Wimbledon PIX: Alcaraz, Sabalenka, Medvedev advance to Round 3

Images from Day 5 of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in London on Friday.

Alcaraz overcomes Muller despite error-strewn performance

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz cantered into the third round at Wimbledon with a 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-3 win over 84th-ranked Alexandre Muller on Friday, putting on an entertaining if error-strewn performance for an appreciative Centre Court crowd.

Frenchman Muller, 26, who has spent most of his professional career on the second-tier challenger circuit, took advantage of his 20-year-old opponent producing an uncharacteristic number of unforced errors, 41 in all.

But the smiling young Spaniard's all-round game, a mixture of power and exquisite touch tennis, was just too strong for the 84th-ranked Muller.

After breaking serve in the seventh game, Alcaraz won the first set on his fourth set point with a big serve.

He raced into a 6-0 lead in the second-set tiebreak before conceding a couple of points then winning with it with a glorious half-volley.

Alcaraz, who made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, produced a searing passing shot to break serve in the ninth game of the final set and wrapped up the match on his own serve with a forehand winner.

Tsitsipas ends Murray's hopes with comeback win

Stefanos Tsitsipas fought off Andy Murray to silence a partisan Centre Court crowd with a superb 7-6(3), 6-7(2), 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 victory in a gripping Wimbledon second-round match on Friday.

The 24-year-old Greek trailed by two sets to one after twice Wimbledon champion Murray edged ahead in three tight sets on Thursday night before Wimbledon's curfew halted play mid-battle.

As the match resumed in sparkling sunshine on Friday fifth seed Tsitsipas showed incredible composure to edge a tense fourth set on a tiebreak after both players had been rock solid on serve.

The 36-year-old Murray, who had hip-resurfacing surgery in 2019, finally began to look weary in the fifth and Tsitsipas broke Murray's serve for the first time in the match.

Tsitsipas forged ahead and despite squandering a couple of match points at 5-4 he made sure at the third time of asking with a booming ace.

Sabalenka fights back to avoid upset

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus recovered from a poor first set to beat Varvara Gracheva 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Friday and reach the third round at Wimbledon.

The Australian Open champion struggled badly in the opening set, with Gracheva, representing France for the first time since switching nationality from Russia last month, moving around with ease in the sunshine on Court One.

Sabalenka, 25, sent a forehand wide of the tramlines in the sixth game, one of 16 unforced errors in the set, to hand an early break to the 22-year-old, who saved three break points to extend her lead before breaking again to take the set.

A huge upset looked on the cards before Sabalenka found her rhythm midway through the second set, executing a cute drop shot to seal a hold to love. A huge roar after a hold at 5-5 powered her through to breaking Gracheva and serving out the set to level the match.

An early break in the decider swung the momentum in favour of Sabalenka, who had sharpened her returns and was finding the corners of the court with her powerful backhand.

The 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist secured another break after a double fault from Gracheva and smashed an ace down the middle to complete her comeback and set up a third-round clash with Russian Anna Blinkova.

Jabeur makes quick work of China's Bai

Tunisian Ons Jabeur made quick work of Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan with a 6-1, 6-1 victory in 45 minutes to move into the third round at Wimbledon on Friday.

Jabeur is looking to go one step further at Wimbledon this year after losing the final in 2022 and the sixth seed was flawless with attacking shots that sent her opponent, who is ranked 185 rungs below her, scrambling.

In front of a half-empty Court One, Jabeur barely needed to get out of third gear to outclass Bai, who struggled to match her opponent stroke for stroke as her unforced error count climbed with every game.

"It was a good game, she (Bai) played the qualifying here and she qualified. I believe she had a great tournament, so I wish her all the best. But I tried to play like a top 10 player," Jabeur said.

"Here I try to work a lot on my serve. I believe the stats will say it's better. We'll see with my coach later if he gives me a hard time or not.

"Overall I tried to play clean and, for once, what my coach says!"

Bai slipped and fell in the opening set while chasing a drop shot near the net but was quickly back on her feet to scattered applause.

However, Jabeur showed no mercy and sealed victory on her first match point with a deft lob at the net.

Medvedev overcomes Mannarino test

Daniil Medvedev advanced to the third round at Wimbledon with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(5) win over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino on Friday after their match was suspended due to bad light the previous day.

Third seed Medvedev was on the brink of victory on Thursday evening before Mannarino staged a late fightback to level the third set at 4-4 and take the match into a second day.

The world number 35 continued to keep pace with the Russian, who has never advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Club.

Medvedev clinched the tiebreak when the left-handed Mannarino sent a forehand long and the Russian will next play American Marcos Giron or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

Medvedev, who has not dropped a set at the tournament, said he may have a new lucky ritual to go through if he has to play a match over two days again.

"I remember a couple of years ago I had this against (Hubert) Hurkacz and I lost and I kind of prepared in a way for a new match. I did an ice bath, I finished the match as if it was a normal match and the next day I had to play again," he said in an on-court interview.

"And this didn't work out for me, so I changed it. I didn't do anything as if the match was finished, I didn't wash my hair, I was like 'I'll wash it after the match' and it worked so I'm going to continue like this if next time I have a two-day match.

"I did take a shower," he added.

Former champion Kvitova advances

Twice former champion Petra Kvitova cruised into the third round at Wimbledon on Friday, the ninth seed brushing aside the limited challenge of Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-2 on a sun-drenched Court Two.

