Russia's Maria Sharapova returns to Romania's Irina-Camilia Begu during their women's singles third-round match at the Wimbledon yesterday. Sharapova won 6-4, 6-3. (AFP)
AFP/London
Serena Williams set up a titanic Wimbledon fourth-round showdown with sister Venus as the world number one staged a dramatic final set fightback to beat Britain’s Heather Watson 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 yesterday.
Williams, bidding for a sixth Wimbledon title and a calendar Grand Slam, was on the brink of a humiliating third-round exit when Watson served for the match at 5-4 in the final set. But Serena, who had trailed 3-0 in the decider, showed why she has won 20 Grand Slam titles as she broke back before finally sealing an epic escape in two hours and 14 minutes in front of an enthralled Centre Court.
The 33-year-old American will face Venus on Monday for the first time in a Grand Slam since beating her in the 2009 Wimbledon final. The sisters’ last meeting came in 2014 when Venus won in Montreal, but Serena holds a 14-11 advantage over the 35-year-old in their career head to head.
Earlier, defending champion Novak Djokovic and 2004 winner Maria Sharapova swept into the Wimbledon fourth round as controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios bolstered his reputation as the next generation’s brightest star.
Top seed Djokovic made the last 16 for the seventh successive year by routing Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on the back of 15 aces and 38 winners. The Serb then faced a different challenge as he walked off Centre Court when he was asked to autograph the prosthetic leg of a wheelchair-bound fan.
“The gentleman gave me his artificial leg...I want to be politically correct about it,” smiled the 29-year-old Djokovic who next faces South Africa’s Kevin Anderson. “I gave him my signature. I hope it will make him feel better.”
Fourth-seeded Sharapova made the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu and goes on to tackle either Germany’s 14th seed Andrea Petkovic or unseeded Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Kyrgios, who famously defeated Rafael Nadal in 2014 when he was ranked 144 in the world, avenged his quarter-final loss of 12 months ago to seventh seed Milos Raonic with a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 victory.
The 20-year-old Kyrgios hit 34 aces and blasted 61 winners past the 2014 semi-finalist as he booked a fourth round clash with Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
Kyrgios, seeded 26, faces another rematch in the fourth round against Gasquet after beating the Frenchman in a dramatic five-setter in the second round last year.
Gasquet, a 2007 semi-finalist and seeded 21, beat 11th seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria for the fifth time in five meetings thanks to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 stroll.
Dimitrov had defeated 2013 champion Andy Murray on his way to the semi-finals last year, but Friday’s defeat extended a disappointing Grand Slam season for the 24-year-old who was beaten in the fourth round at the Australian Open before a first round exit at Roland Garros.
Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka reached the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Fernando Verdasco for his first win over the Spaniard in 10 years. The French Open champion will take on Belgium’s David Goffin for a place in the quarter-finals.
Goffin, the 16th seed, became only the fourth Belgian man to make the fourth round in the Open Era by defeating 2006 semi-finalist Marcos Baghdatis 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Results
Men (Round 3): Denis Kudla (US) beat Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 6-2, 6-7(3), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3; 1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) beat 27-Bernard Tomic (Australia) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; 14-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) beat 24-Leonardo Mayer (Argentina) 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3; 26-Nick Kyrgios (Australia) beat 7-Milos Raonic (Canada) 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-3; 4-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; 21-Richard Gasquet (France) beat 11-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; 16-David Goffin (Belgium) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Women (Round 3): 16-Venus Williams (US) beat Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia) 6-3, 6-2; Zarina Diyas (Kazakhstan) beat 14-Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 7-5, 6-4; 23-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) beat Kristina Mladenovic (France) 6-4, 6-4; 6-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) beat Sloane Stephens (US) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; 4-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat 29-Irina Begu (Romania) 6-4, 6-3; 30-Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) 7-5, 7-5; CoCo Vandeweghe (US) beat 22-Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-2, 6-0; 1-Serena Williams beat Heather Watson (Britain) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
