Key events
Alex de Minaur has come back brilliantly in his match against the French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. Having lost the first set 6-4, Demon has won the next two 6-2, 6-4.
One of the seed slayers, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, the Italian who took out the third seed Jessica Pegula in the first round, is out on Court 16. She’s facing the aptly named Katie Volynets (geddit?), who defeated Tatjana Maria, the 37-year-old former semi-finalist who had that fairytale run at Queen’s a couple of weeks ago. Cocciaretto is charging ahead and leads 4-0 in the opening set.
It’s show time on the show courts, with the Russian wonderkid Mirra Andreeva, already seeded seventh at the precocious age of 18, taking on Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti on No 1 Court. Andreeva stirs memories of Martina Hingis with her natural talent, high tennis IQ and varied all-court game – but she’s got more power than the 1997 runner-up, and she demonstrates that as she thunders to a 3-0 lead. Shortly on Centre Court it’ll be Novak Djokovic v Dan Evans.
Pinnington Jones’s defeat leaves us with six British players remaining from the 23 that started the tournament. Up next for Cobolli, meanwhile, is a third-round meeting with most likely Mensik, who now leads Giron by two sets to one.
Cobolli beats Pinnington Jones 6-1, 7-6, 6-2
The biggest match of Pinnington Jones’s life is drawing to a close, as Cobolli serves at 6-1, 7-6, 5-2. PJ saves a match point at 40-30, but Cobolli soon has another at his advantage, and the Brit errs with his backhand. Cobolli, like so many Italians these days, was a pleasure to watch, but Pinnington Jones will rue that set point he couldn’t take in the second set. Cobolli ran away with it after that.
Moutet also knows how the cause a stir. The volatile and mercurial Frenchman, who’s ranked 69 in the world, is no stranger to controversy, having been disqualified from a match in 2022, when the Federation of French Tennis expelled him and cut all his funding. He’s also clashed with various opponents, including Alexander Bublik in March, when the umpire had to separate them, before the pair almost ended up taking it outside. He’s behaving so far today, though, but trails 4-1, so may self-combust yet.
Navarro’s win means Grigor Dimitrov, the 2014 semi-finalist, and Corentin Moutet have made their way to No 3 Court. Not sure if the New Yorkers are sticking around for this one. But Moutet knows how to put on a show.
Navarro speaks. “I’m feeling really good. I played on this court back in juniors so it was good to be back here today. It’s intimate, I feel the energy from the crowd, I had some New Yorkers back here cheering me on. It’s a really fun court so I am happy to survive and advance and see another day.”
She’s then asked about being one of the surviving seeds. “I wasn’t on site yesterday so it didn’t affect me. It is kind of anyone’s tournament so we will see what happens.”
Just to rub salt into the wounds, Cobolli breaks at the start of the third set.
PJ regroups to grab another mini-break and it’s 5-4 … but Cobolli makes sure the Brit doesn’t get a set point as he puts away a forehand volley at full stretch, Boris Becker style. 5-5. But Cobolli can’t do anything to stop PJ securing a set point at 6-5! PJ blinks and nets, though, and it’s 6-6. Cobolli nudges ahead to 7-6 and a long, long point ensues, it’s getting tenser and tenser … and PJ eventually nets again. Ach. He’d done all the hard work to get back into the set, and had that set point, but now he’s two sets down. The fine margins. Having never played five sets before, it’s almost impossible to see a way back for him from here. Cobolli leads 6-1, 7-6 (6).
