Novak Djokovic delivered a statement performance to surge into the Wimbledon third round on Wednesday, while defending champion Jannik Sinner also progressed despite another uneven display. The day’s biggest surprise came in the women’s draw, where French Open champion Mirra Andreeva was stunned in a three-set defeat by Barbora Krejcikova.
Djokovic’s emphatic win continued his history chase at the All England Club, while Sinner’s narrow escape again underlined that the world number one is still searching for his best rhythm early in the tournament. Andreeva’s exit, meanwhile, reshaped the women’s side of the draw after she arrived in London hailed as one of the sport’s rising stars following her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris.
Djokovic’s ‘vintage’ rout sets up Rinderknech meeting
Djokovic demolished Stefanos Tsitsipas in a 98-minute second-round rout, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. The seven-time Wimbledon champion struck 33 winners and made just seven unforced errors in a performance that served as a clear marker to the rest of the men’s field.
The result also extended a dominant head-to-head run: Tsitsipas, ranked world number 87, has now lost his last 12 meetings with Djokovic. For Djokovic, it was a sharp contrast to his first-round match on Monday, when he laboured against Wu Yibing in a rocky start to his latest campaign.
At 39, Djokovic is bidding to become the oldest man to win a major title in the Open era, and he is also chasing a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. The Serb, who won the most recent of his Wimbledon crowns in 2022, has “increasingly looked his age” over the last two Grand Slams, according to the report. He exited in the French Open third round after blowing a two-set lead against Joao Fonseca, but Wednesday’s display underlined his enduring class on grass.
Djokovic’s 104th match win at Wimbledon leaves him just one behind Roger Federer’s Open era record in the men’s singles. Next, he will face French 25th seed Arthur Rinderknech in the last 32.
Asked if it was a vintage performance, Djokovic embraced the description. “I’m feeling great. I like the terminology ‘vintage’, it brings back the best days and you feel very satisfied and joyful on the court when you’re playing this way,” he said.
Sinner battles past Borges and lines up Brooksby
Sinner, the defending champion and world number one, moved into the third round with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 win over Portugal’s Nuno Borges. The report noted Sinner “wasn’t at his best again,” but did enough to get through against the spirited world number 48.
The 24-year-old Italian had already been pushed hard in the first round on Monday, when he narrowly avoided an embarrassing exit by fighting back from two sets to one down to beat Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. Against Borges, Sinner again had to navigate tight moments, taking both of the opening sets in tie-breaks before closing out the match in straight sets.
Sinner’s next match will be a third-round tie against American world number 81 Jenson Brooksby. After the win, Sinner acknowledged there was work to do: “There’s a couple of things I need to improve. I felt some moments where I still need to get back to this rhythm,” he said.
Andreeva stunned as Sabalenka survives; big names advance
In the women’s draw, Andreeva’s Wimbledon run ended early despite arriving at SW19 with major momentum. The Russian teenager had been hailed as a rising star after winning her maiden Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros in June, but she could not carry that form through against Krejcikova.
Krejcikova, the 30-year-old Czech and a former French Open champion (2021), fought back for a dramatic 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory. The report said she “recaptured the magic” that inspired her unexpected Wimbledon title triumph two years ago. “What a match! It’s always been a huge fight against Mirra. I’m extremely proud I managed to win on this beautiful Centre Court, the best court in the world,” Krejcikova said.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, surviving a tough second set to beat American McCartney Kessler 6-1, 7-6 (11/9). The four-time Grand Slam champion booked a last-32 meeting with former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko. “That was a true battle and I’m super happy that I was able to stay in that second set,” Sabalenka said. The report added that Sabalenka has never won Wimbledon, losing in the semi-finals on each of her past three visits.
Elsewhere, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, seventh seed Coco Gauff and fourth seed Jessica Pegula all advanced. The report also noted Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback is in jeopardy after she suffered a knee injury in her singles defeat to Maya Joint on Tuesday, with her agent saying Williams “is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match” later this week alongside sister Venus.
