Righto, that’s it from me – thanks all for your company and comments, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Elina Svitolina v Marketa Vodrousova and Ons Jabeur v Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s semis. I can’t wait! But until then, peace and love.
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Alcaraz says it’s a dream to be in the semis of a “beautiful tournament”. He didn’t expect to play such a great level on grass so it’s crazy, and it was tough facing Rune, with whom he’s played doubles and is the same age as him, but “once you get into the quarters, no friends, you have to be focused on yourself, and I think I did great in that part.” He’s just an absolute killer, and asked about his shout of “Vamos!” when winning the first set, he was thinking”pull out all the revs”. He enjoyed the first two sets because of how he played, which put a smile on his face, and will enjoy the moment before preparing for Medvedev.
Carlos Alcaraz [1] beats Holger Rune [6] 7-6(3) 6-4 6-4!
A weak second serve but Rune can’t get into position to punish, instead looping long, and it’s Alcaraz, as obvious an all-time great as you could possibly see, who meets Medvedev on Friday. Rune played pretty well, but he’s not there yet, smothered by the legs, wit and power of the world number one.
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Now then: Alcaraz goes for the big finish with a second-serve ace, misses it, and then a decent backhand from Rune, behind which he follows in, makes 40-30…
Alcaraz comes in, daring Rune to pass him and he goes big on the backhand cross-court, but the ball sails wide; 15-0. A serve out wide and backhand clean-up then make 30, Rune nets a return for 40, and this is devastating competence. Three match points…
…before dredging up a T-serve that Alcaraz, on the stretch, can only block back long. From there, Rune sees out the hold, and after a little sit-down, the world number one will for the match.
A big serve gets Rune 30-all as he tries to force Alcaraz to serve out, but he looks absolutely bushed and tamely nets to hand over match point…
“Much has been (rightly) said about the fact that Coco Gauff is supporting her good friend Chris Eubanks at Wimbledon,” emails Dan Cavanillas. “A small detail that might have escaped those of you living in countries where basketball is not a great deal is that Alcaraz also has a special guest in his box. American basketball superstar Jimmy Butler is Carlos Alcaraz’s number one fan, so he is sitting in his box next to (I think) Alcaraz’s elderly grandfather. I find it quite interesting that a 33-year-old basketball superstar can idolise a player as young as Alcaraz and go out of his way to watch him live. But I also get a great deal of joy out of trying to imagine the small talk between Jimmy Butler and Alcaraz’s grandfather.”
Ah, that’s lovely.
An amazing backhand return cross-court gives Rune 15-all and he tries to get himself and the crowd going, but it’s his only point of the game and at 7-6 6-4 5-3, Alcaraz is a game away from a semi against Medvedev.
Rune hasn’t given this up and he fights through a hold for 3-4 in the third. He’s six days older than Alcaraz but, as we discussed with regard to Eubanks, different players mature at different times and he’s just a bit behind for now. It won’t necessarily always be that way, but it’s absolutely that way now; as Mac said in Paris, Becker was the best teenager he’s ever seen but Alcaraz is the best 20-year-old, which is to say things change.
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“Hebrew speaker here with two pedantic points,” says Jonathan Ginzburg. “The Hebrew word is actually pronounced \brogez\ (a consonant cluster \br\) and `rogez’ means ‘rage’ and the antonym to brogez is Sholem (clearly the yiddishized “Shalom”), which is the state one attains after ending a ‘brogez’. This might suggest that the Hebrew brogez in modern use builds on the Yiddish (finally, the non-ashkenazi counterpart to brogez in hebrew is “tshilba”)...”
I too speak Hebrew, but was taught through conversation rather than with any grammar. As far as I understand it, you can say someone is “berogez” with someone – that’s certainly how I’ve heard it – but I defer to your obvious expetise.
Alcaraz is cruising now, directing Rune about the court like he does so many others. He leads 4-2 and this is five to over.
On Centre, it’s a takeover now, Alcaraz doing to Rune what Djokovic did to him, the consistency of his hitting too much. So when he makes 15-40, a return onto the baseline prompts a netted riposte, and that’s the break in set three, the world number 1 now leading 7-6 6-4 3-2.
Medvedev says he hasn’t won many five-setters in his career, but on No1 he’s done it twice so it might be his favourite court anywhere. There was a moment in the match when he lost it, but during the third he found himself again though he still lost it, and during the tiebreak he “managed to play amazing”. The main thing in the semi, he reckons, will be to serve a lot of aces because on grass you can play well and lose 7-6 7-6 7-6 and no one will even know the level you hit.
What a lesson Eubanks is: keep trucking, and good will out. People mature at different times and now is his, but Medvedev is a very serious dude, sticking in there through the purple patch to outlast his opponent with a performance of quality, durability and desire.
Daniil Medvedev [3] Chris Eubanks 6-4 1-6 4-6 7-6(4) 6-1!
Christopher Eubanks, what have you done?! A fantastic show but now can’t and mustn’t be the end of the story; Medvedev, meanwhile, moves on to meet either Alcaraz or Rune in his first Wimbledon semi.
