LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz was forced to dig deep on Saturday to see off the challenge of Nicolas Jarry and reach the last 16 at Wimbledon.

The Spanish top seed, seen as the man most likely to end Novak Djokovic’s long reign at the All England Club, was off-colour but still won 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 7-5 to set up a tantalising encounter with either Alexander Zverev or Matteo Berrettini.

A single break in the first set was enough for Alcaraz to edge ahead but he faltered in the second, slipping 4-1 behind. The US Open champion clawed his way back, forcing a tie-break, but that went the way of his Chilean opponent, seeded 25th.

Alcaraz regrouped and took the third set 6-3 but the errors crept in again and he found himself in trouble at 3-0 down in the fourth.

The 20-year-old survived two break points in the following game and broke back when Jarry went long with a forehand. He conjured a searing backhand return to break again in the 11th game and served out for the win.

Alcaraz was playing his second match in two days after heavy rain earlier in the week caused a scheduling headache for tournament chiefs.

In contrast, women’s second seed Aryna Sabalenka beat Russian Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-3 in the third round while Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas claimed a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 win over Serbia’s Laslo Djere.

American Christopher Eubanks extended his best Grand Slam run by defeating Australian Christopher O’Connell 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in the third round.

Czech Jiri Lehecka stunned American 16th seed Tommy Paul 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (9/11), 6-2 to set up a fourth-round clash against third seed Daniil Medvedev, who came from a set down to beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Earlier, rains saw only one match completed before play was suspended for more than two hours on all outside courts.

Beatriz Haddad Maia, a 13th-seeded Brazilian who reached the semifinals at this year’s French Open, beat Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-2 in the third round on Court 3.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova nearly made it in time, leading Natalija Stevanovic 6-3, 4-5 on Court 2 when the rain started. Kvitova needed only a few minutes after play resumed to complete the victory 6-3, 7-5.

In Friday’s late action, Novak Djokovic made the fourth round for the 15th time, beating old rival Stan Wawrinka and a night-time curfew.

Serbia’s Djokovic, chasing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and 24th career Grand Slam crown, came through 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) against the 38-year-old Wawrinka just before Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew.

World number two Djokovic will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who he has defeated five times in as many meetings, for a place in the quarter-finals.

Seventh seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia and Italian eighth-seed Jannik Sinner made the last 16 with wins over David Goffin and Quentin Halys respectively while home wildcard Liam Broady lost to mercurial Canadian Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5.

Women’s top seed Iga Swiatek continued her serene progress with a third successive straight sets win — this time against Croatia’s Petra Martic 6-2, 7-5 — and next faces 14th-ranked Belinda Bencic.

Lesia Tsurenko win a dramatic match against Ana Bogdan after saving five match points and winning a 38-point tiebreak, the longest in women’s singles Grand Slam history.

Tunisian Ons Jabeur made quick work of Chinese qualifier Bai Zhuoxuan with a 6-1, 6-1 win in 45 minutes and a hectic day in the women’s draw ended with a shock under the Court One roof as fifth seed Caroline Garcia was outlasted by 32nd seed Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7/0), 4-6, 7-5.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2023