Mark Cavendish’s bid to take a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win ended after he was forced to abandon the race following a crash on Saturday.
Less than 24 hours after he came within a few metres of an historic victory in Bordeaux, Cavendish’s outstanding Tour career ended in the back of an ambulance, the anguish on his face clear to see after an innocuous touch of wheels brought an early end to his final appearance in the race he loves.
Cavendish went down hard and held his shoulder after a crash in the peloton around 60km from the finish of stage eight from Libourne to Limoges.
It means Cavendish, who announced in May that he will retire at the end of the season, will finish his career level with Eddy Merckx on 34 Tour stage wins.
Cavendish was agonisingly close to breaking the record on Friday, getting the jump on Jasper Philipsen on the sprint to the line in Bordeaux, only for his gears to jump when he was trying to apply full power.
Cavendish won his first Tour stages back in 2008, taking four in total, and chalked up 20 in his first four participations.
He enjoyed four stage wins in 2021, equalling Merckx’s record with his victory on stage 13 in Carcassonne.
Equality produced a career-best performance to run out an easy winner of the Coral Charge at Sandown.
The Charlie Hills-trained five-year-old had won a handicap at Windsor in clear-cut fashion on his last outing but this was a first success at Group Three level.
Handy throughout under William Buick, he was given a lead into the race by Diligent Harry.
Existent had ploughed a lone furrow on the near side rail with Jim Crowley exploring the possibility of better ground following some heavy rain, and with two furlongs to run he was still in contention.
That was just at the point Buick asked his mount to put the race to bed, though, and he sprinted clear.
Ed Walker’s filly Makarova added some more valuable black type, beaten a length and a half in second, while Tiber Flow claimed third. The favourite Marshman faced an uphill battle following a slow start.
Hills said: “He is a horse in form, obviously. I was delighted with his win at Windsor last time. It has always been the plan to come here since then.
“He had a nice draw and pinged the gates. Normally he can be a little slow from the gates, it probably wasn’t the ideal plan to be in front, but he didn’t seem to get taken on too much and that did suit him, I would have thought.
“He travelled very well and he’s a good sprinter. He’s a horse that I’ve always really liked – it has just take a while to get to here.
“I hope he can build on it. He has won by taking a lead before, so I think he can be ridden any way, really.
“I will certainly look at the King George at Goodwood next time, but that little bit of rain, probably two millimetres, probably helped as well.
“I would be afraid of very fast ground, unlike his father, Equiano, who loved it like a road. It’s strange, but William has always said he likes to get his toe in.”
He added: “The King George has always been a lucky race for me in the past, so I think that’s where we go with this fella.
“I’ve always thought he was a horse who would be a Group performer, but it has taken a while to get to where we are. Just looking at some of the family, it is just a slow-maturing family.”
Nashwa has been supplemented for Friday’s Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.
The four-year-old was a dual Group One winner for John and Thady Gosden last term but has struggled to find her best form in two outings so far this year.
After finishing fourth in the Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud, she was dropped back to Group Three level for the Hoppings Fillies’ Stakes at Newcastle last week, but she was beaten into second as an odds-on favourite.
Owner Imad Al Sagar has now stumped up £20,000 to add her to the race, where she will be dropping back to a mile from 10 furlongs.
Via Sistina could bid for a swift Group One double after George Boughey’s charge secured her first top-level success in last week’s Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
She could turn out again just 13 days later in search of a third win this term, having also landed the Dahlia Stakes on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course back in May.
Remarquee, now owned by Wathnan Racing, is another key player for Ralph Beckett, having bounced back from 1000 Guineas defeat with a fine second to Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, while the fourth-placed Meditate is one of two possibles for Aidan O’Brien along with Never Ending Story.
Sandringham Stakes winner Coppice is a second contender for the Gosden team, with Beckett also having a second contender in last year’s race winner Prosperous Voyage.
The 10 confirmations are completed by Ameynah, Astral Beau and Random Harvest, with Inspiral an absentee as expected.
Charlie Appleby’s impressive recent Listed winner Star Of Mystery heads 11 contenders for the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes, where Albany Stakes third Soprano could be among her rivals.
Charles Leclerc finished fastest in a rain-hit final practice session for the British Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver set the pace in the dry running before heavy rain arrived at Silverstone.