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Ach, Medvedev does a great job of retrieving a really good backhand, so Eubanks strides in only to overhit a tired forehand. Advantage and match point …
Medvedev holds, so Eubanks must serve to stay in the championships and 1-5 and he looks dog-tired now, a double at 40-30 meaning he’s to fight through deuce…
“I am a 66-year-old Jewish American and I have never ever heard the word broiges,” writes Mark Woldin. “Is it common in British English usage? I am delighted but perplexed.”
Er, no. It’s common in Jewish English usage, the word coming from the Hebrew “berogez”, meaning “in an argument”. It’s a very fine expression.
On No1, meanwhile, Medvedev secures his hold for 4-0 in the decider, but this match has been a triumph for Eubanks too. He belongs at this level and more than that, he’s got one of those infectiously joyful and amiable personalities such that the crowd have properly taken to him. Of course the way he plays is part of that too – the gigantic serve, flat backhand and desire to attack wherever possible. He holds for 1-4 in the fifth, salutes Centre Court, and will know that he’s forced the world’s third-best player to mine the depths of himself to get to this point.
Thanks Dave and hi again; I’m back just in time to let you know that the brilliant Carlitos has clinched the second set to lead Rune 7-6 6-4. There’s not loads in it, but there’s enough.
With Alcaraz on the brink of going two sets up and Medvedev about to extend his lead in the decider, I’ll hand back to Daniel Harris.
A flicker of hope for the Eubanks supporters (basically 98% of the crowd) as he takes the first two points of game four to go 30-0 up on the Medvedev serve. They reach deuce, three times in fact, before Medvedev sets up a game point.
On Centre, Alcaraz takes a firm grip on his quarter-final with Rune as he breaks to go 5-4 up in the second.
A cry of frustration from Eubanks as he clobbers a forehand into the net. Then another loose one on that side gives Medvedev break point. A first serve into the net opens the door and a third Eubanks error, this time on the backhand, makes it 3-0 Medvedev. It was pure gold for a while from the American but Medvedev’s far greater ring craft has turned this match around completely.
Medvedev throws in a double of his own to peg himself back to 15-15. Eubanks is always going to find winners and a backhand keeps him right in the hunt for an immediate break back. 30-all. But Medvedev sees the threat off, holding with an ace to go 2-0 up in the fifth.
Back on Centre, Rune is 4-3 ahead in the second with Alcaraz serving.
A dramatic start to the decider as Medvedev goes 40-0 up on Eubanks’ serve, letting his opponent make the errors. Feeling the pressure, Eubanks double faults to gift his opponent the game. Looking like a huge momentum swing here.
Fun fact: Medvedev made just one unforced error in that fourth set! Eubanks racked up 16. Who wins this now?
The Alcaraz-Rune match is still tight. The Spaniard took the opener on a tie-break and it’s 2-2 in the second.
The first two points of the tie-break are shared with heavy serves before Eubanks angles a backhand groundstroke way wide. Hmmm, that was clumsy. He then totally mistimes another to give Medvedev a 3-1 advantage. Is he creaking? Maybe not. Eubanks keeps going for the lines and gets it back to 3-3, fist-pumping along the way. Medvedev slams a forehand winner to retake the lead at 4-3 before Eubanks whips a forehand wide. That’s 5-3 and it soon becomes 6-3 as the American goes long. Three set points. Eubanks saves the first with a booming serve but then buckles, dropping a limp volley into the bottom of the net. Two sets all! We’re heading into a decider!!
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Answering all the questions, Eubanks pings down a pair of aces to move from 15-15 to 40-15. More serve and volley excellence takes us into a tie-break. It’s 1-1 between Rune and Alcaraz back on Centre.
Another strong hold for Medvedev as he goes 6-5 up in the fourth. Eubanks nukes four straight forehands at him at one point but he survives that onslaught and then bangs down an ace to close it out. The pressure is back on Eubanks.
On Centre, Rune holds his serve in the opening game of the second.
Rune really did very little wrong in that first set but the margins are so tight against Alcaraz. The Dane is serving first in the second.
Eubanks serve and volleys his way to 5-5 on No1. Match time 2hrs 15mins for those keeping time.
A huge roar to the skies from Alcaraz as a backhand winner from Rune’s serve gives him the opening set on the tie-break, 7-3.
Medvedev again wins a service game ridiculously quickly. Eubanks now serving to stay in the fourth set.
A double fault at 3-3 from Rune opens the door for Alcaraz, who finally opens some daylight by moving to 6-3 and earning three set points.
Eubanks is still doing his thang and that’s 4-4 in the fourth. A full house of holds so far in this set.
Medvedev starting to look ‘canny’ at times here, just hinting at weathering this ferocious Eubanks storm. A hold to love makes it 4-3 and he sits impassive in his chair. Both men are 27 but Medvedev is way more experienced in situations like this.
Guess what, it’s level in the tie break on Centre: 2-2 Alcaraz-Rune.
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Can Alcaraz time this to perfection and nick the set 7-5? He has a chance at 30-30 but his volley at the net is too heavy and Rune scampers to put away the forehand. Then Alcaraz goes wide and it’s a tie-break scenario.
