. So it's going to be a really tough challenge. I'm ready for that.'
Dan Evans takes on seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the opening match on Centre Court, Jack Pinnington Jones faces Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, while fellow wild card Arthur Fery will complete his match against Luciano Darderi after bad light suspended play with the Italian two sets up.
Dan Evans kicks off the action on Centre Court in some style – with a second career meeting with Novak Djokovic.
Evans, 35, won that previous meeting – on the clay at the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters – so is putting an unbeaten record on the line against the 38-year-old seven-time Wimbledon champion.
'I think when they do the stats, it has to be over, like, three matches to have a 100 per cent record,' Evans said. 'So we'll say I have a decent record!
'This is his best surface. It's going to be a tough match. But when I play the top guys, I don't change much about myself. It's not about them, it's about me. We're both competing for the same goal.'
Centre Court (from 1.30pm)Dan Evans v Novak Djokovic (6)Iga Swiatek (8) v Caty McNallyJannik Sinner (1) v Aleksandar Vukic
Court One (from 1pm)Mirra Andreeva (7) v Lucia BronzettiElena Rybakina (11) v Maria SakkariJack Draper (4) v Marin Cilic
Sunny changing to cloudy in the afternoon, with a maximum temperature of 26C, according to the Met Office.
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Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Emma Raducanu to take inspiration from top dog Jannik Sinner as she looks to topple Wimbledon favourite Aryna Sabalenka
Emma Raducanu will attempt to take down Wimbledon favourite Aryna Sabalenka by harnessing the power of osmosis. After her practice, the 22-year-old and coach Mark Petchey spent 20 minutes watching Jannik Sinner, and Raducanu joked that proximity to one world No 1 might help her take down another on Friday. 'Learning by osmosis!' said Raducanu at the practice courts. 'He is so effortless when he hits the ball. I have been trying to watch a bit more live when I am away. I watched Joao Fonseca the other day.' So, can Raducanu beat Sabalenka? Watch them as much as she likes, Raducanu will never be able to belt the ball with the force of Sinner or Brazilian sensation Fonseca and there is a suspicion that for all her balletic movement and easy strokemaking, she lacks the power and physicality to trouble the creme de la creme. She has failed to win a set in eight matches against the elite trio of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Sabalenka, but hope lies in the fact that not one of that octet of defeats was played on grass. Indeed, of Raducanu's three wins over top 10 opponents, two were on the lawns - here against Maria Sakkari and in Eastbourne against Jessica Pegula, both last year. This surface rewards easy, balletic movement and hand skills - two categories in which Raducanu scores highly. The Brit watched men's world No 1 Sinner practice for 20 minutes after finishing her own practice on Thursday 'With grass, you get rewarded for staying in the point because a nothing ball, a slice in the service box, it's very tricky to deal with,' said Raducanu. 'You are incentivized to chase one more ball down and scrap and turn points around.' Raducanu's ability to do exactly that was on show in her 6-3, 6-3 defeat of 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova. Data company TennisViz records a player's 'steal score' in each match - the number of times they go from a defensive position to winning the point - and Raducanu's score of 51 per cent was a mile clear of the draw average of 34. Former world No 1 and BBC analyst Tracey Austin said after the Vondrousova match: 'That was the best I have seen Emma play since she won the US Open. Her tennis was sensational. 'I would say she has a chance to beat Sabalenka if Emma plays that way. The way she was returning today, if she can maintain that length, she can rush Sabalenka. There are a lot of parts of Emma's game that can bother Sabalenka.' That may be a bit of a stretch but Sabalenka, despite much improvement in this area, can still be vulnerable when opponents vary the tempo of the rallies. In the French Open final, Gauff's array of slices and spins robbed Sabalenka of all rhythm, and Vondrousova did a similar job on her in Berlin earlier this month. 'She's world No1 for a reason,' said Raducanu. 'I don't think I'm going to go out there and out-power her. I'm going to have to try and be creative.'
