Wimbledon 2024 LIVE: Tennis scores as Jannik Sinner battles past Matteo Berrettini after Emma Raducanu win
Raducanu eased past Elise Mertens on No.1 Court with Carlos Alcaraz also victorious on a rain-hit day at Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu produced a stunning victory at Wimbledon, sweeping past Elise Mertens hours after confirming she will play alongside Andy Murray in the mixed doubles. Raducanu dominated the world No 33 and claimed a 6-1 6-2 victory in just 75 minutes to return to the third round of a grand slam for the first time since winning the US Open in 2021.
Murray was forced to pull out of his final singles match at the Championships after ruling that he had not recovered from a back operation in time. The two-time champion will play in the men’s doubles alongside brother Jamie on Thursday but his on-court swansong will continue in the mixed doubles alongside Raducanu, the former US Open champion.
Carlos Alcaraz continued his impressive start to his title defence with a dominant win after an early scare against Australian Aleksandar Vukic. In the final match of the day, world No 1 Jannik Sinner battled past compatriot and former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in an epic four-set win, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-4), on Centre Court.
Follow all the latest updates and live scores from Wimbledon below:
Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon return abruptly halted by Emma Navarro
Naomi Osaka’s first Wimbledon campaign in five years was emphatically halted by a swift second-round defeat to world number 17 Emma Navarro.
Wild card Osaka entered Centre Court buoyed by her first victory at the All England Club since 2018 following a mixture of injury and mental health struggles, plus the birth of daughter Shai.
But the four-time grand slam champion was unable to build on her three-set opening win over Diane Parry as Navarro comfortably progressed 6-4 6-1 in just 59 minutes.
Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon return abruptly halted by Emma Navarro
The four-time grand slam champion was beaten in under an hour
Coco Gauff records rapid victory to breeze through Wimbledon second-round clash
World number two Coco Gauff is eager to enjoy her busy summer as she cruised into the third round of Wimbledon with another straight-sets victory.
US Open champion Gauff beat qualifier Anca Todoni 6-2 6-1 in 66 minutes on Court One after she also only dropped three games against compatriot Caroline Dolehide on Monday.
It helped to further erase memories of a shock round one exit at the All England Club in 2023 for the American, who has seen her side of the draw open up with Aryna Sabalenka pulling out with a shoulder injury.
Coco Gauff records rapid victory to breeze through Wimbledon second-round clash
Gauff has dropped just six games in her two matches at Wimbledon
Dan Evans exits Wimbledon with frustration at ‘powers that be in fancy jackets’
As Dan Evans’s first-round match with Alejandro Tabilo resumed on Wednesday, it looked at times as though the Briton was reaching into a bag of tricks, rummaging around desperately for something of use – eyes strained at the sky, tongue lolloped across his face – and pulling out a tool, only to find that his opponent was already holding the same one. Except each time, Tabilo’s was sharper, shinier, more effective.
When their Wimbledon tie resumed on Court 12, the score was 3-3 in the second set, with the Chilean having taken the first on Tuesday. Their match had been suspended due to dimming light and dampening grass, with Evans unwilling to risk injury, having already hurt himself with a fall at Queens.
That fall had left his right knee bandaged here, and perhaps the one upside from this defeat is that – barring a deep doubles run at the All England Club – the 34-year-old will now have more time to recover before the Olympics. Because, ultimately, the end of Evans’s Wimbledon campaign came three weeks before the start of his endeavours in Paris, as Tabilo completed a straight-sets victory under grey skies in SW19.
Dan Evans exits Wimbledon with dig at ‘powers that be in fancy jackets’
The Briton was beaten in straight sets by Alejandro Tabilo, as their first-round match concluded after bad light and weather on Tuesday
Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu to play Wimbledon mixed doubles as part of emotional farewell
Andy Murray’s Wimbledon farewell will include an appearance in the mixed doubles alongside Emma Raducanu, with Britain’s two grand slam champions entering the draw as wildcards.
Murray was forced to pull out of his final singles match at the Championships after ruling that he had not recovered from a back operation in time, but the 37-year-old wants to maximise his opportunities at his final Wimbledon before he retires.
The two-time champion will play in the men’s doubles alongside brother Jamie on Thursday but his on-court swansong will continue in the mixed doubles alongside Raducanu, the former US Open champion.
Murray memorably played mixed doubles with Serena Williams in 2019 following his return to the sport from career-saving hip surgery, and his double-act with Raducanu is set to be another blockbuster pair.
Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu to play Wimbledon mixed doubles
Murray and Raducanu will play together in what is the 37-year-old’s final appearance at SW19
The Carlos Alcaraz habit that can help deliver another Wimbledon crown
Carlos Alcaraz turned to his box, clenching his fist in delight with that familiar intensity. This remains relatively new ground for the Wimbledon champion, who is still just 21, but after improving his record on grass to 19-3, this straight-sets victory (7-6, 6-2, 6-3) over Aleksandar Vukic appeared ordinary. Yet a closer inspection revealed a crucial habit that could enable the Spaniard to defend his title and move to four career grand slams.