Williams’ Alex Albon took second place, one spot ahead of Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, with Pierre Gasly fourth for Alpine and Lewis Hamilton fifth.
World champion Max Verstappen, quickest in both sessions at the Northamptonshire venue on Friday, was eighth.
Although the concluding one-hour running before qualifying started in the dry, it was not long before the forecast rain arrived.
In the initial slick conditions, Leclerc was the fastest out of the traps, seeing off Albon by a tenth.
Hamilton finished only 15th on Friday and said there was something wrong with his Mercedes.
But the seven-time world champion moved closer to the front on Saturday morning, finishing half-a-second off the pace.
Heavy showers could continue throughout the day with qualifying due to get under way at 3pm.
The surging Philadelphia Phillies tied a franchise record for consecutive road wins with a dramatic ninth-inning rally that resulted in a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday.
Philadelphia trailed 3-1 before scoring three times in the top of the ninth, with Cristian Pache putting the Phillies ahead with a two-run pinch-hit homer off A.J. Puk with two out.
Craig Kimbrel followed with a scoreless bottom of the ninth to seal Philadelphia's 13th straight win away from home, tying a club mark set from April 17-June 2, 1976.
The victory, the Phillies' fourth in a row overall, moved the defending National League champions within 1 1/2 games of the Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL's top two wild card spots.
J.T. Realmuto started the comeback with a leadoff single off Puk in the ninth and later scored on Alec Bohm's one-out double. Two batters later, Pache sent Puk's pitch over the center-field wall with the Phillies down to their final out for a 4-3 lead.
The Phillies trailed 3-0 before Realmuto's solo homer in the sixth, the only run allowed in 6 2/3 innings by Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara.
Garrett Cooper went 2 for 4 with a solo home run for Miami.
Braves edge Rays in battle of MLB's best
Sean Murphy's two-run homer backed six-plus strong innings from Charlie Morton as the Atlanta Braves earned a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a three-game series between teams with the top two records in the major leagues.
Murphy's shot off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow in the fourth inning erased a 1-0 deficit, and Morton and three Atlanta relievers made the lead stand up as the Braves continued their month-long hot streak.
Atlanta is now 19-2 since last losing consecutive games from June 11-12 and owns MLB's best record at 59-28.
Morton, who pitched for the Rays from 2019-20, held his former team to one run on four hits while striking out six over 6 1/3 sharp innings to win his fourth straight start.
Glasnow exited with two out in the sixth inning due to cramping in his hands and legs, and was saddled with the loss despite allowing one earned run and two hits while fanning eight.
Wander Franco accounted for Tampa Bay's lone run with a solo homer in the first inning, while Yandy Diaz collected three of the Rays' six hits.
Ex-Yankee Taillon beats former team to spoil Rodon's season debut
Jameson Taillon overshadowed Carlos Rodon in the latter's delayed New York Yankees debut as the Chicago Cubs earned their first-ever victory in Yankee Stadium with a 3-0 win.
Taillon, who spent the previous two seasons with the Yankees before signing with the Cubs over the winter, held his former team to just one hit and two walks in a dominant eight-inning performance that helped end the Cubs' run of futility in the Bronx.
Including the 1932 and 1938 World Series, Chicago entered Friday's series opener 0-12 all-time at the current and former Yankee Stadium.
Rodon, who signed a six-year, $162 million contract with New York during the offseason, allowed two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since September. The 2021 and 2022 All-Star missed this season's first three months due to a strained left forearm and then a back injury.
Cody Bellinger put the Cubs up 1-0 with a solo homer off Rodon in the third inning, and Nico Hoerner extended the lead with an RBI single in the fifth. Both finished with two hits in Chicago's third win in four games.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire remained in the hunt for her first major title as Pebble Beach bared its teeth on the second day of the US Women’s Open.
Maguire is tied for fifth on one-under-par, one of just six players under par at the halfway stage as American Bailey Tardy opened a two-stroke lead.
Out early, Tardy took advantage of the conditions before the wind got up as she included four birdies and an eagle in her 68 that leaves here on seven-under par – two clear of fellow American Allisen Corpuz and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea.
Tardy said: “It was not as windy on my front nine as the back nine. Definitely took advantage of that.
“Then just was able to hold on, I guess, through the wind.”
