Content Nadal cruises past Young challenge

Rafael Nadal reached the third round of Wimbledon for the first time since 2014, cruising past American Donald Young in straight sets.

Needing just over two hours to see off Young 6-4 6-2 7-5, the world number two will now face Russian Karen Khachanov for a place in the last 16.

“It’s true that in the third I served a little bit worse. “But in general terms, I am happy. “I played well,” he said. As Nadal left to rapturous applause, he received an unusual request for an autograph as one adoring fan asked him to sign his prosthetic leg. “It was already off,” Nadal said. “I don’t know if he took it off at that moment or not.”

Nadal was joined in round three by seventh seed, Marin Cilic of Croatia, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 7-5 winner over Germany’s Florian Mayer. “I was serving really well today. “I hit a lot of aces and my serving percentage was also quite good,” said Cilic.

Kei Nishikori, the ninth seed from Japan, dropped a set against Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky but still ran out a 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-1 7-6 (8-6) winner.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, seeded 17th this year, claimed a 6-1 7-5 6-2 victory over Simone Bolelli of Italy.

Tsonga’s fellow Frenchman, 14th seed Lucas Pouille, was a surprise 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-1 loser to Jerzy Janowicz of Poland.

Gilles Muller of Luxembourg came through a five-setter 9-7 in the decider against Czech Lukas Rosol and will face Britain’s Aljaz Bedene in round three.

Daniil Medvedev was forced to apologise after a bizarre end to his tournament.

The Russian, who beat Stan Wawrinka in round one, lost 6-4 6-2 3-6 2-6 6-3 to Belgian Ruben Bemelmans and then proceeded to throw money at the umpire’s chair in an apparent display of dissent.

The 21-year-old insisted he was not insinuating Alves had been bribed and accepts his actions were wrong.

“I was disappointed with the result of the match,” he said. “It was frustrating after a big win I had.

“All the match was not going well for me, so I was just very disappointed.

“In the heat of the moment, I did a bad thing. I apologise for this.”

He continued: “I haven’t thought about (the connotation), and that’s not why I did it. “I mean, it would be really stupid. “As I said, it was stupid, but it was not like this.

“I didn’t count how many overrules there were and if they were on my side or on his side.

“Maybe in the match, during the match, I thought that it was a bit not in my favour.

“But right now I can just say that it happens everywhere, in every sport. “Referees can make some mistakes. “But me as a tennis player, I do some mistakes too.

“One of them was, for example, after the match. I just have to apologise.”

Rafael Nadal launches a big serve during his victory over Donald Young.

Daniil Medvedev: apologised for reaction to frustrating loss.