The 33-year-old Czech, who triumphed in 2011 and 2014, has got past the third round only once since her second victory but did not need to be anywhere near her best in a match full of errors, most of them from Sasnovich, who has never gone beyond the fourth round at a Grand Slam in 10 years of trying.

Kvitova warmed up for Wimbledon with a grasscourt title in Berlin and though they traded early breaks, the Czech always looked to be on top and broke for 4-2, with Sasnovich dropping serve again, finishing with a double fault, to lose the first set.

The Belarusian, sporting full length white leggings, briefly perked up to break for 1-1 in the second but it did not last as the error count remained high in the face of Kvitova’s deep and accurate groundstrokes and the favourite cruised home in 74 minutes.

"It’s always difficult to play her, always a battle, and I’m happy that somehow I found a way and I’m through," said Kvitova, who his the fifth-highest earning female player with almost 37 million dollars banked.

"I really enjoyed the it. You never know how long you can play but I wish it never ends – all the support is always amazing.”

Denmark's Rune dazzles on way to third round

Danish sixth seed Holger Rune dazzled a packed crowd on Wimbledon's Court Three as he beat Spain's Roberto Carlos Baena on Friday to reach the third round of Wimbledon.

The charismatic 20-year-old produced his full repertoire of silky shot-making to win 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-4.

Rune became only the fourth Dane to reach the men's third round at Wimbledon and the first for nearly 20 years.

"He made it very difficult and didn't give me anything for free, but I think I managed to raise my level and close to the end I got unbelievable support from the crowd," Rune, who twice had to recover service breaks in the opening set, said on court.

"I love getting the fans involved, it was unbelievable, really cool and I hope we can bring it all the way."

Rune's game style and casual demeanour have made him a hit with young fans who chanted "Ruuuuune" at regular intervals, and he responded with some exquisite winners and won many points with cunningly disguised drop shots.

"Grass is not an easy adjustment but it's a beautiful surface and to play on is beautiful -- if you're playing well," he said.

Sinner shrugs off slow start to reach last 16

Last year's Wimbledon quarter-finalist Jannik Sinner recovered from a sluggish start to beat unseeded Frenchman Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday and move into the Wimbledon fourth round.

Sinner became only the third Italian man to make the round of 16 at Wimbledon on multiple occasions after Nicola Pietrangeli and Matteo Berrettini, but the 21-year-old was tested by Halys who landed the first blow.

Halys, who entered the Championships without playing a warm-up tournament on grass, pounced on the eighth seed in the first set and surged into a 4-1 lead before taking the early advantage on the back of solid serving.

Sinner responded almost immediately, however, with a break in the second set and forced world number 79 Halys, who sported heavy strapping on his thigh and calf, to work hard during points with deft shots at the net.

The slender Italian, who has reached the quarter-finals of all the four majors, comfortably drew level at one set apiece and barely put a foot wrong to ease through the next in 29 minutes.

The duo traded breaks early in the fourth set before Sinner regained focus to seal victory and he will next play Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan or Swede Mikael Ymer.

Kostyuk through as Spain's Badosa retires

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk reached the Wimbledon third round for the first time after her Spanish opponent Paula Badosa retired with an injury during their match on Friday.

The 21-year-old Kostyuk was leading 6-2, 1-0 when Badosa pulled out with a back problem.

Badosa, the 25-year-old girlfriend of Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas who will renew his battle with Andy Murray later on Friday, missed the French Open due to a spinal stress fracture.

Spain's Badosa was scheduled to play with Tsitsipas in the mixed doubles but that now looks unlikely.

Kostyuk defeated eighth seed Maria Sakkari in the first round and will hope to continue her run against either 25th seed Madison Keys or Viktorija Golubic.

Tsurenko outlasts Bogdan in record 38-point tiebreak

Lesia Tsurenko dropped to the ground in exhaustion following her Wimbledon third-round win over Ana Bogdan on Friday, a dramatic clash in which she saved five match points and won the longest tiebreak in women's singles Grand Slam history.

The Ukrainian and her fellow unseeded opponent from Romania split the opening two sets but an incredible battle for the ages unfolded at 6-6 as Tsurenko dug deep into her reserves to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(18).

Tsurenko saved five match points and converted her seventh to secure victory after a lengthy final point, prompting the crowd on Court 14 to cheer wildly as the Ukrainian lay on the ground breathing heavily and her opponent waited at the net.

The pair shared a warm hug after a match lasting three hours and 40 minutes.

The previous longest tiebreak in a women's Grand Slam singles match was 36 points, in the opening set of Denisa Allertova's win over Johanna Konta in the first round of the 2015 French Open.

Friday's tiebreak matched the 38-point one in the first set of Andy Roddick's victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2007 Australian Open first round.

American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut fought out the longest match of all time in the first round of Wimbledon in 2010, the pair battling for 11 hours and five minutes across three days before Isner took the fifth set 70-68.

Eubanks overpowers Norrie to make third round at Wimbledon

American Christopher Eubanks claimed the biggest win of his career when the he stunned British number one Cameron Norrie 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) at Wimbledon on Friday to move into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

Standing 6 foot 7 inches (201 cm) tall, Eubanks would look more at home on an NBA court than Court One at Wimbledon but he arrived at the All England Club after breaking into the top 50 with his first ATP title at the Mallorca Open last week.

The wiry Eubanks fired down 21 aces that screamed past Norrie, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, and the American also volleyed well.

No matter how many rackets Norrie requested be restrung, he could do little to nullify Eubanks's power and the 27-year-old received a standing ovation from the crowd despite knocking out one of Britain's biggest hopes.