Staff Reporter.
(Reuters) – Stan Wawrinka rolled back the years as the 38-year-old Swiss proved the old adage that class is permanent and form temporary by knocking out seeded Argentine Tomas Etcheverry on Thursday to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
His career may be in its twilight but Wawrinka proved a notch above a man 15 years his junior to claim a 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2 victory on a sunny Court Three.
It was the first time Wawrinka has reached third round of a Grand Slam for three years and his reward is a box-office duel with defending champion Novak Djokovic, the man he famously made cry after beating him in the 2015 French Open final.
The 88th-ranked Wawrinka, who has extended his career despite issues with his knees, had lost in the first or second round of his last six Grand Slam tournaments.
“It’s a long time that I didn’t win too much at Grand Slams,” Wawrinka, who once turned the so-called big four into a big five by winning the 2014 Australian Open, the French Open a year later and the 2016 US Open, said on court after an impressive display against the 29th seed.
“I’ve been working hard to get back to a better level and I’m happy with the way I’m coming up.”
Wimbledon has never been Wawrinka’s happiest hunting ground with only two quarterfinals runs and he finds himself in the third round for the first time since 2015.
Djokovic, bidding for a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title and a joint-record eighth in total, leads their career head-to-head 20-6, but they have never met on grass.
“I’ll enjoy it if I don’t get killed,” Wawrinka said of his impending showdown with the Serb who has lost only twice at Wimbledon since 2013 – one of which was due to an injury withdrawal.
“I’m happy to have the chance to play against him on grass at least one time. It’s a big challenge but hopefully I can come to a higher level and be competitive.
“I’ll push to the maximum and see what happens.”
Big-Serving Zverev Powers Past Dutch Qualifier
Germany’s Alexander Zverev fired 20 aces past Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer to move into the Wimbledon second round with a hard-earned 6-4 7-6(4) 7-6(5) win.
The 19th seed did not have an easy tournament start against the world number 153, whose own first serve percentage matched that of Zverev, and with the German getting just two break opportunities in total in the first two sets.
He next plays another lower-ranked player in Japan’s world number 116 Yosuke Watanuki with little time to rest as the schedule has been reworked following all the rain delays.
“He was a very tough opponent and the rain was a very tough opponent,” said Zverev, whose match was one of the last first- round clashes to finish. “I’m just happy to be back at Wimbledon.”
He missed the tournament last year following his ankle injury at the French Open.
“I missed it last year with a bad injury so just to be on this court I’m happy to be here with 10 000 people. I know Wimbledon is the most historic tennis tournament in the world and maybe the most historic sporting event in the world.
“I play again tomorrow and the day after, well if I win of course. It’s going to be a tough few days with back-to-back matches and it is never easy physically – I’m just happy to be playing tennis now,” Zverev said.
The 26-year-old snatched a break at 3-3 in the first set before serving it out and both players held serve until left-hander Brouwer carved out two set points at 6-5.
Zverev, a former world number two, saved them both to force a tiebreak, winning it with another booming ace.
Both players comfortably held serve in the third to take it to another tiebreak and Zverev fired down his 20th ace to seal victory on his third match point.
Rublev downs fellow Russia Karatev
Andrey Rublev overcame an opening set blip to beat Aslan Karatsev 6-7(4) 6-3 6-4 7-5 in an all-Russian clash to claim his 50th Grand Slam match victory and move into the third round.
Karatsev had beaten Rublev in their only previous meeting en route to his first Tour-level title in Dubai in 2021, but the seventh seed exacted revenge on the back of an effective service game and decisive net play.
Grass is not Rublev’s favourite surface but he has slowly adapted to the fast turf following his runner-up finish at Halle, as he looks to improve on his last-16 exit at Wimbledon in 2021.
“The only time we played he beat me, so I was really nervous. I was trying to play my best because when Aslan is in his mood, he destroys the ball, winners from any position. It’s really, really tough to play against him,” Rublev said.
Karatsev started slowly when he dropped serve in the first game and the pair engaged in several baseline rallies before he broke back to make it 5-5.
Rublev’s solid first serve came to his rescue as he forced a tiebreak with four unreturned serves in a 57-second game, but Karatsev flew into a 5-1 lead before taking the opening set.
They were neck-and-neck in the second set until Rublev converted a break point at 4-3 after the longest rally of the match with a desperate dig that crept over the net and spun back out of Karatsev’s reach
While the crowd cheered the audacious shot, Rublev immediately put his hands up in a sheepish apology, but the damage was done as he served out the set to make it one apiece.
The forecourt had been uncharted territory for Rublev early in the match but he then started coming to the net purposefully.
The pair looked evenly matched for much of the near-three-hour contest as Karatsev entertained the crowd with his powerful groundstrokes.
He struggled to break Rublev, however, and it was the five break points converted by Rublev to Karatsev’s two that proved the difference and the seventh seed clinched victory on his first match point.
Rublev, who did not play at Wimbledon last year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, will next face wildcard David Goffin or qualifier Tomas Barrios Vera.
Berrettini fells Sonego in Lengthy Italian Job
Former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini surprised himself by beating fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(7) 6-3 on Thursday to belatedly reach the second round.
Berrettini, beaten by Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final, has struggled with an abdominal injury this season, and came into the grasscourt Grand Slam with modest expectations.
After a battle spanning three days, however, he emerged victorious to set up a clash with Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
“I’m glad that I won this match because a few days ago I didn’t think it was possible,” he told reporters.
“I didn’t know if I was ready or not. I didn’t practise much. Like what you’re supposed to do before a tournament, before a Grand Slam.
“At the same time, my will to play was bigger than my preparation. Unless you try, you’re never going to know. Sometimes in the past I stopped before because I felt my body wasn’t ready. This time I kind of forced it a little bit. Now I’m feeling good.”
After narrowly losing the opening set on Tuesday and being forced to wait a day to resume the match due to persistent rain, the 27-year-old broke for a 5-3 lead in the second set with a rocket forehand winner before drawing level.
Berrettini raised his level in the third-set tiebreaker to tighten his grip in fading light on Wednesday when both players decided to stop because of failing light and a slippery court.
Resuming at 1-1 in the fourth set, Berrettini cranked up the pressure in the sixth game with some delightful winners on both sides to grab the crucial break and the world number 38 held firm to go through.
British Wilcard Broady Stuns Fourth Seed Ruud
British wildcard Liam Broady claimed the biggest win of his career and the biggest shock of Wimbledon 2023 when he stunned Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-0 in front of a delirious Centre Court crowd.
Broady belied his 142nd ranking against a player who has reached three of the last five Grand Slam finals but had struggled at Wimbledon in his three previous appearances.
Broady made the running to take the first set and though Ruud regrouped to take the next two, it never felt as if he was taking control and the Briton was the dominant force in the fourth to take it to a decider.
Ruud, who said he had spent the three weeks since reaching the French Open relaxing well away from tennis, looked like he had mentally packed his bags again in the fifth as Broady ripped through it, barely dropping a point, to seal a memorable win.