IMAGES from Day 3 of the Wimbledon Championships, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Wednesday.
IMAGE: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his second round match against Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic at the Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters
Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz made a shaky start against unseeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic but moved through the gears to seal a 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2 victory and power into the third round on Wednesday.
The result extended Alcaraz’s winning run at the grasscourt Grand Slam to nine matches but the Spaniard could face a tricky test in his next match against American 29th seed Frances Tiafoe, who beat Borna Coric 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-3.
Third seed Alcaraz broke for a 4-2 lead as Vukic miscued an overhead smash at the net but the Spaniard handed the advantage back to his 69th-ranked opponent three games later and was broken yet again in the opening set to trail 5-6.
He recovered to force a tiebreak, where he took a healthy 5-1 lead, but allowed Vukic to win three straight points only to raise his level again and take the set as Spanish fans breathed a sigh of relief on Court One.
From there, it was a ruthless performance from Alcaraz as the 21-year-old showcased his explosive power and delicate touch as he racked up 40 winners to blow Vukic away.
“I’m really happy about my performance. The first set was the key for me. He served for the set, then I played a really good tiebreak. In the second set and third set, I played at a really high level. I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz said.
Inspired Fognini knocks out eighth seed Ruud
IMAGE: Italy’s Fabio Fognini in action during his second round match against Norway’s Casper Ruud. Photograph: Hanna McCay/Reuters
Swaggering Italian Fabio Fognini rolled back the years with a dazzling display to knock out eighth seed Casper Ruud 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-3 and reach the third round.
The 37-year-old former top-10 player, these day sporting peroxide blond hair, produced his trademark brand of languid shot-making to largely dominate Ruud on Court Two.
An early break of serve after a short rain delay was enough for him to take the first set.
Fognini was knocked out of his smooth stride when he suffered a heavy fall on the lush turf but dusted himself down to take the second set with a break of serve in the 12th game.
He appeared to be on the brink of victory against a flat-looking Ruud when he led 5-2 30-0 in the third set with a double break but twice failed when serving for the match.
Ruud dominated the tiebreak to extend the match but Fognini continued to call the shots in the fourth set and broke serve for a 5-3 lead. Three match points went begging as Fognini appeared to tighten up but at the fourth time of asking he belted away a forehand winner to seal the win.
Medvedev survives Muller scare
IMAGE: Daniil Medvedev tosses the ball to serve during his match against Alexandre Muller of France. Photograph: Suzanne Mulanney/Reuters
Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev battled his way to a 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-5 victory over 102-ranked Alexandre Muller to reach the third round.
The Russian looked out of sorts early on Centre Court as he lost the first set on a tiebreak to the 27-year-old Frenchman in their first ever Tour-level meeting and had to save a set point to avoid going down 2-0.
However, Medvedev, runner-up at the Australian Open, found a bit more of his usual groove to level the match with a tiebreak before outlasting a strong Muller to clinch the third set and then the match over three-and-a-half hours.
The 28-year-old reached the semi-finals last year at the All England Club but was made to work hard for the win by Muller who kept pace with the Russian despite needing a medical timeout for a left thigh issue before the fourth set.
