06/07/2025

SPORTS 12 ON SUNDAY JULY 6, 2025

Alcaraz into Wimbledon last 16

SHORTS BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT Brian Shelton failed to persuade the umpire to give him just one more minute in the gathering gloom at Wimbledon on Thursday… but proved his point when he returned 16 hours later to wrap up victory in just 71 seconds. The second-round match was halted at 9:29pm (Fri, 4.29am Malaysian time) due to fading light. When he returned in the sunshine on Friday, Shelton strode back onto Court Two with one goal, to finish off Australia’s Rinky Hijikata quickly. Four swishes of the racquet later, including three aces, and the job was done, with 10th seed Shelton wrapping up a 6 2, 7-5, 6-4 win. The official match time of two hours and 12 minutes failed to tell the whole story. “He (the supervisor) said it was a five-minute warning until Hawk-Eye (line-calling technology) was going down,” Shelton said. “That was, like, including the changeover, so there wouldn’t be enough time to complete the game. “I was telling him, ‘I only need 60 seconds’. That’s kind of what my goal was when I went out there today.” Shelton will play Marton Fucsovics in the third round after the Hungarian beat veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils in five sets, in another match held over. TSITSIPAS SLAMMED AFTER EARLY EXIT Goran Ivanisevic gave a scathing assessment of Stefanos Tsitsipas, saying he has “never seen a more unprepared player” in his life following the Greek world No. 26’s opening round exit at Wimbledon. Tsitsipas, the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open runner-up, was forced to retire from his Wimbledon first-round match while trailing 6-3 6-2 to French qualifier Valentin Royer on Monday due to a back injury. The 26-year-old, who said he had no answers to his ongoing fitness problems after his elimination, appointed Croatian Ivanisevic as his coach in May after a string of disappointing results at the Grand Slams. Tsitsipas, a former world No. 3, has reached only one quarterfinal in his last nine Grand Slam tournaments. “It’s simple and it’s not simple. I’ve talked to him a lot of times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance and he’ll return to where he belongs, because he’s too good a player to be out of the top 10,” Ivanisevic told Serbian network Sport Klub after Tsitsipas’ exit. “He wants to but he doesn’t do anything. All ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see that progress… I was shocked, I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I am three times more fit than him. This is really bad.”

CARLOS ALCARAZ battled past Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the Wimbledon last 16 yesterday. Men’s second seed Alcaraz eventually overcame German world No. 125 Struff 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to stay on track for a third straight Wimbledon crown. But the Spaniard will have to cut out his errors if he is to become just the fifth man in the Open era to perform that feat. “I knew it was going to be really difficult. I had to be really focused. His game suits the grass with the big serves,” said the 22-year old. “It’s stressful. To be honest, I was suffering in every service game today, 0-30, break points down. “I’m really pleased that I was fighting, running for every ball and making great shots.” Alcaraz, watched by former England captain Gary Lineker and former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, made 28 unforced errors in an inconsistent display on Centre Court.

Those not in the know would have been surprised to hear the former top-20 player describe how he was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis – a condition which inflames the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain and causes vertigo and imbalance. “I had the issue which affected my perception, my balance and I’ve been trying to come back and recover,” an emotional Jarry said. “It’s been physically, emotionally and psychologically very tough.” Such was the impact of the condition that after reaching the Rome final last year, his form fell off a cliff, the wins dried up, and his ranking plummeted outside the top 100. He had to qualify for Wimbledon this year, winning three matches, but now he is looking forward to the prospect of a clash with Britain’s Cameron Norrie on Sunday. – AFP/Reuters

book his place in the fourth round, where he will meet Russia’s Andrey Rublev. Alcaraz is yet to show his best form after being pushed to the brink in a five-set win over 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini in the first round while he looked below his best again against British amateur Oliver Tarvet. US men’s fifth seed Taylor Fritz avoided a third straight five-setter, beating Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5 7), 6-1. Britain’s Cameron Norrie saw off Italian Mattia Bellucci in straight sets to qualify the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022, when he reached the last four. Highly promising Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca was ousted by Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry.