Maguire had a slow start with four dropped shots in her opening five holes, but finished strongly with two birdies to keep herself in the mix going into day three.
She said: “I had a lot of really good up-and-downs to sort of keep me in it, but didn’t really play my best golf today. Didn’t hit enough greens, and that kind of made things a little bit difficult.”
England’s Charley Hull birdied her last three holes to move into the top 12 on one-over-par to lie alongside Irish amateur Aine Donegan and rookie sensation Rose Zhang, who won on her professional debut after a stellar college career.
Among those missing the cut were world number one Jin Young Ko and major champions Jennifer Kupcho, England’s Georgia Hall, Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu.
Owen Farrell was left to reflect on the “weird” feeling of a drawn Test series after his late penalty for the British and Irish Lions denied world champions New Zealand victory at Eden Park on this day in 2017.
England star Farrell, who won the second Test in Wellington with a 77th-minute penalty, left it 60 seconds later this time as the Lions claimed a 15-15 draw.
It meant the series finished 1-1 and left the 1971 Lions still as the only squad to have won a Test series on New Zealand soil.
“It’s a bit weird, really,” said Farrell, who booted four penalties, while wing Elliot Daly landed a long-range effort as the Lions fought back after conceding first-half tries to Ngani Laumape and Jordie Barrett.
“I suppose it is a brilliant achievement. At the same time, it is never nice to be on the end of a draw.
“It was another tough and proper Test match. It has been a brilliant series – this is a fantastic team we were playing against.
“Ours was put together not so long ago, and it shows the quality of players that have been picked to have such little preparation and be able to not just compete, but properly be up there and feel like we could have done better.”
Farrell played down his match-levelling exploits in Auckland, but once again the Saracens marksman’s goal-kicking withstood fierce pressure as he recovered from a hesitant overall performance, especially during the opening 40 minutes.
And the Lions returned home after surpassing most expectations of what they might have achieved on New Zealand territory, even if Test series glory eluded them.
Farrell added: “It has been an unbelievable tour. I think everybody has thoroughly enjoyed it.
“We always thought we would be competitive – I don’t know what everybody else thought. We came here to win, and we always said that.”
Victor Wembanyama's first game as a San Antonio Spur drew quite a crowd, even if his performance didn't quite live up to the hype.
The 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick shot just 2 of 13 from the floor in Friday's NBA Las Vegas Summer League debut, a 76-68 Spurs' win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Wembanyama managed only nine points in 27 minutes in front of a sellout crowd of around 17,500 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center, though he showed glimpses of the immense potential that has made the 19-year-old Frenchman the NBA's most touted prospect since LeBron James in 2003. The 7-foot-3 phenom blocked five shots while grabbing eight rebounds and adding three assists.
Brandon Miller, taken one spot behind Wembanyama at No. 2, also had a tough shooting night as the former University of Alabama star went 5-of-15 from the field while tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte.
The No. 3 and 4 overall picks also made their Summer League debuts Friday, though both had their evenings cut short by injuries.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson left his team's game against Houston in the third quarter after hurting his right shoulder, while Rockets guard Amen Thompson injured his left ankle in the final minute of Houston's 100-99 victory.
Henderson had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes before departing, while Thompson racked up 16 points, five assists, four blocks and three steals.
Henderson left the Blazers' locker room without a brace or sling on his arm following the contest, though his availability for Portland's next game is as yet unknown.
The Trail Blazers will next face Wembanyama's Spurs on Sunday in the most anticipated matchup of that day's schedule.
Katie Boulter will fly the British flag on her own on day six at Wimbledon as she plays Elena Rybakina.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz opens Centre Court for the second successive day as he takes on Chilean Nicolas Jarry.
Elsewhere, last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur will face former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu and second seed Aryna Sabalenka will be in action.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Saturday’s action.
Heavyweights clash earlyIt was just two years ago that Matteo Berrettini made the final at Wimbledon, but injuries have seen him slide down the rankings.
As a result he was not seeded for this tournament and it meant the prospect of a tricky draw.
And having beaten 15th seed Alex De Minaur in the second round, he now squares off with 19th seed Alexander Zverev.
The German, too, is feeling his way back from a serious injury and in days gone by this match-up would not have been out of place in the latter part of the second week.
