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5 hours ago
8
Key events
Ach, Swiatek breaks Pliskova back, but now it’s time to give Fery his moment and check in with his interview .. oh, there isn’t one. Instead, though, Kostyuk and Blinkova are out, the former now firmly installed as a favourite of this blog, so let’s stay with that match for now.
Perhaps settling on the grass and trusting her body, perhaps a bit less nervous, Pliskova has appeared into the match, breaking Swiatek for 1-6 2-0. She’s serving well now, and when that’s the case, anything can happen.
On No 1, meantime, Swan is making a better fist of things, trailing Keys 1-6 3-3 – they’ve just exchanged breaks and, as I type, a second serve barely clambers over the net and is given the treatment, the American then nailing a return to break once more. And Jodar has broken Carreno Busta in the fifth for 2-1, consolidating asa I type for 3-1.
Arthur Fery beats Otto Virtanen 5-7 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3
Arthur Fery is a player. a forehand winner seals the deal – that’s the technical aspect – but the mental one is equally impressive. Next for him it’s Bergs or Faria – he now has the no 4 seed’s path through the draw – and he’ll fancy himself to do whichever of those he faces.
Back on 18, Virtanen holds, but at 2-1 5-3, Fery will shortly serve for the match.
On Centre, Swiatek is serving for the first set at 5-1 and she closes it out in short order. So far, this is a performance or authority and ruthlessness from the champ.
Swan, I’m afraid, has nothing for Keys, who leads 6-1 1-1, while Jodar is serving for a decider against Carreno Busta. It’s amazing, really, how just eight months ago, he was nowhere and now he’s seeded at majors, his level improving alongside the level of his opponents. He gets the job done and at 3-6 6-3 1-6 6-3, it’s time to enjoy a fifth set.
Swiatek is just so much surer and swifter about the court than Pliskova, allowing her 0-40 and closing to 30-40 … only to send down a second double of the game. So Pliskova, who had a full year off getting ankle surgery, then getting it again and not walking for four months – gosh, imagine how much she loves tennis to put herself through all that – has one break back. Can she use that as a springboard to force her way into the game?
Swiatek is all over Pliskova, breaking a second time for 4-0, and she’s playing really well, nailing a decent second serve for a forehand winner to secure the advantage. Similarly, Fery has broken the back of it against Virtanen, leading 2-1 3-1 – what must Ben Shelton be thinking – and Jodar has turned up and exploded, a brilliant return game giving him a 5-2 fourth-set lead over Carreno Busta, who can feel it happening again. Jodar, though, is a superstar, so.
We’re under way on Centre, Swiatek holding then making 15-40. And, though she’s sent out wide on return, she lands her shot on the baseline and Pliskova can’t return. Good start from the champ, who leads 2-0.
A few close games give Swan a sniff but Keys still leads 4-1 and now has two points for a double break. The first is snatched away with a forehand cross-court winner, but the no 26 seed is also useful off that flank and dominates the next rally to go further in front at 5-1.
“At what age is it no longer acceptable to wear a baseball hat backwards?” wonders Darrien Bold. “Asking for a 43 year old friend.”
I’m just not a hat guy, but I am known for many other crimes against age-appropriate dressing, centring around but not limited to shorts, flip-flops and brightly coloured Air Max, as well as a variety of hoodies and tracksuits.
Back on 18, Fery has Virtanen all at sea, breaking him a second time in set three to take it 6-3 and lead 2-1. The way he’s playing, he’ll take some stopping.
Jodar and Carreno Busta have arrived on to court; remember the former came back from 2-0 down to beat the latter in Paris and, though he grew up on clay and grass is a different thing, he’s such a talent I don’t think it’ll be long before he acclimatises.
We’re minutes away from action on Centre, the 34-year-old vet and former world no 1, Karolina Pliskova, taking on Iga Swiatek, the champ. I’m looking forward to this one: even when she was at the top of the rankings, I never thought Pliskova could win a major – she was just a bit wooden – but she’s now canny enough to make this a contest.
Liudmila Samsonova beats Diana Shnaider 6-4 4-6 6-2
After making the last four in Paris, Shnaider will have hoped she was over a hump, establishing herself at the top end of the game. Er, or not. Next for Samsonova: Bouzkova.
Next on Court 3: Jodar (23) 3-6 6-3 1-6 2-1 Carreno Busta.
Samsonova has broken Shnaider again, so is now serving for the mach at 5-2 in the third … and she quickly makes 30-0.
