Category: 6. Sports

After a well-fought two sets against Australian Rinky Hijikata, Ben Shelton was one game away from advancing to the third round of Wimbledon. But instead, he’ll have to wait until Friday to finish the job.

Shelton and Hijikata’s second round match was suspended at 9:29 p.m. local time in London due to darkness, as the sun had set about 10 minutes earlier. At the time that officials called the match, Shelton was leading Hijikata 6-2, 7-5, 5-4 — and on serve while one game from a straight set victory.

Advertisement

Shelton was understandably unhappy after the call, speaking heatedly with the officials as Hijikata exited the court. The crowd had a strong reaction as well, booing the ruling and seeming to chant “one more game.”

Part of Shelton’s frustration was that, as the sun went down, both players had broached the idea of suspending the match earlier, but the officials had told them to play on. The match took place at No. 2 Court, which has no roof or stadium lighting.

Due to scheduling, Shelton and Hijikata did not start playing until after 7 p.m. local time. The court had four other matches take place prior to theirs, with one of the men’s matches taking nearly three hours and the second lasting two and a half.

Advertisement

Shelton did have the chance to lock up victory prior to the officials’ call: The 22-year-old American went up 40-0 in what could have been the match-winning game, before dropping five straight points to Hijikata. As a result, Hijikata won the game to bring the set to 5-4 — and force it into a second day.

Shelton, ranked No. 10, is one of the top two American men remaining in the tournament.

Novak Djokovic has shown signs he is easing into the old routine at Wimbledon, with the seven-time champion sauntering into the third round, while defending women’s champion Barbora Krejčíková has also made it through. 

This year’s Championships have been littered with seeds biting the dust early, but day four offered some big statements from those fancied for deep runs on the lawns.

• Day four Aussie wrap: Aussie caught up in Wimbledon farce, as Kasatkina and de Minaur win

Former women’s champion Elena Rybakina may have arrived very much under the radar but has reached the third round for the loss of a mere seven games, the 11th seed destroying Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-1 in 62 minutes.

Five-time grand slam champion Iga Świątek, surprisingly yet to go past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, is another who will quietly fancy her chances and the Pole looked impressive as she hit back from a set down to beat Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Djokovic struggled past Alexandre Müller on Tuesday when he struggled with stomach issues. Two days later, however, he was at his ruthlessly efficient best in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of popular Briton Dan Evans on Centre Court.

The 38-year-old is bidding to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record eight titles and claim an unprecedented 25th grand slam crown and, while the talk is of top seed Jannik Sinner and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz disputing the final, the Serb should be dismissed at your peril.

He has reached the last six Wimbledon finals and clearly believes he will still be around on July 13.

“Technically, tactically, I knew exactly what I needed to do and I executed perfectly,” Djokovic said after his 99th match win at Wimbledon since making his debut in 2005.

“Sometimes you have these kind of days, where everything goes your way, everything flows and it’s good to be in the shoes and holding a racket on a day like this.”

Czech Krejčíková, a surprise winner last year, found herself out on court two where the 17th seed produced a typically businesslike display as she battled past American Caroline Dolehide, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

She will face a much more dangerous American next in the form of Emma Navarro after the 10th seed crushed Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-2.

With four of the top five women’s seeds already gone, the draw looks wide open for the likes of seventh seed Mirra Andreeva who beat Italian Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 7-6(4).

Nearly half of the 32 men’s seeds have perished before the third round with 13 failing to clear the first hurdle.

Czech teenager Jakub Menšík, the men’s 15th seed, beat American Marcos Giron 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to underline his credentials.

Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, playing in his 59th successive grand slam, may no longer be considered a genuine title threat but more than a decade since reaching his sole Wimbledon semifinal showed he is still a class act as the 19th seed beat tricky Frenchman Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Reuters

In a quarter of the women’s draw which included the eliminated Paolini and Chinese fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, American Amanda Anisimova has perhaps benefited most.

The 13th seed would not face anyone ranked higher than 30th seed Linda Noskova until the semi-finals, where she could meet world number one Sabalenka – although the unseeded Naomi Osaka, a four-time major winner, remains in her quarter.

In the men’s singles, Russian Karen Khachanov can reach the quarter-finals without facing a fellow seed, following defeats for Zverev, ninth seed Daniil Medvedev, 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo and former runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

Norrie could also make it to the quarter-finals without encountering another seed, with Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca or qualifier Nicolas Jarry awaiting in the fourth round if the Briton can first overcome Mattia Bellucci.