On No1, Eubanks is still producing Patridge-esque “shit, did you see that” tennis. He makes it 3-3 with a 126mph second serve. As you do.
Medvedev rushes through another service game to go 3-2 in front. That’s the pattern so far in this fourth set: Medvedev holding without fuss and all the drama, thrills and spills coming on the Eubanks serve.
Now it’s Rune’s turn to ask a question. The Dane goes 30-0 up on the Alcaraz serve but once more that elusive first break won’t come as the world No 1 rallies. 6-5 Alcaraz.
Back to No1 and Eubanks puffs his cheeks as an overhead smash just has enough welly behind it to force Medvedev into an error with his opponent 30-0 up early in the game. Then a crunching volley takes him to 40-30 and another overhead does the trick and that’s 2-2.
At 5-4 up, Alcaraz saves three game points to force deuce as he bounces around the court, upping his levels. But Rune isn’t yielding, a drop, a lob and a volley at the net making it 5-5.
On No1, Medvedev wins another service game in the blink of an eye to go 2-1 up in in the fourth.
Rune gets to 30-0 on the Alcaraz serve to hint at a break but the Spaniard opts to mix it up and comes to the net from his serve to reduce the gap with a cute pick-up. Alcaraz then whizzes through the next three points to hold again. Just a slight concern for Rune as he feels his groin after a slip. 5-4 Alcaraz.
On No1, Medvedev wins a couple of break points, the second after Eubanks slams a forehand into the top of the net with the court wide open. An ace undoes the damage and then a rolled Federer backhand – Medvedev can only laugh – gives him game point. But he fluffs his lines for once, dumping an easy into the net to make this the longest game of the match so far. It soon ends though thanks to a booming serve. 1-1.
Thanks Daniel. Well, what fun this is. Am absolutely glued to this Medvedev-Eubanks match. Which isn’t ideal as I have to keep flicking my eyes left to Centre where it’s 4-4 in the first set between Alcaraz and Rune. That one’s brewing.
As I type this, Medvedev has just won the opening game of the fourth set in 50 seconds. Bonkers stuff.
Back on Centre, Alcaraz leads Rune 4-3 on serve, and to chill with you through the next hour, here’s Dave Tindall; I’m off to get the biscuits about which I fantasised earlier.
I simply cannot overstate how impressive this Eubanks performance is. Against Tsitsipas, he won the points he really had to – and on tow of them he was helped by doubles – but here, he’s dominating. Of course, as I type that he slams a forehand into the tape for 15-30 … only to retrieve the deficit with a terrifying serve and forehand clean-up. Another big forehand deals with the next point, Eubanks shaking fist while Medvedev’s riposte is in the process of dropping long, and a nuclear serve out wide clinches the set! Christopher Eubanks, making his Wimbledon debut at the age of 27, leads Daniil Medvedev, the world number three, by two sets to one! He’s one away from the last four, and something significant needs to happen to alter the flow here, because yerman is going for everything and hitting almost everything. It’s incredible!
Oh yes! Sent out wide, Eubanks creams a winner cross-court, then Medvedev goes long. But he’s a very serious individual and at 0-30 hammers an ace down the middle before a serve out wide levels the game. From there, Medvedev closes out, forcing his opponent to serve for a 2-1 lead at 4-6 6-1 5-4, and this match is on a rolling boil now.
Have an absolute look! Sent out wide to fetch a serve, Rune stretches to spank a flat forehand winner cross-court that gives him 15-30. From there, though, Alcaraz holds for 3-2 while, on No1, Medvedev loses a point and swats a ball towards a cameraperson; he’s warned, but is insistent it was an accident, which, well, looks like a reach to me. Eventually, Eubanks holds for 5-3, and Medvedev will now serve to stay in the second set!
Medvedev, though, is a solid individual, and after another big Eubanks forehand makes 0-15, he wins four points on the spin; on Centre, it’s now 2-2.
Alcaraz makes 0-30 on the Rune serve but Rune quickly reaches 40-30; he’s so confident in himself that he’s pretty solid under pressure, but invited in to chase a drop, he gets underneath it and spanks his forehand reply long. No matter, he cruises through deuce while, on No1, Eubanks is having the time of his left, a sensational forehand winner off a ball Medvedev lands on baseline and toes helping him hold for 4-2.
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Eubanks is flying! He breaks, consolidates, the Medvedev wins his first game in seven for 1-2 in the third. On Centre, it’s 1-1.
“One of the commentators said the Alcaraz/Rune match was THE match to watch as the lads are the ‘future of tennis’,” writes Niall O’Keefe. “Not relenting in my support for Eubanks and think he will win a few grand slam finals in the next eight years. He is 27. Working on winning a few over-50s tournaments myself here in Ireland. Strange but true!”
To go from never having competed at Wimbledon, to this, to winning even one major, would be a story of Rob Cross proportions and I’d love to see it happen. And good luck yourself, let us know how it goes.
We’re away on Centre, Alcaraz holding through deuce for 1-0.