De Minaur, always up for an attritional battle, just like his mentor Lleyton Hewitt, has charged back to win the second set 6-2 against Cazaux. So it’s one set apiece. And Pinnington Jones and Cobolli are into a second-set tie-break, with PJ pegged back from 3-0 to 3-3 as they change ends …
Navarro beats Kudermetova 6-1, 6-2
Navarro has a second chance to serve out the match at 6-1, 5-2 and become today’s first player to put a W by their name. This time, last year’s quarter-finalist maintains her focus, easing to 40-0 and three match points. Kudermetova nets and Navarro takes out the former top-10er, with an assured and accomplished performance. Given all the seeds who’ve tumbled out, it’s a shame the world No 10 could face the defending champion Barbora Krejcikova next … though given Krejcikova’s injury problems, I’d make Navarro the favourite for that. The American has found real consistency over the past year, reaching the US Open semi-finals and Australian Open quarter-finals, and although she may not be the must talked-about Emma at Wimbledon, she could go deep here.
Pinnington Jones takes a leaf out of Kudermetova’s book by breaking Cobolli when the Italian is serving for the second set. It’s back on serve, with PJ trailing 6-1, 5-4.
Let’s get back to Court No 3, where Navarro, the American 10th seed, is serving for the match against Kudermetova, leading 6-1, 5-0. The Russian offers some late resistance, getting to 15-40, but concedes her two break points with two meek shots into the net, which take her unforced error count to 30. Deuce. Advantage Kudermetova, a third break point. And Navarro’s forehand is out! It may only be a brief reprieve, but at least Kudermetova has avoided the bagel.
And no sooner than PJ nearly breaks, the Brit is broken himself, to 15. There’s a collective sigh on Court 18, though the small Italian contingent cheer loudly. Cobolli is 6-1, 4-2 ahead.
What of Pinnington Jones, you say? Well he’s finally found a way to live with Cobolli and has a break point at 30-40, 2-2 in the second set. But his shot selection is all wrong on the break point as he goes for a low-percentage backhand down the line, when hitting cross-court would have been smarter. Cobolli punishes him with two quick points to hold. And the Italian 22nd seed leads 6-1, 3-2.
The scattered seeds so far:
Gauff (2), Pegula (3), Paolini (4) Zheng (5), Badosa (9), Shnaider (12), Muchova (15), Ostapenko (20), Haddad Maia (21), Vekic (22), Frech (25), Kostyuk (26), Linette (27), Fernandez (29), Kessler (32).
Zverev (3), Musetti (7), Rune (8), Medvedev (9), Tiafoe (12), Cerundolo (16), Humbert (18), Popyrin (20), Lehecka (23), Tsitsipas (24), Shapovalov (27), Bublik (28), Michelsen (30), Griekspoor (31), Berrettini (32).
Having already lost 31 seeds, De Minaur, the 11th seed, is two points from conceding the first set against Cazaux. The Australian miscues with a backhand and it’s 0-40, three set points. A long rally plays out … De Minaur scurries forward to put away the short ball … but misses! What a horribly error-strewn game. The French qualifier leads 6-4 and we could be witnessing another uprising from the depths of the Wimbledon draw.
Navarro emulates Cobolli, taking the first set 6-1. And Mensik is serving for the opening set against Giron, leading 5-4. Mensik, the 19-year-old rising Czech, has generated much chatter this season as the youngest player in the world’s top 20 and is a possible fourth-round opponent for Jack Draper. The 15th seed seals the set with an ace.
De Minaur gives Cazaux a, erm, cadeaux, as the Australian drops serve to 30 in an error-strewn sixth game. Having watched his fiance Katie Boulter lose in the second round yesterday, the 11th seed will be hoping it’s not contagious. And he does recover quickly, breaking back immediately, when Cazaux’s forehand fails. It’s 4-3 Cazaux, make that 4-4 as De Minaur holds with the new balls.
Set point Cobolli at 30-40 on PJ’s serve, and they’ve only been going 22 minutes. Cobolli nails a backhand down the line and that’s that. But it’s Cobolli’s forehand that’s caused the most damage so far, with PJ simply unable to read it. Cobolli leads 6-1. Court 18 was the scene of that Isner-Mahut marathon 15 years ago, but this could be over in double quick time, unless PJ is able to steady himself.