Between 2002 and 2019, men’s singles seedings were determined by a surface-based formula reflecting recent grass court achievements, before it aligned with the world rankings used for the women’s draw.

On whether the amount of early shocks this year provides a case for bringing that back, former world number five Durie said: “I do think there should be a consideration because grass is really unlike all the other surfaces. I think it was a good thing at the time. It would be interesting if they brought that back.”

Nakashima has beaten Bu Yunchaokete of the People’s Republic of China and fellow USA player Reilly Opelka, both in four sets, to make it to the round of 32. His previous best result came three years ago with a run to the fourth round in 2022.

It helps that he feels right at home in London, making the most of his preparation week in the capital to walk the streets and explore. “I have a lot of close friends that live around here, so it’s always nice to see them,” he explains.

Now firmly in his stride and with the all-important self-confidence, what else can the San Diego man produce in south-west London?

Wimbledon 2025 – Brandon Nakashima’s growing grass game

Growing up with Japanese and Vietnamese heritage in California, Nakashima has spent the last 20 years of his life on the tennis courts; naturally in the States, that means his favoured hard courts, but Wimbledon is his favourite tournament.

The world number 34 went into the Championships 2025 with a 4-2 record on the surface this year, managing the rapidly forced adaptation from the classy clay swing into the condensed grass season.

“It’s two completely different surfaces,” Nakashima explains, “the footwork, the speed at which you play, the tactics out there on the court too. I feel like we’ve handled the transition pretty well, I’m feeling more and more comfortable on the grass.”

Marstrand, Sweden (3 July 2025) – The third day of racing at GKSS Match Cup Sweden saw the completion of the quarter-final matchups in both the Open and Women’s class, locking in the final four teams in each division for tomorrow’s semi-finals. Danish skipper Jeppe Borch/ Borch Match Race join the Swedish trio of Björn Hansen/ Hansen Sailing Team, Johnie Berntsson/ Berntsson Sailing Team and Oscar Engström/ Team Liros for the Open class final four. Defending Women’s Trophy champion Anna Östling / Team Wings leads the line-up for the Nordea Women’s Trophy final four, joined by France’s Pauline Courtois/ Match in Pink by Normandy Elite, Sweden’s Martina Carlsson/ Beyond Racing Team, and Julia Aarsten/ Team Out of the Box from the Netherlands.

After a forecast of building breeze in the afternoon, the quarter-final matches were set at a first-to-two-points in both classes with the Nordea Women’s teams heading to the course first after the morning skipper briefing.

In the first pairing, it was 23-year-old up-and-comer Martina Carlsson and the Beyond Sailing Team that found their early pace, sweeping 2024 runner-up Renee Groeneveld from the Netherlands in a 2-0 defeat to reach their second ever semi-final place on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour.

In match two, Julia Aartsen and her Dutch Team Out of the Box found themselves up against New Zeeland’s Megan Thomson and the 2.0 Racing Team. Both teams scored one-a-piece with a deciding race for the semi-final slot. After winning the start, Aartsen was able to fend off Thomson in a tense match and stay ahead over the finish line.

“That was a tough match against Megan and her [2.0 Racing] team but we are super happy to be going through to the semis” said Aartsen. “I think lost 2 kilos of sweat in the nerves but we are pumped for the semis tomorrow and we are giving it everything.”

In the last women’s quarter-final match, defending women’s world champion Pauline Courtois and the Match in Pink by Normandy Elite team showed no mercy in a clinical dispatch of opponent Celia Willison and the Edge Women’s Match team, advancing the French team into the last semi-final place.

In the Open class, after the surprise departure of USA’s Chris Poole and Switzerland’s Eric Monnin, after both skippers failed to make the cut this year form the qualifying round, the quarter-final field was wide open with three Swedish teams – Bernttson, Westerlind and Engstrom up against the two French skippers – Ian Garetta and Aurelién Pierroz, and Denmark’s Jeppe Borch, returning to Marstrand after recovering from several months of injury.

The young match racing teams of Marius Westerlind and America’s Cup Youth skipper Oscar Engström were first to do battle with each team beating the other to force a deciding race. Engström prevailed in the final match after forcing a penalty on Westerlind to go 2-1 and clinch the semi-final slot.