Shaken and stirred But he conjured enough moments of magic to eventually subdue his opponent and “I came here with him when I was 10 years old and 11. Since then, I’m in love with this tournament,” said Jarry. World No. 1 Sabalenka douses Raducanu fire to reach fourth round

ARYNA SABALENKA looked shaken and stirred yesterday as it appeared she would become the most high-profile name to join the mass exodus of Wimbledon seeds before her survival instincts kicked in to secure a 7-6(6), 6-4 third-round win over Emma Raducanu. Wimbledon fans are no strangers to floodlit blockbusters featuring British home favour ites, with Andy Murray provid ing plenty of late-night thrills under a closed Centre Court roof during his stellar career. Yesterday, after being kept waiting to take centre stage, it was Raducanu’s turn to provide the drama as she played some electrifying tennis to surge into a 4-2 lead in the first set and was again up 4-1 in the second. Unfortunately for Raducanu, getting over the finishing line proved a step too far. “She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard. To get this win, I had to fight for every point like crazy,” the world number one told the crowd after improving her record over British opponents to 9-0. “She was making me move a lot, serving well and playing great tennis from the baseline. I was just trying to stay focused

were also wins for Britain’s Sonay Kartal, who gave a remarkable display against French qualifier Diane Parry, claiming nine games in a row to come from 1-4 down to win 6 4, 6-2, and 13th seed Amanda Anisimova. – Reuters

Open in 2021 but is still hun gry for success. “I feel like while I still have the opportunity to try to do it, I want to,

and put as many balls as I could on her side. I just tried to put all of the pressure on her. “What an atmosphere. My ears are still hurting, honestly. It was super loud! Every time you were cheering her, I was trying to tell myself to just pretend that you were just cheering for me. I had goosebumps honestly, so thank you for the atmosphere,” said the top seed, who will next face Belgium’s Elise Mertens. The women’s draw is bereft of star names after the departure of a succession of top players. Keys’ 6-3, 6-3 defeat by Germany’s Laura Siegemund means only world No. 1 Sabalenka is still alive at the All England Club out of the top six women’s seeds. Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen have already fallen by the wayside. Sabalenka is a three-time Grand Slam champion but has never been beyond the semifi nals at Wimbledon. Earlier at the All England Club, Japan’s four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka lost in three sets to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Osaka has not reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam since she won the Australian

even though I get very upset when I lose, but I think that’s my competi tive nature. That’s also the younger sister syndrome,” she said. There

Sabalenka. – AFPPIC by Henry Nicholls

Monfils finds philosophy after five-set exit TENNIS showman Gael Monfils bowed out of Wimbledon in five sets on Friday – but the Frenchman was more sage than sour as he reflected on a career that has danced between the sublime and the spectacular. The 38-year-old fell 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in a match carried over from last night, yet emerged from defeat with the perspective that comes from two decades in professional tennis and a life now enriched beyond the baseline.

to fellow player Elina Svitolina and now a father, Monfils offered a refreshing take on priorities. “Tennis is part of my life, but tennis is not my life,” he said. “My life outside of tennis is my real life.” The Frenchman smiled when he was asked what it meant to be on the tennis tour together with Ukrainian Svitolina. “It’s a tough question in a way, because you see my wife as a tennis player; I see my wife as a wife. It’s completely different. “But of course, it’s great that we can share the same passion. I’m lucky enough to raise a child, and hopefully we’ll get more someday … just grateful every day.” – Reuters

“A moment that stands out for me is 2004, my first Bercy (Paris Masters),” he said of playing before a raucous French crowd. “Unreal energy … that was a special moment.” While Monfils admitted he struggled with conditions when play resumed at Wimbledon on Friday after an overnight suspension, he refused to indulge in any what-ifs. “To tell you that I would have won the match is too much. I don’t really know. I wish I could win this match today, but that’s sport. “I’m going to rest a couple of days and go back on court and try to be ready for the US tour.” More revealing, though, was his evolved view of the sport’s place in his world. Married

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be a tennis player in such a big sport,” former top-10 player Monfils said after his exit, before recalling his first intoxicating moment on a tennis court more than 20 years ago.