With Berrettini serving brilliantly against De Minaur and Zverev not traditionally an outstanding performer at SW19, the Italian could send another seed packing.
Match of the dayTwo entertainers will meet on Centre Court as Ons Jabeur takes on Bianca Andreescu in a third-round clash.
Jabeur, last year’s beaten finalist, regularly practises with her Canadian opponent and recently taught her how to play the tweener.
Andreescu is a former US Open champion, but will be playing her third match in three days as she has had to play catch-up with the weather, while Jabeur is well rested after a trouble-free first three matches.
There will be slices, drop shots and possibly tweeners galore as both women eye a place in the second week.
Brit watchAfter a chastening afternoon for the British men on Friday, when Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray and Liam Broady all lost within 90 minutes of each other, Katie Boulter is flying the flag for home players in the singles.
She has one of the toughest tests possible as she plays defending champion Elena Rybakina on Centre Court.
The third seed has not exactly been too convincing in her opening two rounds and Boulter will try and feed off a partisan home crowd as she looks to reach the fourth round for the first time.
Order of play
Centre Court
Carlos Alcaraz v Nicolas Jarry
Ons Jabeur v Bianca Andreescu
Katie Boulter v Elena Rybakina
Court One
Daniil Medvedev v Martin Fucsovics
Aryna Sabalenka v Anna Blinkova
Alexander Zverev v Matteo Berrettini
Hot and humid with the chance of thundery showers.
Andy Murray has "done it all" and should be acclaimed in the same vein as greats Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, according to Mark Philippoussis.
Friday marked the 10-year anniversary of Murray capturing the first of his two Wimbledon titles, with the Scot beating Djokovic in straight sets to win the 2013 final.
Murray's return of three major titles fails to compare to those of the 'Big Three', with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam singles triumphs respectively.
However, Murray can also count two Olympic gold medals – won in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro – among his achievements.
While Nadal won gold in the singles tournament at the 2008 Games, the now-retired Federer only captured gold in the doubles event, alongside Stan Wawrinka in 2008.
Djokovic, meanwhile, took singles bronze in Beijing but is yet to win gold, and Philippoussis feels Murray's record across various tournaments means he should be considered among the greats.
Asked about Murray's accomplishments, two-time grand slam finalist Philippoussis told Stats Perform: "If you look at the numbers, as far as what he's won, he's actually one of the only guys to win everything.
"He's won [a] grand slam, he's won the Davis Cup, he's won an Olympic gold.
"He's done it all, and when you talk about the greats like Djokovic, Federer and Rafa, they haven't all won every single thing.
"I think Roger has won the Davis Cup and he's won gold, but I think he won it in doubles, not singles, if I'm not mistaken.
"He [Murray] is one of the only ones who have done that, and to win your home slam as a Brit at Wimbledon – the biggest one – the pressure must have been incredible, then to have done it at home with the Olympic gold as well."
Murray was unable to mark the anniversary of his maiden Wimbledon triumph with a win, as he slipped to a 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 defeat to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a delayed second-round contest on Centre Court.
Novak Djokovic beat Stan Wawrinka and the Wimbledon curfew to book his place in the fourth round.
The match did not begin until 8.40pm, an hour later than Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas got under way on Thursday, but Djokovic finished a 6-3 6-1 7-6 (5) victory with 14 minutes to spare.
It certainly did Wawrinka no favours that Djokovic was against the clock as he clicked straight into top gear and pushed the pace at every opportunity.
It was a 31st consecutive victory for Djokovic at the All England Club, equalling Pete Sampras’ best, and the seven-time champion said: “He was two points away from extending this match to another day. Coming to the court we knew it was going to be really tight.
“I know I can always play better, I always have a couple of gears that I can go higher. Hopefully as the tournament progresses I can play better and better.”
This was a 27th meeting between the pair and, although Djokovic led 20-6, at grand slams they were tied at 4-4, with two of Wawrinka’s three titles coming after victories over the Serbian in finals.
Both were some years ago now, though, and it has been a long road back to the top 100 for 38-year-old Wawrinka after knee and foot surgeries.
Wimbledon has been by some distance his weakest slam and he cheerfully wrote off his chances completely ahead of a first grass-court meeting with Djokovic.
