Djokovic, Alcaraz stay on collision course at SW19
LONDON: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz closed in on a Wimbledon generational clash as the women’s draw was left with just four top- 10 seeds standing.
Three-time defending champion Djokovic demolished Serbian compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6- 0, 6- 3, 6- 4 in the third round to stay on course to equal Pete Sampras as a seventime champion, one behind Roger Federer’s men’s record.
Friday’s win was the 330th of Djokovic’s Grand Slam career.
“So far, so good,” said the 35-year-old top seed.
“I expect high standards from myself. You always want to raise the level and things are shaping up well.”
Djokovic has now won 22 successive matches on grass and is in the last 16 at Wimbledon for the 14th time.
He has not lost a grass-court match since falling to Marin Cilic in the final at Queen’s four years ago.
“I started very well, very strong with a lot of intensity and focus,” added Djokovic, whose only blip was being broken when he served for the match at 5-2 in the third set.
In the last 16, he will face Dutch wild card Tim van Rijthoven.
Playing in his debut Grand Slam main draw, the world No 104 defeated 22nd seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
“Before the tournament started, it was a dream for me to play Djokovic,” said Van Rijthoven, only the seventh man since 2000 to reach the round of 16 on his Grand Slam debut. “So to be able to have that chance and to maybe even play on Centre Court or Court 1 is beautiful and magical.”
After needing four sets to get past Kwon Soon-woo in the first round, Djokovic has dropped just 14 games since. If he beats Van Rijthoven, he could meet Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
The 19- year- old Spaniard swept past Germany’s Oscar Otte 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 to make the fourth round for the first time.
Alcaraz, who hit 37 winners in total, goes on to face Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner, who put out John Isner in straight sets. The only consolation for Isner was passing Ivo Karlovic as the sport’s greatest hitter of aces, taking his career total to 13,748.
Women seeds tumble
Maria Sakkari became the sixth of the top 10 women’s seeds to crash out before the end of the third round.
The fifth-seeded Greek lost 6-3, 7-5 to German world number 103 Tatjana Maria, who returned to the tour last year after maternity leave. *
Maria, in the fourth round of a Slam for the first time, will face former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the quarter-finals.
Ostapenko, a semi-finalist in 2018, took her winners count to 102 over three rounds by defeating Irina- Camelia Begu of Romania 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Germany’s Jule Niemeier followed up her win over second seed Anett Kontaveit by seeing off Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in three sets.
Also exiting on Friday was 2018 champion Angelique Kerber, with the German 15th seed beaten 6-4, 7-5 by Elise Mertens. The Belgian, who had to save two match points in her previous round, next faces world No 2 Ons Jabeur. World No 1 Iga Swiatek, Jabeur, Paula Badosa and Jessica Pegula are the only top-10 seeds left.
Serena slayer advances
Whether her opponents are tournament favorites or crowd favorites, Harmony Tan keeps knocking them out of Wimbledon. First there was Serena Williams, a seven-time champion at the All England Club. Then came 32nd-seeded Sara Sorribes Tormo. On Saturday, Tan beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-1 on Court No 2. She never faced a break point in the match and converted five of the 10 she earned. Tan will next face either Coco Gauff or Amanda Anisimova. The two Americans will face each other in Saturday’s first match on Centre Court.