The grass is already turning into quicksand for Pinnington Jones, who falls a double break down and will soon have to serve to stay in the first set, trailing 5-1. Navarro’s charge, meanwhile, has been checked by Kudermetova after a game of deuces, with the American serving at 3-1, while De Minaur is 2-2 against Cazaux.
If you’re wondering who Pinnington Jones is, he’s another British product of the US college tennis system, and he only left Texas Christian University (also Cameron Norrie’s alma mater) in May after ditching his last year of studies to turn pro. The 22-year-old wildcard beat world No 53 Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the opening round to claim his first grand slam match win and has described today’s meeting with the 23-year-old Cobolli, who’s part of the Italian renaissance in tennis, as the “biggest match of my life”. PJ is also good friends with Jack Draper, having trained together as youngsters.
Navarro isn’t messing around. Twelve minutes in, the 10th seed leads 3-0, and has hit only once unforced error.
Pinnington Jones, looking like the 2002 champ Lleyton Hewitt with his backwards cap and diminutive frame, has begun his match too, but it’s been an inauspicious start. The Brit is broken in the opening game, to 30, after three successive errors: on the forehand, the backhand and then a double fault. Cobolli consolidates the break and it’s 2-0.
Tik, tok, tikity, tok, the players are warming up, but Navarro is in a hurry, she’s already under way on No 3 Court and looks set to hold in the opening game, before being hauled to deuce. But Navarro, who ended the Wimbledon career of the 2011 and 2014 champion Petra Kvitova in the first round, holds when Kudermetova clunks her shot into the net.
Do remember: you can get in touch with any predictions or general musings here. Let’s talk!
The clock has struck 11, so the players’ first challenge of the day is to battle through the crowds to get to the outside courts. Which is no easy task. Among the early starters: 11th seed Alex de Minaur v France’s Arthur Cazaux, 10th seed Emma Navarro v Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, Britain’s Jack Pinnington Jones v the Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli and 19-year-old shooting star Jakub Mensik v the American Marcos Giron.
And some pre-play viewing:
I posted this yesterday too, but it’s fun to watch again. If only the powers that be could construct a chain-reaction machine on Centre Court each day to get play under way …
Some pre-play reading:
Weather watch. Yesterday’s rain has done one, so play will get under way on time. The Wimbledon sauna of the first two days has also definitively departed, with a much-more-bearable high of about 25C forecast today.
Today’s order of play
Centre Court (1.30pm UK time)
Daniel Evans (GB) v (6) Novak Djokovic (Ser)
(8) Iga Swiatek (Pol) v Catherine McNally (US)
(1) Jannik Sinner (Ita) v Aleksandar Vukic (Aus)
No 1 Court (1pm)
(7) Mirra Andreeva (Rus) v Lucia Bronzetti (Ita)
Maria Sakkari (Gre) v (11) Elena Rybakina (Kaz)
(4) Jack Draper (GB) v Marin Cilic (Cro)
No 2 Court (11am)
(11) Alex De Minaur (Aus) v Arthur Cazaux (Fra)
(17) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) v Caroline Dolehide (US)
(28) Sofia Kenin (US) v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spa)
(10) Ben Shelton (US) v Rinky Hijikata (Aus)
No 3 Court (11am)