That proved to be realistic rather than pessimistic as Djokovic pounded precision groundstrokes into the corners, time and again drawing errors from his opponent after thumping exchanges.
Wawrinka’s statistics did not make pretty reading but it would be harsh to criticise the veteran too much, aside from a very low first-serve percentage, given the barrage of quality coming from the other end.
He served much better in the third set and fought exceptionally hard to force a tie-break.
Djokovic had won his last 11 tie-breaks at grand slams, famously not making an unforced error in six at the French Open. That record was in danger here when Wawrinka went 5-3 up but he was unable to send the contest to a second day as Djokovic booked a date with Hubert Hurkacz.
British participation in the men’s singles came to an end on day five at Wimbledon with painful defeats for Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady.
The trio exited the tournament within a 90-minute window on a Friday evening that also saw victories for French Open champions Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek on Centre Court.
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, two of the favourites for the respective singles titles at the All England Club, were the other notable winners on a bumper day of the Championships where temperatures hit 29C.
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British hopes were high heading into day five, with Murray two sets to one up against Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie set to face the unseeded Chris Eubanks and Liam Broady on a high ahead of facing 26th Denis Shapovalov.
Amid plenty of twists and turns, that hope turned to despair when each home favourite exited Wimbledon between 5.59pm and 7.29pm.
Norrie suffered the first knockout blow, going down to the canvas and never getting back up in four sets to Eubanks before Murray endured five-set heartbreak 18 minutes later.
Broady wrapped up the hour-and-a-half of pain as he missed the chance to serve for a two set to one lead before eventually losing in four.
It means Katie Boulter, who teamed up with boyfriend Alex De Minaur to good success in the mixed doubles on day five, remains the latest British singles’ player in the tournament.
And she faces the small task of trying to take out the defending champion Elena Rybakina on Centre Court on Saturday.
Andy Murray’s heartbreaking loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas capped a day of misery for British players at Wimbledon.
The raucous delight of Thursday night’s Centre Court crowd, who had seen Murray go two sets to one up when the 11pm curfew came into play, ebbed away on Friday afternoon as Tsitsipas fought back to win 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4.
It was a hugely disappointing way for Murray to mark the 10th anniversary of his career-defining first Wimbledon title, and he offered no guarantees that he would be back at the All England Club in a competitive capacity in a very downbeat press conference.
The 36-year-old is not yet ready to hang up his racket but it was clear how much this one hurt, and he said: “Motivation is obviously a big thing. Continuing having early losses in tournaments like this don’t necessarily help with that.
“It’s similar to, I guess, last year. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, decided to keep on going.
“I don’t plan to stop right now. But this one will take a little while to get over. Hopefully (I’ll) find the motivation again to keep training, keep pushing, try and keep getting better.”
Murray’s exit swiftly followed that of British number one Cameron Norrie, who was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-2 7-6 (3) by unseeded American Chris Eubanks.
It was a third disappointing slam defeat of the year for Norrie, who had hoped to match or even surpass last year’s brilliant run to the semi-finals.
He gave credit to his big-hitting opponent, for whom this was a breakthrough moment, saying: “I think credit to Chris on that one. He played unbelievable.
“Served well. Came out, was hitting the ball huge. Didn’t miss at all. I got outplayed. I couldn’t really get into the match how I wanted. Wasn’t feeling the ball that well today.
“I fought as hard as I could. I came up against someone who was really confident. He played great. So he definitely deserved to win the match.
“I wanted to play well at the slams. It’s not quite working out for me right now. I’m preparing as well as I can, leaving no stone unturned with my team, my preparation and everything. More than anything, I’m disappointed.”
Liam Broady was the only British man to make the third round but his singles campaign ended 90 minutes after Norrie’s with a 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5 loss to Denis Shapovalov.
He took no comfort from going the furthest, saying: “It kind of makes it worse that we’ve all lost on the same day. Obviously I’d have preferred for us all to have won. Probably would have felt a bit better if we’d staggered what days we lost on, whereas now it’s a bit of a Debbie Downer, isn’t it?”
The 29-year-old can reflect on a very positive week overall, though, after knocking out fourth seed Casper Ruud in the second round, and he is targeting a top-100 breakthrough for the first time in his career.
“The hard court season now is an amazing opportunity for me,” he said. “Even if I could win one of the Challengers or have a deep run at one of the ATPs, I could be top 100 before the US (Open). That’s the goal.”