Ach, up 40-0 Eubanks does all the hard work then sticks a pickup half-volley into the tape. A dumped forehand follows and now there’s pressure, which tells when a backhand goes long for deuce. Ahahahaha, a gigantic ace down the T settles the nerves … then another seals a frankly stupendous set! This is great stuff! Medvedev landed 89% of his first serves there but only won 50% of the points, which is one metric for telling us just how well Eubanks played, but his net-game was also on-point. Medvedev 6-4 1-6 Eubanks
Oh wow! Eubanks is on one here, making returns like nobody’s business – his overall ranking on them, using the measurements for spin and speed, has gone up from 6.1 to 9.5 and armed with a 5-1 lead he’ll now serve for the set! Lloyd, meanwhile, notes that if he closes out, this’ll be one of the best set (of tennis) he’s seen from anyone.
On Centre, Alcaraz and Rune are warming up.
Lanking along the baseline, Medvedev digs out a backhand winner down the line hunched over a ball that barely bounces – that is a phenomenal shot. But Eubanks eventually secures hos consolidation through deuce. He leads 4-1 in the second and looks good to level the match at a set apiece.
“I’m 48 and can relate to your comments on Martina,” says Jimmy Cook (presumably not the former Somerset opener). “Loved watching her, always rooted for her, the epitome of a competitor and a thoroughly decent person. Hard as nails, emotional, and all class.”
She also changed the game, the first female tenniser to push the boundaries of what her body could achieve physically. An amazing individual.
…so Medvedev splatters an ace out wide. Another serve out wide follows, and though Eubanks returns it as well as can be expected, a wrongfooting forehand into the space he vacated and it’s 30-40. But Eubanks is getting more balls back now, and when a pair of big forehands are backed up by a really clever backhand slice cross-court, taking pace off the ball, Medvedev goes wide! Having lost the first, Eubanks leads 3-1 in the second, and is showing the same as he did in beating Tsitsipas: you cannot sleep on this man.
Chale! Serving at 4-6 1-1, Eubanks Air Jordans a smash like you wouldn’t believe, and in co-comms, John Lloyd discusses what a great lad he is, giving freely of his time to help at a tennis academy in one of the poorest congressional districts in the US, where they loved him so much they’ve set up a special watching area for his matches. And now he’s got 0-40 on the Medvedev serve…
In all this – OK, my – chatter, we shouldn’t forget the first women’s semi, between Elina Svitolina and Marketa Vondrousova. Svito is already the tennis story of the year, coming back from giving birth in October and returning to the tour just three months ago then, with the war in Ukraine dominating her thoughts, making the last eight in Paris and the last four here. Somehow – perhaps thanks to the peace in her personal life – she’s a better player now than when she took her break, and is competing with so much fire.
Yup, Medvedev serves out to 15, sealing a 6-4 first set with an ace down the middle. He’s moved through the draw almost unnoticed, and is visibly – but not literally! – growing on grass.
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Ah man, it’s so good to see Martina looking so well. One of my first sporting heroes even before I understood the things about her that I understand now, she was a colossal figure even before her Real Housewives cameos, and I highly recommend the BBC’s God of Tennis series, one of which is about her and Chris Evert, definitely my first sporting crush. The story of their friendship is so moving.
On No1, Eubanks holds for 4-5, forcing Medvedev to serve for the first set.
This is, incidentally, the first time in the open era – which began in 1968 – that a quarter-final has featured two men aged 20 or younger.
Next on Centre: Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Holger Rune [6]. Ahahahahaha, don’t mind if we do!
Jabeur is pleased with how she managed her emotions, getting angry then getting calm, and she knew she had to go for every shot because if you take it easy against Rybakina it doesn’t work. She wishes she could exchange this match for last year’s final but, told the first set could’ve gone either way, it should’ve gone her way, and she was yelling at her coaches that they told her to play in the manner she was and it wasn’t working. She saw Sabalenka won quickly so wasn’t pleased about that, but knows she’s a great player and hopes the crowd will be with her; they roar their approval.
Wow! That was a proper arse-kicking, and not because Rybakina didn’t play well. Jabeur just worked her out and her level of performance matched her level of intelligence.
Ons Jabeur [6] beats Elena Rybakina [3] (5)6-7 6-4 6-1!
A brilliant, brilliant performance from Jabeur, who made the defending champ look leaden and lumpen. She meets Sabalenka in the semis and I want to watch that match right now.
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On No1, Medvedev leads 4-3 with a break; Jabeur has 30-15, then nets a slice to make things close right as I’m going to type that she’s closing out without a hint of nerves. A serve out wide follows and Rybakina can’t control her return, so at 40-30, it’s match point!
Now then! Up 0-15, Jabeur murders a backhand winner down the line and though Rybakina closes to 15-30, she then swats a backhand wide and plenty ceding two break points. And even if she retrieves this game, the way the pair are playing, she’s relying on her opponent tightening on the line, because Ons has all the answers at the moment. AND THERE IT IS! Two booming backhands down the line, the second a wrongfooter as Rybakina returns to the open court, makes the double break and 5-1! Jabeur will now serve for the semis at 6-7 6-4 5-1!