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Wimbledon exit shows Jack Draper has ‘still got a lot of areas to improve'
Jack Draper admitted he has a lot of work to do if he is to challenge at Wimbledon in the future after a crushing loss to Marin Cilic in the second round. The British number one is still yet to make it beyond the last 64 at his home grand slam and, having come into the tournament as the fourth seed after a brilliant season so far, the 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 defeat was his most painful yet. Great credit must go to 36-year-old former finalist Cilic, who, having disappeared from view amid two knee operations, produced a sublime performance on Court One. But Draper was unable to find the tennis he needed to put his Croatian opponent under consistent pressure, and spoke afterwards about how difficult he finds grass. 'Very frustrated,' said the 23-year-old. 'Obviously, really upset. Probably one of the toughest losses I feel. I thought Cilic played an incredible match from start to finish. Didn't let up. He deserved the win. But it hurts a lot. 'I've been really disappointed with the way my game's been on the grass this year, in all honesty. 'I felt great on the hard, felt great on the clay. My game, I felt like there wasn't many holes, whereas, as soon as I came on to the grass, I felt a big difference. Upset alert 🚨 Croatia's Marin Cilic stuns Jack Draper 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to knock the No.4 seed out of The Championships 2025 😮 #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2025 'Even though I've had such an amazing progression the last 12 months, I've still got a lot of areas that I need to improve in my game. In some ways that's exciting, and in some ways that's hard to deal with because I thought I was ahead of where I was.' Draper put his head in his hands when he was asked whether the pressure of home expectation had contributed to the loss. Citing Andy Murray, he said: 'It makes me think that Andy's achievement of what he did winning here twice, just unbelievable. It's not the pressure, it's not the whatever. I just didn't play good enough today. I lost to a better player.' Cilic lost to Roger Federer in the 2017 final, three years after winning his only grand slam title at the US Open, and is a proven performer on grass having won the Queen's crown twice. He returned to the top 100 by winning the second-tier Challenger event in Nottingham last month and it was clear from the first moments of the contest that his ranking of 83 gave little indication of the danger he would pose. Cilic, who was watched by his two young sons, showed he has not lost the metronomic quality of his flat, deep ground strokes, and Draper just could not find any semblance of control. Cilic, competing at Wimbledon for the first time in four years, played an incredible returning game to clinch the opening set, and it was clear Draper was in big trouble when the Croatian made it five games in a row. It was not until Draper really let rip early in the third set that he gave himself and the crowd hope of mounting a first successful comeback from two sets to love down. But he could not force the break early in the fourth set and, the longer the match went on, the more it appeared there was only one winner. Draper, meanwhile, became the first player to really question the accuracy of the electronic line calling, which has replaced line judges, after reacting with disbelief to a couple of decisions. 'I don't think it's 100 per cent accurate,' he said. 'I think it's a shame, tradition, that the umpires aren't involved.' The 23-year-old admitted he will probably stay away from the All England Club for the rest of the tournament, but he hopes Emma Raducanu can help make it a successful championships for the home nation nevertheless. 'Emma is playing great,' said Draper. 'I watched her play yesterday. That was amazing. She has a real opportunity. I hope she goes on and does us all proud. She's definitely got the capability to do that.'
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Wimbledon exit shows Jack Draper has ‘still got a lot of areas to improve'
The British number one is still yet to make it beyond the last 64 at his home grand slam and, having come into the tournament as the fourth seed after a brilliant season so far, the 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 defeat was his most painful yet. Great credit must go to 36-year-old former finalist Cilic, who, having disappeared from view amid two knee operations, produced a sublime performance on Court One. Jack Draper reacts to his defeat at a press conference (Benjamin Gilbert/PA) But Draper was unable to find the tennis he needed to put his Croatian opponent under consistent pressure, and spoke afterwards about how difficult he finds grass. 'Very frustrated,' said the 23-year-old. 'Obviously, really upset. Probably one of the toughest losses I feel. I thought Cilic played an incredible match from start to finish. Didn't let up. He deserved the win. But it hurts a lot. 'I've been really disappointed with the way my game's been on the grass this year, in all honesty. 'I felt great on the hard, felt great on the clay. My game, I felt like there wasn't many holes, whereas, as soon as I came on to the grass, I felt a big difference. Upset alert 🚨 Croatia's Marin Cilic stuns Jack Draper 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to knock the No.4 seed out of The Championships 2025 😮#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2025 'Even though I've had such an amazing progression the last 12 months, I've still got a lot of areas that I need to improve in my game. In some ways that's exciting, and in some ways that's hard to deal with because I thought I was ahead of where I was.' Draper put his head in his hands when he was asked whether the pressure of home expectation had contributed to the loss. Citing Andy Murray, he said: 'It makes me think that Andy's achievement of what he did winning here twice, just unbelievable. It's not the pressure, it's not the whatever. I just didn't play good enough today. I lost to a better player.' Cilic lost to Roger Federer in the 2017 final, three years after winning his only grand slam title at the US Open, and is a proven performer on grass having won the Queen's crown twice. Marin Cilic rolled back the years to beat Jack Draper (Mike Egerton/PA) He returned to the top 100 by winning the second-tier Challenger event in Nottingham last month and it was clear from the first moments of the contest that his ranking of 83 gave little indication of the danger he would pose. Cilic, who was watched by his two young sons, showed he has not lost the metronomic quality of his flat, deep ground strokes, and Draper just could not find any semblance of control. Cilic, competing at Wimbledon for the first time in four years, played an incredible returning game to clinch the opening set, and it was clear Draper was in big trouble when the Croatian made it five games in a row. It was not until Draper really let rip early in the third set that he gave himself and the crowd hope of mounting a first successful comeback from two sets to love down. But he could not force the break early in the fourth set and, the longer the match went on, the more it appeared there was only one winner. Jack Draper slips on his way to defeat (Ben Whitley/PA) Draper, meanwhile, became the first player to really question the accuracy of the electronic line calling, which has replaced line judges, after reacting with disbelief to a couple of decisions. 'I don't think it's 100 per cent accurate,' he said. 'I think it's a shame, tradition, that the umpires aren't involved.' The 23-year-old admitted he will probably stay away from the All England Club for the rest of the tournament, but he hopes Emma Raducanu can help make it a successful championships for the home nation nevertheless. 'Emma is playing great,' said Draper. 'I watched her play yesterday. That was amazing. She has a real opportunity. I hope she goes on and does us all proud. She's definitely got the capability to do that.'
