Tennis – Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Raducanu and the end of London’s tropical heatwave ensured a sense of normality returned to the lawns of Wimbledon yesterday after two sweat-soaked days of shocks.
A stream of big names including Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev crashed and burned in the oven-like temperatures of the first round.
So when Alcaraz walked on Centre Court to continue his quest for a third successive title against British qualifier Oliver Tarvet, the thought surely lurked somewhere in his mind that he could be the fall-guy in the tournament’s greatest upset.
The 22-year-old second seed was not at his best but after saving three break points in a nervy opening service game against a college student ranked 733rd in the world, he asserted his authority to win 6-1 6-4 6-4.
Earlier on Centre Court, women’s top seed Sabalenka battled to a 7-6(4) 6-4 win against Czech Marie Bouzkova.
“Honestly, it is sad to see so many upsets in the tournament, in both draws, women’s and men’s,” Sabalenka, who is bidding for her first Wimbledon title, said.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to focus on myself.”
Facing a rival who has already experienced the joys of winning Wimbledon did not faze Emma Raducanu as the Briton rode out the “crazy pressure” heaped on her slender shoulders to defeat Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3 in the second round.
In a battle between two Grand Slam champions, both unseeded after years of trials and tribulations, Czech Vondrousova would have fancied her chances of knocking out Britain’s big hope.
After all, the 2023 champion had arrived at the All England Club fresh from winning the grasscourt title in Berlin, with victories over Australian Open champion Madison Keys and world number one Sabalenka en route.
However, it was Raducanu whose game sparkled on Centre Court as she produced the kind of carefree, yet potent, shots that had carried her to the US Open title in 2021.
“Today I played really, really well. There were some points that I have no idea how I turned around,” a delighted Raducanu told the crowd.
Australian Open champion Keys, the sixth seed, also made it safely into round three, beating Olga Danilovic 6-4 6-2 while unseeded four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka eased past Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova 6-3 6-2.
Last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini joined the exodus of fancied players at this year’s Wimbledon after the Italian fourth seed crashed out 4-6 6-4 6-4 against Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.
Lower temperatures did not mean an end to the surprises entirely though as American world number 12 Frances Tiafoe became the 14th of the 32 men’s seeds to depart, going down 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-5 to Cameron Norrie, one of seven British players in second-round singles action on day three.
Sonay Kartal led the home charge by beating Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-2 6-2 to book her place in the last 32 for the second year in succession. There was disappointment, though, for Britain’s Katie Boulter who served 14 double faults as she went down 6-7(9) 6-2 6-1 to 101st-ranked Solana Sierra, the Argentine who lost in qualifying but has seized her lucky loser spot with both hands.
Play on courts without roofs was delayed for two hours by light morning rain, but once the clouds rolled away the place to be for those without show-court tickets was Court 12 for Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca’s second-round match against American Jenson Brooksby. The 18-year-old is widely-tipped as a future challenger to the domination of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and he showed exactly why during a 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4 win that was celebrated by a large contingent of exuberant Brazilians.
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