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From 15-40, Jabeur does superbly to make deuce, then on advantage plonks an ace onto the T like it’s nothing. At 4-1, Rybakina is running out of road, but her opponent has serious pressure in the post.
Anyone seen the Becker doc on Apple TV? I enjoyed it – I grew up with Boris so I’m biased because he’s part of my childhood, his first two Wimbledon wins possibly the greatest sporting achievement of my lifetime. It’s really good on the pressure of that – as was the case with George Best, how do you cope when you’re the first, so no one has a clue how to handle things? – and the archive is sensational.
It’s all Ons now, and she makes 0-30 before Rybakina – who’s never lost at Wimbledon when she’s won the first set – thrashes a backhand winner cross-court. A big serve follows and we wind up at deuce, the hold secured for 1-3 in the third.
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Coco Gauff is in Eubanks’ box and he credits her – and Naomi Osaka – with convincing him he belongs at this level. He’s had a difficult start though, broken by Medvedev for 2-1, while Jabeur consolidates for 3-0 in the third, though she has to go through deuce to make it happen.
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The force is with Ons and she makes 0-30, wise to Rybakina’s power now; there’s a mismatch of guile, I think, Jabeur able to craft angles that her opponent cannot, and read her like she wrote her. And on 0-40, she’s seeing it well enough to wait for a first serve, which she drills back to make the break! This is fantastic stuff, and Rybakina needs to change something because for now she’s fighting with a broadsword and being torn apart by someone brandishing a rapier.
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Oh aye! With Jabeur serving at 30-15, Rybakina bangs a rare winner down the line – I wonder if she’ll go for that more often now her cross-court is getting read – and at 40-30, she finds a screeching backhand cross for deuce. Then, down advantage, she does it again, except this time, a careless volley offers the chance for a forehand winner and Jabeur tucks right in, securing her hold for 1-0 in the third; on No1, they’re under way with a hold apiece.
Jabeur was much the better player in that second set, landing more first serves, hitting 26 winners to 16, and generally playing with greater intensity and conviction. So, as in last year’s final, we need a third set to separate these two, and it might just be that this no longer a matchup but a rivalry.
Shonuff she slams down to the forehand; Jabeur returns then, when the ball comes back creams a forehand winner down the line and though it’s soon 15-all, another forehand winner, this time an even better shot cross-court, takes her two points away from the set. And when she lands a backhand onto the baseline, Rybakina can only dig out a floater, so Jabeur advances, puts away a winner for two set points … AND SHE ONLY NEEDS ONE! A short, weak second serve means she can come in, punish a backhand into the corner, and we’ve got ourselves out decider! Jabeur 6-7 6-4 Rybakina
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Medvedev and Eubanks are out to knock up; Jabeur also makes her hold, for 6-7 5-4, with an ace onto the line that survives a challenge. At change of ends, we see a diagram of Rybakina’s serving, which shows that in the deuce court, she goes out wide 63% of the time, so Martina advises Ons to take a couple of steps to her right because at 4-5, no one is changing stuff up.
On Centre, our players are holding easily at the moment, Rybakina clinching 4-4 with an ace onto the T. We look headed for another tiebreak though, if you’re twisting my melons ear I’d say Jabeur looks the likelier.
“He may not wear a monocle but Christopher Eubanks with an ‘s’ is a class act,” returns Niall O’Keefe. “He seems so relaxed on court. Not a betting man but I have a hunch he will make the final and then anything can happen!”
Funny you say that, I’m broiges with him because in beating Tsitsipas, he ruined my otherwise very clever accumulator. But I agree, he seems quality, and am delighted to advise that Calv Betton, our resident coach, says he’s a top, top lad. He can definitely beat Medvedev if he serves like a boss, though I’d be staggered if he beat the winner of Alcaraz and Rune.
On another matter, would anyone like to deliver me some biscuits, sweets and crisps? In a move that’s retro even for a nostalgia junkie of my standing, I appear to have developed Covid and with it a ravenous desire to eat things that do not, in the opinion of some, constitute a meal.
On No1, by the way, they’re closing the roof – they left it after starting during the last match. On which point, I guess in the end, it went as we thought, Sabalenka just doing everything a bit better. Keys, though, brought it and had her chances; turning up and performing as she did will remind her she’s good enough to be there, and her level was high enough to have beaten either of yesterday’s winners pretty much whatever they did. At 28, she doesn’t have ages left, but I hope we look back at these championships as a turning point in her career.
Back on Centre, Jabeur now leads Rybakina 3-2 in the second having lost the first, and while I’m not partial – I love both of these – we, they and this match deserve a decider, so come on Ons.
Next on Court 1: Daniil Medvedev [3] v Christopher Eubanks
Sabalenka can’t wait to play her second Wimbledon semi and hopes she does better than last time when she somehow found away to lose to Pliskova. She thanks the crowd for creating the atmosphere, saying she enjoyed it even though they supported Keys more than her. She’s always dreamt of winning Wimbledon and doesn’t think it matters who she plays next as it’s a tough battle either way.