Veronika Kudermetova (Rus) v (10) Emma Navarro (US)
(19) Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) v Corentin Moutet (Fra)
Sebastian Ofner (Aut) v (13) Tommy Paul (US)
(16) Daria Kasatkina (Aus) v Irina-Camelia Begu (Rom)
Court 12 (11am)
Marcos Giron (US) v (15) Jakub Mensik (Cze)
August Holmgren (Den) v (21) Tomas Machac (Cze)
(23) Clara Tauson (Den) v Anna Kalinskaya (Rus)
Court 18 (11am)
(22) Flavio Cobolli (Ita) v Jack Pinnington Jones (GB)
Suzan Lamens (Ned) v (18) Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus)
Yuliia Starodubtseva (Ukr) v (19) Ludmilla Samsonova (Rus)
Marton Fucsovics (Hun) v Gael Monfils (Fra)
Court 4 (11am)
Alexander Erler (Aut) & Constantin Frantzen (Ger) v Jenson Brooksby (US) & Adam Walton (Aus)
Quinn Gleason (US) & Ingrid Martins (Bra) v Alexandra Eala (Phi) & Eva Lys (Ger)
(11) Sadio Doumbia (Fra) & Fabien Reboul (Fra) v Zizou Bergs (Bel) & Gabriel Diallo (Can)
Emily Appleton (GB) & Heather Watson (GB) v (5) Mirra Andreeva (Rus) & Diana Shnaider (Rus)
Court 5 (11am)
Yi Fan Xu (Chn) & Zhaoxuan Yang (Chn) v (7) Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukr) & Ellen Perez (Aus)
(10) Timea Babos (Hun) & Luisa Stefani (Bra) v Jaqueline Cristian (Rom) & Magali Kempen (Rom)
(13) Nathaniel Lammons (US) & Jack Withrow (US) v Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Fra) & Jordan Thompson (Aus)
Billy Harris (GB) & Marcus Willis (GB) v Alexander Bublik (Kaz) & Flavio Cobolli (Ita)
Court 6 (11am)
Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Col) & Alycia Parks (US) v Alicia Barnett (GB) & Eden Silva (GB)
Guido Andreozzi (Arg) & Marcelo Demoliner (Bra) v (9) Christian Harrison (US) & Evan King (US)
(10) Hugo Nys (Mon) & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (Fra) v Benjamin Bonzi (Fra) & Gregoire Jacq (Fra)
Victoria Azarenka (Blr) & Ashlyn Krueger (US) v Greet Minnen (Bel) & Monica Niculescu (Rom)
Court 7 (11am)
Aleksandar Kovacevic (US) & Learner Tien (US) v N.Sriram Balaji (Ind) & Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (Mex)
Marie Bouzkova (Cze) & Anna Danilina (Kaz) v Katarzyna Piter (Pol) & Mayar Sherif (Egy)
Matthew Romios (Aus) & Ryan Seggerman (US) v Luciano Darderi (Ita) & Diego Hidalgo (Ecu)
Miriam Skoch (Cze) & Marketa Vondrousova (Cze) v Polina Kudermetova (Rus) & Zeynep Sonmez (Tur)
Court 8 (11am)
Petr Nouza (Cze) & Patrik Rikl (Cze) v (15) Matthew Ebden (Aus) & John Peers (Aus)
(4) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) v Oksana Kalashnikova (Geo) & Elena Pridankina (Rus)
Cristina Bucsa (Spa) & Miyu Kato (Jpn) v (3) Sara Errani (Ita) & Jasmine Paolini (Ita)
Lui Maxted (GB) & Connor Thomson (GB) v (8) Nikola Mektic (Cro) & Michael Venus (Nzl)
Court 9 (11am)
Yunchaokete Bu (Chn) & Ray Ho (Tpe) v (4) Marcel Granollers (Spa) & Horacio Zeballos (Arg)
Shuko Aoyama (Jpn) & Ena Shibahara (Jpn) v Magda Linette (Pol) & Bernarda Pera (US)
(9) Tereza Mihalikova (Svk) & Olivia Nicholls (GB) v Kamilla Rakhimova (Rus) & Anna Siskova (Cze)
Lucia Bronzetti (Ita) & Ann Li (US) v Olivia Gadecki (Aus) & Desirae Krawczyk (US)
Court 10 (11am)
Ajla Tomljanovic (Aus) & Viktoriya Tomova (Bul) v Eri Hozumi (Jpn) & Aldila Sutjiadi (Ina)
Ella McDonald (GB) & Mingge Xu (GB) v Linda Noskova (Cze) & Rebecca Sramkova (Svk)
(8) Veronika Kudermetova (Rus) & Elise Mertens (Bel) v Hannah Klugman (GB) & Mika Stojsavljevic (GB)
Adam Pavlasek (Cze) & Jan Zielinski (Pol) v Santiago Gonzalez (Mex) & Austin Krajicek (US)