Fritz felt the third set getting difficult – he spurned a lot of chances so feared losing the breaker, and si delighted to get it done in three. His best results at Wimbledon have always come after winning Eastbourne, but he didn’t play that this time, so came in with different rhythm and is really happy to win again.
He’s then asked about his NBA trousers – apparently he made a bit of a thing about taking them off before the match – saying he’s not really into that kind of thing, so it’s a good change for him. Sadly, our photo bank is silent on the matter.
Keys breaks Swan immediately for 2-0 and Fery gets Virtanen to love so leads 1-1 3-2 – which is just as well, as no one wants to be trailing a grown man with a baseball hat on backwards. Samsonova, meantime, is moving nearer victory, up 4-2 in the third on Shnaider.
Taylor Fritz (6) beats Patrick Kypson 6-2 6-2 7-5
That’s six sets played, six sets one, and Fritz looks in really good control of himself. Next up, Diallo or Sonego, who are level at 1-1 3-3.
On 2, with Kypson still serving for that third-set breaker, Fritz makes 15-40 and match point but as service winner is followed by a netted line backhand … then he middles one for advantage and another go at closing the show … which he also can’t take.
We’re just under way on No 1, Keys serving against Swan in game one, and backhand on the backpeddle, sent down and on to the line, earning the hold to 30. In theory, Keys should be a really good grass-courter – her serve and power work nicely and she’s won four tournaments on the surface – but I don’t think she moves well enough to win here. We shall see.
Back on 12, Samsonova still has her third-set break, leading Shnaider 302; Kypson is serving for a third-set breaker against Fritz, who leads by two sets to love; and Fery trails Virtanen 1-1 1-2 on serve.
Next on Court 3: Alexandra Eala (29) v Maya Joint.
“Super-stoked”, he says, and “super-grateful to be out here playing some great tennis”, while enjoying the London sun.
He was nervous before his first match but he started better today, playing with more intent and conviction. aHe knows how dangerous Mannarino is saying they hate playing each other as they make each other’s loves difficult. “not a lot of top-spin, lot of flat, low shots … I’ll need to get some treatment on my lower back.”
Otherwise, he hopes to stay here for a long time and I can’t lie, I’d absolutely love that for him – though I fear he won’t get by Cobolli if they meet in round four.
De Minaur is another for whom this is a massive tournament. He’s been really candid about the toll being not quite good enough to beat the best players in the biggest tournaments has taken on him – he’s hit his physical and technical ceiling while doing all he can to raise it, but it’s never looked like close to enough, excellent player though he is, and the frustration must be immense. Let’s hear what he’s got to say…
Alex de Minaur (5) beats Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-2 6-2
Mannarino made that harder than the score suggests, but De Minaur moves on to face Svajda or Majchrzak next.
Mannarino is not long for this competition, broken by Demon, who now leads 6-3 6-2 4-2. Kypson, on the other hand, is sticking with Fritz in set three, down 2-0 4-3, while Samsonova has broken Shnaider for 2-0 in the third. Between sets, the latter was advised by her coach to hit with more spin but, so far, it’s not working.
Fery nabs the first mini-break for 3-1, but then nets a forehand and wafts another long; 3-3. Oh! But then at 4-3, two brilliant volleys, one which hits the side line and dies, then another improbable winner, also close to the sideline, means at 6-3, he has two set points … and only needs one, stepping in to assault a backhand that Virtanen can’t get back. That’s brilliant behaviour, that top-20 potential evident for all to see, and the crowd enjoy the arse out of it. We’re level at one set apiece.
Fery does his best but Virtanen holds for the breaker looking strong in the process, and on 12, we’ve reached that point at which neither player can hold, Samsonova offering up a diet of unforced errors to be broken to love. That concludes a second 6-4 set, so we’ll shortly reconvene for a decider.
Daria Snigur beats Leolia Jeanjean 6-4 6-3
After upsetting Elina Svitolina in the Ukraine derby, Snigur doesn’t waste her acquisition of the no 8 seed’s path through the draw; next for her, a qualifier, whether Bolkvadze or Krueger. She’ll take that.
It’s getting tense on 18, Fery pushed to deuce when serving at 5-7 5-5, and the match is probably here. If he loses the set, a comeback will seem a remote prospect, but if he wins it, he’s got every chance … and rushing to his hold, he’s guaranteed a breaker at least, while Samsonova has just broken Shnaider back to love.