Aryna Sabalenka [2] beats Madison Keys [25] 6-2 6-4!
Another serve as big as a house, Keys can’t return, and Sabalenka is into another semi-final! She’s so much tougher under pressure now, and meets either Jabeur or Rybakina next.
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…and she goes for it as you’d expect, clouting a fearless second serve only for Keys to drop a fine return short … and she can’t respond. No matter: another ludicrous serve gives Sabalenka a second match point…
A gigantic return to open the game gives Keys a sniff, but Sabalenka turns up the power to make 30-15 … do Keys does likewise, drilling away from the back until her opponent nets. Sabalenka, though, simply digs into her toolbox and removes a terrifying serve out wide, good enough to raise match point…
Rybakina nets a simple putaway volley at the net, giving Jabeur 0-30, then a half-court ball is punished, just about, the riposte to an injudicious drop going wide. Rybakina, though, saves the first two break points, the second with an ace out wide and onto the chalk … and the third with an ace down the middle. That’s absolutely superb behaviour and from there, Rybakina closes out for 7-6 1-1. Meantime, on No1, Sabalenka races to -40 – that’s 12 points on the spin for her since being broken – and though Keys saves the first break point, she can’t muster anymore, and out of nowhere, the number 2 seed will serve for the match at 5-4 in the second! That’s a lesson for Keys right there: at this level, you can’t lose focus, ever.
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Oh Maddy! Maddy Maddy Maddy Maddy. From up 40-0 she finds herself down advantage, Sabalenka tucks into a barrage of backhands, and eventually forces the error. She leads 6-2 3-4. These matches are delivering everything they promised, but to make properly good they need a deciding set.
“Great double backhand from Jabeur to break Rybankina’s serve and go 6-5 up,” says Niall O’Keefe. “But it did look out! And Rybankina , incredibly, did not challenge. Maybe she saw it was in?”
Yeah, perhaps there was a puff of chalk.
Lovely from Jabeur, down 4-6 and finding a terrific wrongfooting backhand; Rybakina has one more set point on her own serve and finds a monster delivery down the middle that’s good enough. Jabeur (5)6-7 Rybakina
Keys gets her break! Sabalenka, whose first serves are going in less frequently now, goes wide and that’s 2-6 4-2!
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Oh Maddy! Up break point, Sabalenka picks wrong, hitting the ball at her opponent with the court open … only for Keys nets a backhand that she just needed to get in play! She knows what a chance that was and looks frustrated when she makes advantage and can’t control her return. Credit to Sabalenka, though, who isn’t cowed to turn down the pace when put under. So we go back to deuce while, on Centre, Rybakina leads 5-3 in the tiebreak.
Jabeur decelerates on a forehand – pressure! – giving Rybakina 15-40, but a big serve out wide saves the first break point. Then, during the next rally, a succession of balls down the middle deny Jabeur the angles she wants, but she creates her own to spank a forehand that’s good enough for deuce. Rybakina, though, isn’t going away and on her next advantage she thrashes away until Jabeur nets a backhand! We’ve got ourselves a breaker!
There’s not much between Rybakina and Jabeur; the former has the better serve and power, the latter the better spins and hands. Down 0-15, Rybakina responds with an ace, but Jabeur finds a nice inside-out forehand down the line; in co-comms, Martina – most renowned as a star of Real Housewives of Miami but also a fair tennis player in her day – notes that she waited for that because she knew the ball was going cross-court, and that if you can pick it, it doesn’t matter how hard it’s been hit. Jabeur then makes her way to 15-40 and when Rybakina is careless with a volley, patted onto the backhand side, a majestic cross-court winner spirited onto the outside of the sideline, secures the break! Jabeur will now serve for set one at 6-5!
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Jabeur holds to love – that’s 5-5 – and so does Sabalenka – that’s 6-2 2-2.
Ben Stokes serving up a treat at #Wimbledon today.
— David Coverdale (@dpcoverdale) July 12, 2023
I can report Steve Smith also just walked past and avoided any chants of “cheat” or “we saw you cry on the telly”. Wimbledon folk more forgiving than the Western Terrace… pic.twitter.com/393mcYDMBO
On No1, they’re closing the roof, which suggests that proper rain is imminent. I shudder to think how quickly the ball will travel now but can’t wait to see while, on Centre, a pair of comfy holds give Rybakina 5-4; Jabeur will shortly serve to stay in the first srt.
Ons is wearing Lotto, a lovely bit of nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the Football Italia generation – I mean just look at them – and, I’m afraid, that banner. Rybakina holds for 4-3 while, on No1, a magical wrongfooting forehand helps Keys make deuce from behind. On advantage, though, she nets a backhand down the line and hangs her head because she knows she can’t give up as many breaking opportunities as in the first set. But she hangs in there well to secure her hold for 2-1 in the second.
Oh man! Keys holds for 2-6 1-0, then Sabalenka smokes a backhand into the net with such force it pretty much tips the ball over for her, cowering under the weight. I don’t think I’ve seen any woman, not even Serena or Rybakina, hit it harder, more often, than she does. Sabalenka holds for 2-2 in the second while, on Centre, Jabeur rescues a difficult situation with a tremendous lob that gives her a hold for 3-3. So far, these two look really well-matched.