The trio of defeats mean Katie Boulter, who takes on defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday, is the only British player left in singles.
Liam Broady described the 90 minutes where he, Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie all exited Wimbledon as a “Debbie Downer”.
Broady’s impressive journey ended in the third round after he was unable to produce a repeat of his shock victory of Casper Ruud when beaten 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5 by Denis Shapovalov.
The defeat ended British interest in the men’s singles as Broady followed Murray and Norrie out on a chastening afternoon for the male home players.
He did get further than his two compatriots, who both went out in the second round, as he matched his best performance at a grand slam, but says that did not count for much.
Asked if he could take any pride out of that, he said: “Not particularly, no. It kind of makes it worse that we’ve all lost on the same day, as well.
“Obviously I’d have preferred for us all to have won. Probably would have felt a bit better if we’d staggered what days we lost on, whereas now it’s a bit of a Debbie Downer, isn’t it?
“For all three of those results to happen on the same day is pretty rough.”
Broady will perhaps have some regrets as he served to go two sets to one up against Shapovalov, but will leave the tournament feeling proud of his efforts as the British man who got the furthest.
The £131,000 payday and rankings boost will make a tangible difference to his career, starting with the prospect of him making the US Open main draw next month.
“Obviously to make third round, being ranked 140 in the world, beating Constant Lestienne first round, that’s an upset in itself. Doing it in straight sets was amazing as well.
“Then obviously to beat Casper on Centre yesterday, it feels like it was a week ago already.
“Then really it’s difficult going on court less than 24 hours after you finish a five-set match on Centre in that way. Such an emotional and stressful match. Then straight back out there against a top, top grass-court player.
“Denis was just the better player, better man out there today. But, again, I think I can take the positives from it.
“The hard court season now is an amazing opportunity for me. Even if I could win one of the Challengers or have a deep run at one of the ATPs, I could be top 100 before the US Open.
“That’s the goal at the end of the day.”
Katie Boulter’s love match with boyfriend Alex De Minaur ended in an impressive first-round victory in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon.
The couple, playing together competitively for the first time, beat Australian duo Storm Hunter and John Peers 6-2 6-4.
It was an uplifting end to a tough day for De Minaur, who lost in three sets to Matteo Berrettini in the singles.
British number one Boulter, who won her first title in Nottingham last month, faces defending champion Elena Rybakina in the third round on Saturday.
De Minaur may be ranked 17 in the world, but he believes his partner’s recent success should be a lesson to him.
“Since the moment I met her I knew she had it in her,” he said.
“I’ve always thought she’s such a high-quality player, and it’s been amazing and great to see how she’s developed. She’s got that self-belief and what she’s been able to accomplish.
“I mean, the way she’s been handling the spotlight, the pressures, it’s been pretty astounding to me. You know, now it’s probably my turn to start learning from her.
“But yeah, she’s been playing amazing. She’s been doing amazing. She’s shown again this week that she deserves to be where she’s at, and I think, genuinely think, that it’s only the beginning.
“Hopefully she can keep on going and finish off a great year.”
Iga Swiatek overcame a late start and the lack of a Centre Court crowd to progress into the fourth round of Wimbledon with a straight-sets win over Petra Martic.
Swiatek had been scheduled to play second on the biggest venue at the All England Club on Friday, but Andy Murray’s unfinished match with Stefanos Tsitsipas had to be squeezed in before she did battle with the 30th seed.
By the time Swiatek walked out just before 6.30pm, the majority of the crowd had exited following Murray’s five-set defeat.
But the world number one showed why she is a four-time grand-slam champion with a professional display in a 6-2 7-5 victory that equals her best showing in SW19.
After a long wait to begin her quest to make the last-16 for a second time, Swiatek had to save three break points and needed six minutes to hold in her first service game.
It was a sign of things to come with three consecutive breaks following before the Polish right-hander ended the sequence to go 4-2 up.
A powerful backhand winner from behind the baseline clinched a third break and despite being troubled by an insect on her foot at set point, Swiatek closed out the opener 6-2.
The final score did not tell the full story with Martic forcing more break point opportunities but only converting one from four.
