LONDON, July 3: Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic safely progressed into the fourth round but only after he narrowly avoided being served a bagel during a hard-fought win over 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech, while Defending champion Jannik Sinner powered into the Wimbledon fourth round on Friday with a ruthless 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic suffered a shock exit in the last 32 of the French Open last month and while he prevented a repeat at the All England Club on Friday afternoon, a 7-5 6-4 1-6 7-6 (4) victory only told half the story for the 24-time grand slam singles winner.
Frenchman Rinderknech had been two points away from dishing out the 13th 6-0 score of Djokovic’s career during an extraordinary 18-minute third set on Centre Court, but the 39-year-old avoided that unwanted feat and regrouped in set four to go through.
Seventh seed Djokovic would have expected to face his Roland Garros conqueror and highly rated 19-year-old Joao Fonseca next, but he was outfoxed by Roman Safiullin earlier in the day.
Qualifier Safiullin produced 41 winners during a dominant display, but has lost all three previous meetings with Djokovic.
This was Djokovic’s 105th singles win at Wimbledon, which brought him level with Roger Federer.
Ruthless Sinner powers through
Sinner had never lost a Grand Slam match to a player ranked as low as world number 81 Brooksby and he delivered an imperious display on Court One to keep that streak intact. The 24-year-old is into the last 16 for the fifth time, equalling Nicola Pietrangeli’s record for most Wimbledon men’s singles fourth-round appearances by an Italian. He will face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki for a place in the pre quarter-finals.
Showing his steely desire to finish off Brooksby, Sinner broke out of his robotic persona to gesticulate towards the crowd – pointing at his ear to demand more noise from them – after winning a key point in the closing stages.
Sinner is the youngest man to reach at least the last 16 in five or more consecutive years in the Wimbledon singles since Pete Sampras in the 1990s. (Agencies)