Focusing on Centre for a moment, Rybakina breaks to love for 3-1 then Jabeur runs down a drop and flips back a winner for a 0-40 of her own. And what a return she finds, not to the corner but hit with such flat speed that Rybakina can do nothing even though the ball isn’t far from her. Already, this is a fantastic match. Jabeur 2-3 Rybakina
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Meanwhile, of our second tussle, he says: “I think Rybakina will win the tournament. I can’t see her not overpowering Jabeur. Ons is a lovely player to watch but not sure she can keep Ryba off her.”
Yes, that sounds fair, though I think Jabeur has added a bit of power to her game of late. I do, though, think Sabalenka hits it that bit harder than Keys and plays unreturnable shots more often.
“A straight punch-out,” says Coach Calvin Betton of our first match. “I don’t know if Sabalenka is a better version, she just produces it more regularly. But their top and bottom levels are about the same.”
Keys gets to 30-all then a second serve just about trickles over the net to save her a double. No matter, Keys moves back on serve, tempting Sabalenka to go out wide to the forehand, and when she does, a booming return into the tootsies raises break point. Which Sabalenka saves with yet another weapons-grade forehand, then a serve clobbered down the middle gives her set point. Keys, though, is hanging in there a luscious backhand return cross-court making deuce … before an inside-out backhand winner brings about another set point. Oh and this is great stuff, Keys dematerialising a backhand of her own cross-court, and already I’m running out of verbs to describe just how venomously these are hitting it. Sabalenka, though, is doing it just that bit better and from there she closes out the set, a monstrous serve down the middle sealing the deal. Keys, though is playing well, so this isn’t over. Keys 2-6 Sabalenka
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I said Sabalenka is a better version of Keys and one obvious difference so far is the second serve – Keys takes a lot of pace off, Sabalenka’s is still nails. But the American holds to 15, finishing with an ac to force her opponent to serve for the set at 5-2 while, on Centre, Rybakina has just sent down an ace for 30-0 in the first game.
Updated
They go and sit down, then the rain stops and now it’s sunny again so Keys is ready to serve.
“Why is it that grunting or screaming or whatever isn’t classed as hindrance,” wonders @Mysteron_Voice, “and at what point does any sort of noise (or action) become so?”
I think the way most players deploy it, as a kind of metronome when they’re making a shot, isn’t distracting. If it was at random moments, when their opponent was playing, it’d be different.
Ach, it’s raining; Sabalenka tells Keys she’s serving so it’s her choice as to whether they should proceed.
On Centre, Jabeur and Rybakina are with us, and I wish I had four sets of eyes. Sabalenka holds again for 5-1 and, so far, what we said earlier is what’s going on: Keys is losing to a better version of her.
“Beige epidemic,” begins Jeremy Boyce. “You’re bloody right, here, try this, Peter Perrett and the boys had it right, ‘Run from the beast’. “What’s Sir Cliff wearing this year?”
I can answer that.
Sir Cliff Richard court side on day eight of The Championships, #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/CAuTS3acmQ
— Spotted @ Wimbledon (@CelebsWimbledon) July 10, 2023
A murderous forehand return into the corner, a brutal backhand return into the corner and a clever backhand slice into the corner give Sabalenka 15-40 – she’s hitting it so hard I can hear the balls crying out in pain. And, though Keys saves one break point, another slice forces her to come in and this time it’s so low she can’t get it up and over the net, meaning she trails 1-4. She’s played pretty well too, iut’s just that Sabalenka is, as the yout dem say, on absolute flames. It’s affirming to watch.
We feared unnecessarily – Keys has turned up, unfurling a mahoosive forehand return for 15-all. But from there, a succession of serves and forehands give Sabalenka the 3-1 lead and in co-comms, Tracy Austin reckons she’s shortened her backswing for grass because the ball comes at you quicker. Her opponent is playing well, but she looks impregnable out there.
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Seriously, what is it with beige? it’s an epidemic!
Kate Cassidy and Liam Payne attend day ten of The Championships, #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/d07H9AvYFZ
— Spotted @ Wimbledon (@CelebsWimbledon) July 12, 2023
Ted Lasso actor Phil Dunster attends day ten of The Championships, #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/nXPGni6BZR
— Spotted @ Wimbledon (@CelebsWimbledon) July 12, 2023
It’s sunny on No1 now and Keys is into stride, holding comfortably for 1-2. But at the end of the game she approaches the umpire, who then makes a call with the lesser-spotted telephone. All I heard was she doesn’t want to make it a thing, so perhaps she’s a minor twinge – we shall see.
Email! “‘Then, we end our day with a brute,” says James W, quoting me back to me. “‘Carlos Alcaraz is, quite simply, the future of tennis, a bouncing bundle of joy and violence improving on grass with every set.’
But you know how Sunday is going to go, right? A 20 year old will put his heart and soul into proceedings for two, maybe three sets. But Djok Navakovich, age 36, will just be getting started. And look like he can keep doing this for another 2-3 hours (or 10, if need be), with every return deep and down to the feet, kissing the baseline.
