Maria does not mess about and earns herself three set points but she only needs one against No 5 seed Sakkari.
We better find another game to focus on … Maria breaks Sakkari, thanks to a double fault, to lead 5-3 on Court No 2.
A clearly delighted Watson says: “It wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t a bit of drama at the end. Wow! What an atmosphere. There is nowhere I would rather play. You lot got me over the line. I thought she was playing her best tennis at the end.
“I know I am not speechless as I am blabbing on but I don’t know what to say.”
Watson has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time after beating Juvan 7-6, 6-2. What a day for the 30-year-old.
Watson beats Juvan in straight sets
Watson is lobbed and gets back in time to send a successful return but then loops a shot long of her own. She follows this up with an overhit forehand from the baseline as the nerves creep in. A Juvan backhand into the net helps to settle the Watson nerves, proved by her wicked second ace of the match. Juvan earns a break point when Watson hits the net with a forehand. The crowd get behind the Brit she composes herself to send another speedy serve to Juvan’s backhand, which she can only send into the net. Deuce. Juvan is not messing about and whacks the ball past Watson’s forehand in the blink of an eye but more fine serving helps brings things back to deuce. An absorbing rally ends with Juvan having the advantage but Watson smashes herself level. A precise volley from Juvan after moving to the net earns another break point but once again a rapid serve to Juvan’s backhand puts Watson in control of the point, won with a smash. Watson finally gets the match point and takes it with a wonderful volley at the net. Watson moves in to the fourth round.
Possibly buoyed by her win in the last game, Juvan races into a 30-0 lead. A powerful return on a second serve is too much for Juvan who pings a backhand wide. Watson takes advantage of another loopy second serve with a wicked backhand down the line to level the score. Watson’s subtle backhand is not subtle enough as he goes long but she reaches deuce with a cross-court forehand. Juvan does not take long to win the game, however, completing the victory with a powerful forehand. Watson to serve again for the match …
Watson serving for the match wins the first point thanks to another long shot from her opponent. A backhand into the net from the back of court levels things up. To make up it for it, Watson pings a serve down the middle which Juvan cannot return, although she follows it up with a double fault. Watson sprints to reach a slice over the net but her efforts are in vain and she offers up a break point. She does reach the next one and we get deuce after a couple of volleys are exchanged, ending with a backhand passing Juvan. Juvan has nothing to lose and earns the advantage with a thrilling forehand down the line. Watson takes a risk of her own to move to the net quickly and it pays off with a smash that loops into the air and wide off the edge of Juvan’s racket. Juvan accepts the third break point of the game to avoid being bagelled. Watson is still 5-1 up, mind.
There is plenty of frustration on Juvan’s side of the court. She finds the net with a weak backhand and then is pushed around by Watson who smashes into open court after Juvan can only loop the ball over the net on the run. Another break is completed when Juvan whacks a backhand volley into the net with plenty of open space ahead of her. One more game required for Watson.
Juvan looks to be lacking confidence and is trying to overhit the ball, resulting in sending too many shots long. Watson is moving Juvan around and it is helps earn a 30-0 lead. A lovely backhanded slice completes victory for Watson to go 4-0 up in the second. She is closing in on the next round.
Watson earns another break point with a cracking forehand down the line when moving across the baseline. She takes it to move 3-0 up in the second after an underwhelming Juvan backhand lands a foot long.
Elsewhere … Frances Tiafoe has beaten Alexander Bublik in four sets, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 to move into the fourth round of the men’ singles.
A poor volley into the net from Watson makes it 15-15 but Juvan concludes the next rally with a wayward dink into the tramlines. Watson is looking confident and wins the second game of the set to go 2-0 up by getting to the net quickly to volley and following it up with a smash.
Watson, boosted by the opening set victory, gets straight back into the groove and moves to 0-30, aided by a double fault. Juvan rediscovers her composure to level things up thanks to a fine backhand down the line. Some delicate hands put Juvan ahead but Watson takes us to deuce with a lovely volley at the net. Juvan sends one long to give Watson the advantage and the break point which she duly accepts.
What a positive note to start my blogging session on. Thanks to John for covering the early stuff. Let’s hope the fun continues.