“A great day for us after a tough start to the weekend” said Engström. “We always have close matches against Marius [Westerlind] as one of our closest rivals but also our training partner. Now we are looking forward to an exciting semi-final and hopefully building on the momentum.”

In the second match, local favourite Johnie Berntsson leaned on local knowledge to knock out Marstrand newcomer France’s Ian Garetta in two straight wins.

Also showing a strong performance this week, Denmark’s Jeppe Borch delivered a commanding 2-0 defeat over his opponent Aurelién Pierroz from France.

Variable weather is forecast for the next two days in Marstrand which will challenge the semi-finalists as they line-up tomorrow to punch their ticket to Saturday’s final in front of expected large crowds on the iconic Marstrand cliffs.

For full results, follow

GKSS Match Cup Sweden https://wmrt.com/live-results/
Nordea Women’s Trophy https://womenswmrt.com/live-results/

ABOUT WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. The WMRT is awarded ‘Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body –World Sailing – and the winner of the WMRT each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD24million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. www.wmrt.com

ABOUT WOMEN’S WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com

British number one Jack Draper says he was not “good enough” in a shock Wimbledon second-round exit, insisting a below-par performance was not because he felt increased pressure at this year’s tournament.

Draper was seeded fourth at the All England Club, but lost 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 to 36-year-old Marin Cilic.

The 23-year-old was the highest seeded home player since Andy Murray defended the men’s title in 2017.

In 2013, Murray, who retired last year, was the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years and added his second title three years later.

“It makes me think that Andy’s achievement of what he did – winning here twice – [was] just unbelievable,” Draper said.

“It’s not the pressure. I wasn’t going out there thinking I was under so much pressure. You [journalists] mention it all the time.

“I just didn’t play good enough. I lost to a better player. That’s the main reason. I just was not able to find the level I wanted. I came up short.”

Spain’s Blanca Fernandez and Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini carded opening 67s to share the Women’s Irish Open lead after the first round at Carton House.

English trio Lottie Woad, Mimi Rhodes and Hannah Screen are among a group one shot back, but home favourite Leona Maguire is five off the lead.

In tricky conditions that fluctuated between showers and sunshine, with a swirling wind added to the mix, it was Fernandez and Tamburlini who made the best of it to lead the way.

Both had seven birdies and a single bogey in their round, with Tamburlini picking up a shot on three of the last four holes.

Joining Order of Merit leader Rhodes, world number one amateur Woad and Screen on five under were Swedish pair Lisa Patterson and Madelene Sagstroem, plus Alexandra Swayne, who is representing the Unites States Virgin Islands, with the sextet just one shot off the pace in a packed leaderboard.

Indeed, just two strokes separate the top 19 players with another 11 just a further shot back, including the best of the home challengers Emma Fleming, who claimed the Victorian Amateur Championship in Australia last month.

Maguire endured a frustrating day on the greens, but the Cavan woman remains in contention having ended day one with a 72, tied with three other Irish players on one-under-par.

A number of Maguire’s Solheim Cup team-mates started strongly with Sagstrom posting the best round of the five, while England’s Charley Hull (-3) and Georgia Hall (-2) are well in contention heading into day two.

Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist, though, has work to do having finished the day on two over.

Vicky López shines for Spain

Vicky López’s professional career is one brought on by pure chance, sparked by a conversation with two girls at the beach.

The encounter would lead her to the youth team of Madrid CFF, despite initial reservations over difficulties getting to and from training.

Both the club and Vicky’s parents worked together to make it happen. Things became difficult in 2018 with the passing of her mother following a four-year long battle with a brain tumour.

“My mother has always been my reference,” the 18-year-old said.

“She has been the strongest person in the world – from her, I have inherited her courage, strength, and being a great person.”

That courage has seen her through a transformational move to FC Barcelona and being called up to the senior national team.

On Thursday evening, all of those years of hard work and sacrifices paid off as the teenage sensation slotted home in her first major tournament for Spain.

Wheeling away in celebration, the talented midfielder pointed to the sky – an homage to her late mother.

What is perhaps most impressive about López’s display is that she did it while filling in for the benched Aitana Bonmati, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, which is no easy feat.

Yet she made it look effortless – a skilful dribbler, a slick passer of the ball, and a refined player for her age.

With her first-half strike, she became the youngest player to appear and score at a European Championships.

Bonmati replaced the youngster with 10 to go and will no doubt feature heavily as the competition goes on, but López has given Montserrat Tomé plenty to think about with this performance.