At 4-3 in the second, Shnaider makes 0-40, Sansonova saving the first break point with a forehand ushered to the corner and the second with a serve out wide and clean-up. But when a return, thudded flat and close to the baseline, arrives, the response falls long, and the French Open semi-finalist will now serve for a decider at 4-6 5-3.
We get going on No1 at 1pm BST, 1.30pm on Centre, but before that, we’ve close matches on 12 and 18. Samsonova is still holding her own against Shanider, who beat Sabalenka – admittedly with help from Sabalenka herself – on her way to the semis at Roland Garros, leading 6-4 3-3 and refusing to wilt though her opponent has improved. And Fery – who our commentators reckon has the ability to break the top 20 – trails Virtanen 5-7 4-4. Back with our hidings, though, De Minaur has just served out a 6-2 set to lead Mannarino 2-0.
Mannarino is a proper tennniser, a lefty stylist and touch-player – which makes me feel like I’m describing Henri Leconte, my old fella’s favourite in the 80s. But Demon is making him look like a leaden-footed butcher, ripping a pass for a double break and a 6-3 5-2 lead; he’s now serving for a two-set lead, which is what Fritz has just secured, up 6-2 6-2 on Kypson who has nowt for him.
Also going on:
Out on 12, Shnaider has begun her fightback, breaking Samsonova back to trail 4-6 2- while, in the time it took me to big-up his chances, Fritz broke Kypson for 6-2 5-2. De Minaur has also improved his position while that was going on, breaking Mannarino for 6-3 3-2, but we’re still on serve in set two on 18, Virtanen leading Fery 7-5 2-3.
We were saying earlier in the week that this is a huge chance for Fritz, and it is. He’s been getting closer the last couple of years – he played pretty much as well as he could losing last year’s semi to Alcaraz – and the next-highest seed in his eighth is Bublik. I’d be shocked if he didn’t beat him, and though it’d then be Zverev in the last eight, he’s 12-6 against him and, on grass, would be the favourite in my book, and were he to make it to the semis, with Shelton gone – against whom I’d back him in any event – we’re probably talking one of De Minaur, Dimitrov, Berrettini, Fils. Or, in other words, it’s never getting better.
Just to round up our other scores before we dig in properly:
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Diallo 6-7 0-1 Sonego
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Snigur 6-4 2-1 Jeanjean
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Grant 5-7 0-1 Bouzkova (21)
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Navarro (23) 3-6 4-1 Selekhmeteva
I’ve gone for Ferry 5-7 Virtanen; De Minaur 6-3 1-2 Mannarino; Shnaider 4-6 0-2 Samsonova; and Fritz 6-3 3-2 Kypson.
I guess it’s about time for one of my favourite parts of the day: which matches am I going to watch? So bate your breath and get those hooks tentered, for here we go.
Preamble
Wotcha one and all and welcome to Wimbledon 2026 – day 4! And guess what? It’s yet another jazzer.
We begin with some attractive-looking contests on outside courts, Alex de Minaur taking on Adrian Mannarino and Diana Shnaider, French Open semi-finalist, meeting Liudmila Samsonova. And if to that we add GB’s Arthur Fery v Otto Virtanen – conqueror of Ben Shelton – and already we’re wondering if anyone’s got any spare eyes, though we’ve barely even got going.
No 1 Court opens with GB’s Katie Swan, back having battled potentially career-ending injury, against Madison Keys then, on Centre, Karolina Pliskova will try to overpower and out-think Iga Swiatek, our defending champion. But the match of the day may well be the one which follows, Mario Berrettini charged with halting the surging Arthur Fils – yet it might, just as easily, be our No 1 Court finale, where Jakub Mensik, also hot, will be threatened by the wily all-round game of Griggzy Dimitrov.
And, in between times, we’ve got Alexander Zverev; Rafael Jodar seeking another come back against Pablo Carreno Busta in a match that began yesterday; Amanda Anisimova, last year’s beaten finalist, must negotiate former Aussie Open champ, Sofia Kenin; Francis Tiafoe, the no 17 seed, takes on GB’s Jan Choinski; Jasmine Paolini, whose first-round match was one of the best we’ve seen so far, won’t find Viktoria Golubic a pushover; and I’m only ending this sentence because it’s becoming too unwieldy to continue.
But we’ve also got the exciting Alexandra Eala – she’ll address Serena’s vanquisher, Maya Joint – Flavio Cobolli, Linda Noskova, Jacob Fearnley, Alexander Bublik, Marta Kostyuk, Jiri Lehecka, Karen Khachanov and a whole lot else besides. So settle in, hold tight and biggup yourselves – it’s on.