Watson takes the first set from Juvan 7-6
The tie-breaker starts with Juvan crashing a winner home on the Watson serve, only for an untimely double fault. Then, Watson creeps to the net, punching down a volley for 2-1. More sound defensive work forces Juvan into missing a volley at the net. 3-1. Juvan wins out on a lengthy rally, when she comes on to a slice and crashes a passing shot home. Then, from the baseline, Watson claws the ball into an unreachable position for Juvan at the net. 4-2 to the Channel Islander. 5-2 now, when she lobs her opponent at the net, looping a backhand. Juvan’s overhead makes it 3-5. Juvan is forced to go for broke, and can only net, offering up three set points at 6-3. The first is saved by a winner down the line, the very outside of the line. Then Watson, on the baseline, can only net. 6-5 but Watson to serve. A very long rally ensues, Watson up to the net, and eventually her volleying is breached, so it’s 6-6. Then, Juvan goes long, a call made by the umpire, and challenged unsuccessfully. 7-6, and the set is gifted by a double fault.
Watson overcooks a baseline hit to hand Juvan a 30-0 lead, and then does the same to fall 40-0 down. Too ambitious, perhaps. And it’s a hold, and a tie-break.
Juvan is asked to serve to save the first set and does so to love, a good response to being broken in the previous service game. The pressure goes back on Watson, who then survives a challenge to a call at 15-15, then gets to 30-15 after a Juvan error. A low slice can only be thwacked into the net, but then comes a fall from Watson ahead of a deuce. But then comes a bouncing, swinging forehand that takes her to advantage. Then, some sterling defensive work wins the game, holding serve. The pressure falls back on Juvan.
Juvan takes first blood from Watson with a break, but then Watson gets a chance to break back, and on the second opportunity, having seen out a galloping rally, smashes an overhead to level at 4-4 in the first.
Tiafoe leads 2-1 against Bublik, having won the third set in another tie break. It’s a big-serving encounter on Court Two.
A gorgeous stop/drop shot takes Watson to game point on Juvan, and an important hold is completed, putting the pressure back on the Slovenian, the world No 62.
Watson, at 2-1 up, gets chance for an early break, only to net her backhand when a winner was potentially on. Juvan then sees out to hold. Still, an early glimmer was there.
Watson starts promisingly, serving out her opening service game, only for Juvan to do much the same.
Ok, plucky Brit time as Heather Watson, a regular at Wimbledon, is on Court No 1 on her 12th visit, to face Kaja Juvan, the world No 62 and a Slovenian.
There’s a second-round match being played on Court No 3, an all-American affair, where Jack Sock, the Nebraskan, is two sets up on Maxime Cressy, born in Paris, but resident in Hermosa Beach.
Tim van Rijthoven beats Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4 6-3 6-4
The Dutch outsider, the wild card, breezes through, and into the fourth round.
Tiafoe, from a tie-break, does take the second set from Bublik. Game on, and these two look highly evenly matched. They’re at 1-1 in the third, and Bublik is serving well, crashing down the aces.
Ostapenko beats Begu 3-6 6-1 6-1
She won 12 of the last 13 games to charge into the fourth round, and Begu had no answer. “Come on,” she roars as she completes her win.
That game between Tiafoe and Bublik is another that looks to be levelling up in the second set. Ostapenko has meanwhile found her stride against Begu, and is 2-0 up in the third, and serves out for 3-0 up with a crashing forehand. Begu’s in trouble, the former French Open champion.
Six games in a row, and Ostapenko is now level on sets with Begu, while Tsurenko is 3-0 up in the second set with Jule Niemeier, having lost the first. Basilashvili meanwhile trails Van Rijthoven by two sets, and the Dutch wild card is on course to make the fourth round.
Ostapenko’s now 4-1 up in the second set on Begu, her power beginning to tell. The dark clouds are beginning to circle, and a storm may be brewing.
Basilashvili meanwhile trails Van Rijthoven by a set, while Tiafe has a break back against Bulblik. Still the early knockings at Wimbledon today, though Ostapenko has just broken Begu in the second set, and leads 2-1. A fightback looks on.
Begu’s taken the first set from Ostapenko, 6-3, and looks in full control, the same going for Bulblik, who took the first set off Tiafoe by the same margin.