A defiant Novak Djokovic, gritting his teeth through the lingering effects of surgery, and the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, pose obvious threats to this promising title defence. And his blossoming rivalry with the Italian appears well-balanced on the surface, with the head-to-head currently standing at 5-4 in the Spaniard’s favour. Wimbledon, too, appears to be sitting on the fence after flipping both contenders on that side of the draw from Centre to No 1 Court between their first and second-round matches.
But Alcaraz is on a mission and a fourth slam – to make him just the sixth man to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year after Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic – would ensure separation between himself and Sinner’s one slam to date in the compelling battle to seize Djokovic’s men’s throne, when the Serb eventually calls time on his career.
The Carlos Alcaraz habit that can help deliver another Wimbledon crown
The Spaniard, who faces Frances Tiafoe in the third round, eased through on No 1 Court with a familiar skill, despite the Australian’s grit in a competitive first set
Wimbledon 2024: Emma Raducanu reacts to Andy Murray doubles invite
Wimbledon is Andy Murray and Andy Murray is Wimbledon
“I got asked, literally like 10 seconds, I was like, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think some things are bigger than just tennis. I think some things are a once-in-a-lifetime memory that you’re going to have for the rest of your life. To play at Wimbledon with Andy Murray, those things don’t come by.
“At the end of my life, at the end of my career when I’m like 70 years old, I know I’m going to have that memory of playing Wimbledon with Andy Murray on a home slam. For me, yeah, it was an honour to be asked.
“I think I want obviously to do well with him. I’m not playing to kind of lose. I really don’t want to let him down. Of course, that’s the one thing I don’t want to do. I’m going to be on my best form, trying hard. Probably be more nervous for that than the singles.
“I think I just wish him the best. I think Wimbledon is Andy Murray and Andy Murray is Wimbledon. Yeah, I just want to see him do well.”
Wimbledon 2024: Emma Raducanu reveals Carlos Alcaraz inspiration
Emma Raducanu on her 6-1 6-2 victory over Elise Mertens and reaching the Wimbledon third round:
“I enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun. I think that when my character shows through my tennis is when I play my best. I’m really pleased with that. Honestly, me following Carlos [Alcaraz], it was pretty cool to watch him play because he has the same sort of demeanor and just enjoyment of the sport.
“I think I played very well, but I don’t think it was my best match since US Open. I think I’ve played a few matches that I was personally probably happier with.
“Today I’m very pleased with how I handled situations. It’s always a lot of fun, but it’s never easy stepping out onto a massive court and playing in front of the home crowd. It’s not straightforward.
“I think the way I handled that, the first game going Love-30, then regrouping, finding a good rhythm, I’m very pleased with that, but I wouldn’t say it was my best performance.”
If Jannik Sinner is going to win Wimbledon, he must do it the hard way
If Jannik Sinner is going to win Wimbledon, he is going to have to do it the hard way. That much is already clear. Some might suggest there is no easy way to go the distance at the All England Club, but there are surely easier ways to win than this.
After Sinner’s stilted victory over Yannick Hanfmann on Monday, the world No 1 might have ceded the favourite tag to Carlos Alcaraz: the defending champion who breezed through his opening match. After three days at SW19, the Spaniard must be the frontrunner ahead of the Italian.
Alcaraz, 21, has impressed with two straight-sets wins, while Sinner, 22, has only touched his best tennis in fleeting passages of play. It was the case for Sinner on Monday, and it was the case on Wednesday, though admittedly against an intriguing opponent. To Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini is a friend and compatriot; to everyone else, he is a former Wimbledon finalist.
And frankly, you wouldn’t have assumed a friendship between Berrettini and the Australian Open champion, given the way these players were brutalising the ball. There was something harsh and clinical about Berrettini’s work, but in the best way. Under the closed Centre Court roof, there was an enduring echo to the slap of his racket against the ball, and to the ensuing “ooo”s in the crowd. Across the net, Sinner was tasked with finding counters.
Here is how their epic clash played out:
If Jannik Sinner is going to win Wimbledon, he must do it the hard way
The world No 1 overcame his friend Matteo Berrettini in a brutal encounter, eventually winning 7-6 7-6 2-6 7-6 to reach the third round
Wimbledon 2024: Jannik Sinner takes down Matteo Berrettini
A really nice moment as Sinner and Berrettini met at the net.
Shame they had to face each other in the second round. Berrettini could have gone far if he had not ran into the World No 1!
Sinner wins a THRILLER 🍿@janniksin comes through against good friend Berrettini 7-6 7-6 2-6 7-6 🇮🇹#Wimbledon @Wimbledon
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 3, 2024
pic.twitter.com/F0pLgwcx4T
Wimbledon 2024: Jannik Sinner 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-4) Matteo Berrettini
Jannik Sinner after beating Matteo Berrettini.
“We are very good friends. We play Davis Cup together, we practice together. It’s very tough we had to play second round in such an important tournament. This was a high level match and we both played very well. In the three tiebreaks I got a bit lucky. It’s quite late so thanks for the support. The crowd was great.
“I knew I had to raise my level here, he is a grass-court specialist, he made the final here. I looked forward to it. It was a challenge but I am happy with how I managed it.”
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