Court 11 (11am)
(6) Asia Muhammad (US) & Demi Schuurs (Ned) v Leylah Fernandez (Can) & Lulu Sun (Nzl)
Hanyu Guo (Chn) & Alexandra Panova (Rus) v Giuliana Olmos (Mex) & Renata Zarazua (Mex)
Robert Cash (US) & JJ Tracy (US) v Sander Arends (Ned) & Arthur Rinderknech (Fra)
Robin Haase (Ned) & Jean-Julien Rojer (Ned) v Nuno Borges (Por) & Marcos Giron (US)
Court 14 (11am)
Francisco Cabral (Por) & Lucas Miedler (Aut) v Jamie Murray (GB) & Rajeev Ram (US)
Fabian Marozsan (Hun) v Jaume Munar (Spa)
Anastasia Zakharova (Rus) v Dayana Yastremska (Ukr)
Johannus Monday (GB) & David Stevenson (GB) v Mattia Bellucci (Ita) & Fabian Marozsan (Hun)
Court 15 (11am)
Miomir Kecmanovic (Ser) v Jesper De Jong (Ned)
Hailey Baptiste (US) v Victoria Mboko (Can)
Pedro Martinez (Spa) v Mariano Navone (Arg)
(1) Katerina Siniakova (Cze) & Taylor Townsend (US) v Anna Bondar (Hun) & Moyuka Uchijima (Jpn)
Court 16 (11am)
(5) Julian Cash (GB) & Lloyd Glasspool (GB) v Vasil Kirkov (US) & Bart Stevens (Ned)
Katie Volynets (US) v Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Ita)
Danielle Collins (US) v Veronika Erjavec (Slo)
(29) Brandon Nakashima (US) v Reilly Opelka (US)
Court 17 (11am)
Xin Yu Wang (Chn) v Zeynep Sonmez (Tur)
Elsa Jacquemot (Fra) v Belinda Bencic (Swi)
(6) Joe Salisbury (GB) & Neal Skupski (GB) v Charles Broom (GB) & Joshua Paris (GB)
Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) v Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo)
Preamble
Hello and a warm welcome to our coverage of Wimbledon day four. Which almost feels as if it’s day eight given we’ve lost nearly half the seeds already – 16 on the women’s side and 15 on the men’s, to be exact – including four of the top five women, which has happened only once before at a grand slam in the open era. The courts may still be looking fairly pristine, but it’s really been messy out there. And the second round isn’t even over yet.
Among the names attempting to avoid the contagion today are the leader of the British pack Jack Draper; world No 1 Jannik Sinner; our seven-times champion Novak Djokovic, who head-scratchingly has a losing record against Dan Evans going into his match against the rejuvenated Brit; defending champion Barbora Krejcikova; 2022 winner Elena Rybakina; Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva and towel-snaffling Iga Swiatek. Maybe she’s keen to take as many mementos as she can before the seed-itis strikes.
Alex de Minaur is also in action, along with the hugely talented teen Jakub Mensik and the old-timers Grigor Dimitrov and Gael Monfils, who at 38 is twice the age of Mensik, while Draper and Evans are joined by the most British sounding of British tennis players Jack Pinnington Jones, plus Arthur Fery, who resumes two sets down against Italy’s Luciano Darderi.
And it’s as if the fourth of July has come a day early, with Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, Emma Navarro, Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins and the best name in tennis Katie Volynets among the 12 Americans in singles action. And all of this after the fifth seed Taylor Fritz dragged himself through a second successive five-setter last night to reach the third round. At least that’s one leading name who’s still (just about) standing.
Play gets going at: 11am UK time on the outside courts, 1pm on No 1 Court and 1.30pm on Centre Court.
