While Raducanu was watched by Romeo Beckham among the No 1 Court crowd, American Coco Gauff had tennis royalty admiring her passage into the 3rd round. Definitely a special experience playing out on Centre Court. There was some specific preparation today, in terms of just a game plan, and how I wanted to take it on, mentally. But also, I think, it’s been years of preparation that made me able to feel comfortable and feel, like, physically and mentally, I’m able to take that challenge on. Emma Navarro
The World No 2 has dropped only 6 games in her opening 2 matches and, on Wednesday, it was Romanian Anca Todoni whom she outclassed, watched by superstar tennis parents Robert and Lynette Federer, and his twin sons, Leo and Lenny. Now sporting a new blonde look, Gauff is looking confident on court, dealing out an emphatic 6-2 6-1 win over the qualifier in a rather one-sided affair that lasted just 66 minutes. Playing on No 1 Court is always special for Gauff, since this is where it all started for her, with an upset win over Venus Williams in the opening round of The Championships in 2019 as a 15-year old qualifier.
In the 5 years since, Gauff has gone on to reach the Last 16 here, and also has won the US Open title, played in a Roland-Garros final, and made the Last 4 of the Australian Open. Last summer, though, Gauff lost to a qualifier in the opening round, which put her in ‘a dark place’, but she has been learning about life over the last 12 months, which has included recognising that there is no need to be consumed or overwhelmed by expectation and pressure.
It is paying off this year, but she did get some help from the roof on No 1 Court during her 2nd-round encounter with Todoni, when the No 2 seed, having won 8 of the first 10 games, sent a shanked return up into the rafters and the ball seemingly disappeared, but, to everyone’s surprise, it landed inside the court and the point continued, with the American taking it on a Romanian error. Both were confused, thinking a let should have been called, but veteran chair umpire Miriam Bley explained that the ball did not actually touch any part of the roof structure, so it was played out.
Gauff will face another qualifier in the Last 32 on Friday, Britain’s Sonay Kartal, who upset France’s Clara Burel, 6-3 5-7 6-3. Emma Navarro convincingly beat Naomi Osaka in straight sets to reach the Last 32 at The Championships for the first time© Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Surprises kept on coming on Wednesday, when American former standout college star Emma Navarro shocked 4-time major winner Naomi Osaka from Japan for the loss of just 5 games on her Centre Court debut, committing just 5 unforced errors in the process. It was a block-buster performance of the very highest level, the ‘Ice Girl’, which is the affectionate nickname given to the New Yorker by her family, posted a 6-4 6-1 win over Osaka in her finest Wimbledon showing to date.
The World No 17 has already won 31 matches, and will hope to gain revenge for 2 recent losses to Diana Shnaider, after the young Russian dispatched former US Open champion Sloane Stephens from America. 6-1 6-1, out on Court 16. “Naomi’s obviously a great player, has played some great tennis – it’s great to have her back on tour,” Navarro said following her 58-minute triumph. “[I] obviously wanted to get the win today, [and] played some really good tennis at times. It’s my first time on Centre Court. It doesn’t really seem to be real.”
The 2021 NCAA collegiate tennis champion warmed up for Wimbledon with a semi-final showing in Bad Homburg, Germany. “I’ve been having a lot of fun on grass,” the 23-year old said. “It’s, kind of, been the theme of my time on tour so far, just trying to really enjoy myself – and today was no exception. So I’m just having a lot of fun and it was a really special atmosphere.” In the first game of the match, Osaka catapulted a forehand return winner down the line during a confident start from the former World No 1. Navarro’s defensive skills, though, are particularly impressive, but she also is equally deft at attack, and she used Osaka’s power to her benefit, re-directing the ball with ease and eventually claiming a 4-3 break lead.
The Japanese wild-card struck a piercing backhand cross-court, but the eagle-eyed Navarro challenged the crucial call at deuce, and was successful by just a couple of millimetres, chalking up 5-3 moments later. Navarro was seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time at the Australian Open in January, where she reached the 3rd-round, and she followed this up with a run to the 4th round at Roland-Garros.
While Osaka fired her unrelenting power play off both her serve and return, it was all too erratic as Navarro nailed replies into the corners, sending the Japanese scampering. At 3-0 in the second set, the American lasered a backhand down the line, and romped home to the finish line. “Definitely a special experience playing out on Centre Court,” Navarro said. “There was some specific preparation today, in terms of just a game plan, and how I wanted to take it on, mentally.
“But also, I think, it’s been years of preparation that made me able to feel comfortable and feel, like, physically and mentally, I’m able to take that challenge on. “Growing up, I actually didn’t watch that much tennis. My brother watched way more than I did. He would get up at, like, five in the morning and catch a fifth set of whatever match. On occasion I would join him.
“I remember watching Federer and Nadal play. I don’t know how many times they played at Wimbledon, but, yeah, that’s a specific memory I have. “I was actually thinking about that when I was out on the court today, just that I’m playing on a court that Federer and Nadal once played on, and that’s pretty cool.” 9th seed Maria Sakkari got past Arantxa Rue in straight sets and will meet Emma Raducanu in the Last 32 on Friday© © Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Maria Sakkari, the No 9 seed from Greece, reached the 3rd-round after defeating Arantxa Rus from the Netherlands, 7-5 6-3, on Wednesday evening. The opener was close, with Sakkari erasing both break points she faced, before capitalising on her first break point in the crucial 12th game, and then taking the set.
In the second, things were easier for the Greek, who was not threatened on her serve, and managed to break in the 8th game, before taking the last 3 games of the match and finishing it off in 89 minutes. The win sees Sakkari avoid another early exit at a major, the Greek having not made the second week of one since 2021.
Sakkari, ranked No 9, will face wild-card Emma Raducanu next, after the Brit wowed the No 1 Court crowd with a powerful performance to up-end Elise Mertens, 6-4 6-1. Canada’s Bianca Andreescu also advanced to the 3rd round, with a 6-3 7-6(5) upset over 26th-seed Linda Noskova from the Czech Republic, winning on her first match point, and scoring her 28th winner on a backhand.
The 24-year-old scored the only break of the match early, to go up 2-0 in the first set, and held onto her own serve throughout, successfully defending all 5 break points she faced. In another upset, China’s Zhu Lin saw off Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the Russian 25th seed, 6-4 6-3.