He might get mildly peeved off (by say losing a set or two), while Carlos ‘Escape From (I’ll get my coat, etc and so forth) Alcaraz tires himself out, gets cramp, while Djok will move like a man a decade younger, and systematically, methodically, crush him in four or five. This is Novak’s world. We are just living in it (from a Federer fan). Unreal the heights Djok is taking motivation, having quite literally won everything there is to win in tennis, at least thrice, the fitness, the preparation, the mental game. Borg retired at 26. Fed played on till almost 40 (but when the injuries came, they all came at once - right at the end). Rafa is another outlier, especially given his style. But what these three men are doing (actually, Andy Murray as well, for different reasons, and with different results, not really slams, though still super laudable), for as long as they are doing it - I think it will not be truly recognised till all three retire (Fed is, Rafa basically is, bar one more run at next year’s French Open, Novak probably has another 18 months at this insane level). I don’t think we will see three players quite like this again – for a generation or two. Tennis careers end at early, maybe mid thirties, or at least, they used to. Not any more. Not when you have Novak outplay – and out-fitness, a man 16 years younger, on a consistent basis, in the biggest, most high pressure moments. I take my hat off to the man, what he is doing, for as long as he is doing it, is unparalleled in tennis – perhaps bar Giggsy or Tom Brady in NFL, in ALL of modern sport.”
Yes, and I think what happened to Alcaraz in Paris wasn’t really a fitness issue but an ability to access that fitness under that kind of pressure – the mental pressure of playing Djokovic. Meantime, Sabalenka holds to 30 and leads 2-0.
Immediately, Sabalenka raises two break points and, as per the below, where she’s capable of losing at the end, Keys is still capable of no-showing from the start. But she saves one with a colossal serve then, when Sabalenka slams back a second-serve return, she finds a high-quality inside-out backhand winner for deuce and, down advantage, again opens shoulders to save herself with a forehand down the line from outside court. This is a terrific start, both players grooved and attacking anything short, floated or soft like it called their mum a rude word, and when, back on deuce, Keys sends down a double, Sabalenka punishes her in the proper manner with a backhand slice that’s almost a table tennis shot, the ball curving away from Keys, bouncing, and curving away again for a clean winner! You don’t see many of them, and already this match is fizzing. Sabalenka leads 1-0 with a break.
Updated
Keys will serve…
And off we go!
“I feel vintage Madison on grass,” says, er, Madison, and ultimately the kind of match we’re about to see depends on her. Sabalenka might still fold under pressure, but not until it gets tight at the end; prior to, her bottom level is now stratospheric, and the only way Keys can compete is by bringing her best and taking it deep.
Keys and Sabalenka are with us, and it’s just stopped raining in Fabulous North London; at Wimbledon it’s merely overcast.
Tunnnnnne!
Catch up with Tuesday at SW19:
Preamble
Hello there and welcome to Wimbledon 2023 – day 10!
And what a day it is. We begin proceedings on Court 1, where frankly you feel for the balls, who are in for a painful afternoon. In her fourth-round match against Marra Andreeva, Madison Keys found herself just in time, adapting tactics on the fly to overpower her brilliant opponent and dodge the embarrassment of being the person whose defeat allowed a 16-year-old into the last eight. But today, she meets the player most similar to herself who is also better than she is – Aryna Sabalenka hits it even harder, has an even better touch, and in Melbourne, finally held it down when it mattered to win her first Slam. However, her semi-final collapse at Roland-Garros reminded us that, despite her progress, she is who she is, so a battle of devastating power, beauty and frailty awaits.
Opening up on Centre, meanwhile, we have a repeat of last year’s final that is so enticing it’s almost obscene. Elena Rybakina, the champ, perpetrates some of the most ludicrous hitting we’ve ever seen and, just as importantly, knows she can because she has. Ons Jabeur, on the other hand, remains absolutely desperate to and, fired not just by the intensity of her own desire but by who she represents, has augmented her beguiling array of angles and spins with yet more pop, her fourth-round destruction of Petra Kvitova suggesting a player totally at one with herself. Anyone who thinks they know how this’ll go is deluding themselves.
Turning to the men, our first quarter of the day looks to be between the also-rans: no one thinks either Daniil Medvedev or Christopher Eubanks will be dancing about with a shiny pot come Sunday evening. Which is a strange thing to say given a) the world’s third-best player can serve well enough to give anyone a problem and has beaten Novak Djokovic in a major final, and b) his unseeded opponent is on a tear, and when that happens, anything can happen.
Then, we end our day with a brute. Carlos Alcaraz is, quite simply, the future of tennis, a bouncing bundle of joy and violence improving on grass with every set. But Holger Rune is not dissimilar, processing information like a computer and using it to fire a personality which believes that, at 20, he’s already the best player who ever lived. He won’t want to win, he’ll expect to win, and he has all the weapons to make it happen. So, stick with us, because this is going to be glorious.
Play: 1pm BST Court 1, 1.30pm BST Centre Court