More spectators filtered into Centre Court ahead of the second set and Swiatek started to up her level, showing impressive agility to land a volley before she repeated the trick to end a thrilling net exchange with a glorious passing winner.
Another change of ends, with Martic leading 3-2 on serve, saw the attendance increase and those new to their green seats were welcomed with an exquisite backhand from Swiatek.
Swiatek was in the zone now and a rocket of a return brought up break point and another flush forehand sealed it.
Two more winners followed in an easy hold that put her a game away from round four, but Martic, who has made the last-16 on three occasions in SW19, suddenly dug in.
One match point was saved by the Croatian, who after a dogged hold went on to break Swiatek to make it 5-5.
It allowed more fans to flood back in with Centre Court closer to capacity now and they were treated to two more games, the first featuring a sumptuous backhand return that helped Swiatek break again before she booked her spot in the last-16 for only a second time at Wimbledon.
Next up is 14th seed and Olympic champion Belinda Bencic, but Swiatek feels there is more to come from her on the English lawn.
She said in her on-court interview: “Well for sure, it wasn’t easy. Petra was playing well, I tried to be focused from beginning to the end.
“I am happy to win in two sets and happy with my performance.
“There is always something to improve. I am still 22 so I feel I have a lot to learn. I hope I will get better and better every year. That is my ambition.
“Belinda is playing a great game, we all know she can play great tennis but fourth round of a slam, really looking forward to that match.”
Cameron Norrie admitted he was well beaten after suffering a second-round knockout to Chris Eubanks at Wimbledon.
The British number one was left dazed by American Eubanks’ powerful hitting and his haymaker of a serve in a punishing 6-3 3-6 6-2 7-6 (3) defeat.
“I think credit to Chris on that one. He played unbelievable. Served well. Came out, was hitting the ball huge. Didn’t miss at all,” said Norrie.
“I got outplayed. I couldn’t really get into the match how I wanted. Wasn’t feeling the ball that well today.
“I fought as hard as I could. I came up against someone who was really confident. He played great. So he definitely deserved to win the match. I told him that. Everything went his way today, and he deserved it.
“He completely took the racket out of my hand today. I did what I could, but it wasn’t enough.”
The first 20 points of the contest all went with serve, including nine aces, seven from the arm of Eubanks.
And it was the world number 43 who landed the first blow, breaking Norrie to love on his way to taking the opening set.
Norrie, the 12th seed and a semi-finalist last year, had barely laid a glove on his opponent, winning just three points on the Eubanks serve.
But the South African-born southpaw hauled himself off the canvas and secured an early break in the second set to level the match.
However, Norrie has looked ring-rusty in recent months and Eubanks, a grass-court title-winner in Mallorca in June, took advantage by breaking twice for the third set.
Eubanks dropped his guard in the fourth, losing his serve to love, but he hit back for 4-4 to leave Norrie on the ropes.
Norrie survived a match point on serve when a Eubanks forehand thudded into the net.
But Eubanks was too strong in the tie-break, a quick one-two of a booming forehand and delicate volley leaving Norrie out for the count.
“It’s the biggest win of my career, no question, by far,” said the 27-year-old.
“Considering the moment, considering the stage, who I was playing, where I played him. By far the biggest win of my career.”
Prior to his Mallorca win, Eubanks had texted former grand slam champion Kim Clisters, saying grass was “the stupidest surface to play tennis on”.
He added: “That’s a very different person now, I can tell you that much. I’m loving the grass right now. That person who texted Kim was not too high on it. Very different.”
A devastated Andy Murray was left questioning his motivation to keep going after Stefanos Tsitsipas fought back to win their delayed second-round clash on Centre Court.
The Scot was two sets to one up overnight after the 11pm curfew came into play but he was unable to complete the job, with fifth seed Tsitsipas battling to a 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-4 victory.
It was a hugely disappointing way for Murray to mark the 10th anniversary of his career-defining first Wimbledon title, and he is all too aware that his chances for another deep run here are ebbing away.
The 36-year-old is not yet ready to hang up his racket but it was clear how much this one hurt, and he said: “Motivation is obviously a big thing. Continuing having early losses in tournaments like this don’t necessarily help with that.
“It’s similar to, I guess, last year. I had a long think about things, spoke to my family, decided to keep on going.