In those early matches, Bublik is 3-0 up on Tiafoe, it’s going with serve between Begu and Ostapenko, and between Basilashvili and Van Rijthoven. Tsurenko, who beat Britain’s Jodie Burrage on Monday, leads Jule Niemeier, the German, 3-1.
Singles matches taking place at the moment, though it’s a big day for the doubles, with Jamie Murray and Venus Williams in mixed doubles action against New Zealand’s Michael Venus and Poland’s Alicja Rosolska in a Venusian derby match.
Court 2: (23) Frances Tiafoe (USA) v Alexander Bublik (Kaz)
Court 3: Irina-Camelia Begu (Rom) v (12) Jelena Ostapenko (Lat)
Court 12: (22) Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo) v Tim Van Rijthoven (Ned)
Court 18: Lesia Tsurenko (Ukr) v Jule Niemeier (Ger)
Today’s show court order of play
Centre Court (from 1.30pm)
- Parry v Jabeur
- Djokovic v Kecmanovic
- Norrie v Johnson
Court One (from 1pm)
- Watson v Juvan
- Kerber v Mertens
- Otte v Alcaraz
Later on Court 1, scheduled to start at 3.30pm, Carlos Alcaraz, who will play the German, Oscar Otte. Alcaraz could be the next big thing. His five-setter against Jan-Lennard Struff was followed by a rather easier, three-setter, against the wonderfully named Tallon Griekspoor.
The Wimbledon weather forecast is overcast with sunny spells. It’s currently a lukewarm 18 degrees in SW19.
Kyrgios said what happened against Jubb in round one, and the subsequent headlines his behaviour provoked, for which he has been fined £8,200, made him even more determined to put on a show. “I was pretty disappointed in my performance in the first round. Then obviously the media’s disrespect and just everything, it was just kind of a reminder to put you all back in your place from the performance today. He made finals at Queen’s, top 30 in the world, seeded. It’s a gentle reminder.”
While the Polish No 1 is still the bookies’ clear favourite she is not quite an odds-on shot as yet, which means that there are two ways to think about her chances of following up her French Open triumph last month. On the one hand, Swiatek is the likeliest winner. On the other, the betting still implies that, at some point over the next nine days, someone is likely to beat her.
Liam Broady has certainly been around. In his youth he was one of the finest young players in the world and a junior Wimbledon finalist in 2011, and he has spent the years since trying to complete the notoriously difficult transition and establish himself at the top of his sport. His trials have, at times, challenged his self-belief.
Restrictions would hit Spain’s Rafael Nadal, because he is “superstitious” and known for carefully lining up multiple water bottles as part of a long-established courtside ritual.
The mystery of the missing punters continues. Attendance figures for Wednesday struck another low, with 38,520 people on site. That made it the third day in a row where attendance was the lowest since 2007, at least where rain or Covid haven’t been involved. It signifies something of a worrying trend and it’s not just affecting the show courts. Is it uninterested debenture holders or a shortage of foreign visitors? Is it the cost of living crisis or a lack of Roger Federer? Everyone in and around the courts is speculating while the All England Club stays decidedly silent.
Before the action begins, and we get underway on the outside courts at 11am, a look at yesterday.
“It wasn’t the best start, but it was probably the best finish,” Nadal said. “I have room for getting better. A couple of weeks ago I was close to retirement but now I don’t feel that way.” Speaking on Covid, he said was taking extra precautions because: “This is reality. I am staying at home I am not going out any more. At some point you have to open up but then there are more cases, this is part of the challenging world we are in.”
Preamble
After yesterday’s Brit fest – well done, Katie Boulter, Heather Watson and Liam Broady, commiserations, Harriet Dart and Jack Draper – a return to tennis as a global game, though Cameron Norrie, No 1-rated plucky Brit is also in action, as well as Heather Watson. Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian who some shrewdies fancy to win the whole caboodle, gets us under way on Centre Court, taking on France’s Diane Parry. Though no rest for Heather Watson, as she is no Court No 1 against Kaja Juvan. Norrie is in the teatime slot on Centre Court, when he plays the American, Steve Johnson. He follows Novak Djokovic, who takes on fellow Serb, Miomir Kecmanovic, 22 and who has reached further than before at SW19 and is having his best year yet in slams.
All that and more, throughout the day.
