Local hero Liam Broady defied the rankings with a victory over Casper Ruud while another home favourite Andy Murray couldn't join him in the third round round quite yet. The former champion was thwarted by standards from the beforetimes.
Grass court guile
So well done Liam Broady. World number 142 and into the third round at the expense of the fourth seed Casper Ruud. "To me of course ranking-wise it's an upset," said Ruud. "But going out to the match I consider him a better grass court player." And it showed. Broady's shots stayed low once they hit the grass whereas Ruud's use of top spin made the ball sit up. Broady also moved through the court more fluently. The 29-year-old Briton is into the third round at Wimbledon for the first time. "I feel like it's taken a monumental effort for me personally to be able to win a match on Centre Court at Wimbledon," Broady added.
Don't let this get back to Paris
Teen sensation Mirra Andreeva reached the third round at the French Open after coming through the qualifying rounds. A month or so later, she's mirrored her exploits in Paris. But wait a minute, it's not all deja vu. "It's definitely different compared to the other slams I've played," the 16-year-old offered. "Compared to the French Open, Wimbledon is like wow, super beautiful here. It's super traditional. French Open is, like, I don't know, kind of simple, and here everything is like the white clothes, the grass, the strawberries." Maybe they won't take it to heart in Paris.
Just do it our way
And Wimbledon is indeed in its own happy-go-lucky bubble. Former champion Andy Murray and the fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas were slugging away under the roof on Centre Court. Packed it was too. But at 10.40pm with Murray leading two sets to one, it was all wrapped up in cotton wool for the night. How? Why no denouements? 11pm curfew was looming. It's so achingly old-school it seems unhinged. Let's call it quaint.
Love time
And no that's not a tennis score. More a description of Frances Tiafoe who has become a crowd favourite. "It really has been noticeable the last eight, nine months," remarked the 25-year-old American. "Every match I play, doesn't matter what court, everyone is excited. As soon as I get to the coin toss, everyone is just so excited. It's cool." Tiafoe, seeded 10th, reached the third round after a straight sets win over Dominic Stephan Stricker from Switzerland. "As soon as I smile, the crowd erupts. It's crazy," added the showman. "But it's cool. I guess it's a blessing, and hopefully they like me for the next 10-plus years while I keep playing."
She's got a ticket to chide ...
Apologies John, Ringo, Paul and George. But a day in the life of a tennis player can be bleak. French veteran Alizé Cornet revealed how she was able to dish out around 40 tickets to chums because she was playing on Centre Court in her second round match against defending champion Elena Rybakina. For her first match at the tournament she only had two. "Nobody could come," Cornet lamented. "I couldn't even invite like one of my best friends who was there. Two tickets on the outside court, it's too little." Does seem a bit grim freebie wise. But Centre Court is a lot larger and can absorb a bigger entourage. "You need to give a little more credit to players that play on the outside courts," fumed Cornet. "This tournament exists because of all the players, not only the ones that play on the big courts." True and academic. Cornet will no longer be troubling the Wimbledon ticket office - she was dispatched in straight sets.