“I don’t plan to stop right now. But this one will take a little while to get over. Hopefully (I’ll) find the motivation again to keep training, keep pushing, try and keep getting better.”
Murray missed the French Open to focus on his grass-court preparations and arrived at the All England Club feeling confident and healthy for the first time since winning his second title in 2016.
He was unfortunate to run into a top seed so early, and there were many aspects of his performance that were positive, but he clearly fancied his chances against Tsitsipas on grass.
For all his incredible efforts at the Australian Open this year and other close calls, he has not gone beyond the third round at a grand slam since his hip problems began back in 2017.
There was very little to choose between the pair throughout this contest, with both players dropping serve just once.
But Tsitsipas’ break in the third game of the deciding set proved the crucial one after the Greek had withstood pressure from Murray to force another tie-break in the fourth.
The crowd willed Murray to find a way back into the match and he saved two match points in the final game, but Tsitsipas clinched his third with an ace to set up a very winnable third round against Laslo Djere.
“You never know how many opportunities you’re going to get to play here,” said Murray. “The defeats maybe feel a bit tougher. But every year that Wimbledon’s not gone how I would like, it’s been hard.
“Obviously it’s brilliant to play in great atmospheres. It makes playing the matches more enjoyable and creates certainly better memories.
“But ultimately this was an opportunity for me. I had a good chance of having a proper run for the first time in a long time at a slam. I didn’t take it. Regardless of the atmosphere and those things, it’s still very, very disappointing to be sitting here right now.”
Murray looked on the verge of tears when he was informed during his press conference that a return he hit at 15-30 that was called out in fact clipped the line.
“That’s obviously frustrating because I remember,” he said. “I think it was a backhand cross-court return, very short. I probably would have won the point.”
Murray could have challenged the call but he criticised umpire Aurelie Tourte for not spotting the mistake.
“It was right underneath the umpire’s nose,” he said. “They shouldn’t be missing that. I assumed the umpire would have made the right call.”
Tennis is increasingly moving towards automated line calls, and Murray added: “Right now I obviously would rather it was done automatically. It’s a hard one because I probably prefer having the line judges on the court. It feels nicer to me.”
Murray had no complaints about the match being halted 20 minutes before the curfew on Thursday at the end of the third set or the fact it resumed with the roof open, changing the conditions.
“My opinion is that this is an outdoor tournament,” he said. “They should be trying their hardest to play as much tennis outdoors as possible.”
Murray, meanwhile, had sparked alarm right before the close of play on Thursday by screaming in pain and going down clutching his left hip, but there was no sign of any discomfort in the final two sets.
“I wouldn’t describe it as an injury,” he said. “I obviously slipped, had some initial pain and discomfort. It’s like sort of a jarring of the joint. It can be a little bit sore. I pulled up OK today.”
Liam Broady’s impressive Wimbledon journey is over after he was beaten in the third round by Denis Shapovalov.
The British number five enjoyed a dream Centre Court victory over fourth seed Casper Ruud on Thursday but he was unable to produce another shock, going down 4-6 6-2 7-5 7-5.
The defeat ended British interest in the men’s singles as Broady followed Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie out on a chastening afternoon for the male home players.
He will perhaps have some regrets as he served to go two sets to one up against Shapovalov, but will leave the tournament feeling proud of his efforts as the British man who got the furthest.
He matched his best performance at a grand slam and the £131,000 payday and rankings boost will make a tangible difference to his career, starting with the prospect of him making the US Open main draw next month.
There were questions over how he would pull up after Thursday’s five-setter, and with Shapovalov also playing on Thursday both men made an inauspicious start as there were four breaks of serve by the time it got to 3-3.
Broady began to find his rhythm against the below-par Canadian and pounced at 4-5, breaking for the third time to take the first set.
It was a typically erratic performance from the 26th seed, one moment ripping an unplayable one-handed backhand, the next missing an open-court volley but he managed get two breaks in the second set to level things up.
Helped by some more wayward Shapovalov hitting the Briton manoeuvred himself into a commanding position in the third set and he served for it at 5-3.
But the Canadian regained his level and reeled off four successive games to take a set that looked to have gone.
To his credit, Broady stuck with it in the fourth set, but Shapovalov struck at 5-5 and then served it out to end British hopes for another year, with all three men going out within an hour and a half of each other.
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