LONDON (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic shook off a wobble midway through his clash with big-serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz to book his Wimbledon quarter-final berth on Monday while fellow defending champion Elena Rybakina advanced after an injury to Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Third seed Daniil Medvedev went through to the last eight for the first time after ailing Czech Jiri Lehecka pulled up with a right foot injury while trailing 6-4 6-2 before fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was stunned by Christopher Eubanks.
Holder Djokovic resumed his clash with Hurkacz having edged two tiebreaks late on Sunday before the tournament’s strict 11 p.m. curfew and the 36-year-old dropped his first set of the tournament before sealing a 7-6(6) 7-6(6) 5-7 6-4 victory.
“He put up a great performance,” said a relieved Djokovic, who withstood a barrage of booming aces from Hurkacz – 33 in total – to remain on course for his fifth straight Wimbledon title and a record-equalling eighth overall.
“I don’t recall the last time I felt this miserable on returning games to be honest, because of his incredibly accurate and powerful serve.
“I mean he’s got one of the best serves in the world and it’s so difficult to read it.”
Second seed Djokovic will hope his 101st match at Wimbledon – against seventh-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev in the last eight – will mark a return to vintage form.
Rybakina, meanwhile, had an easier route into the quarter-finals after her Brazilian opponent retired with a back injury while trailing the third seed 4-1 in the first set.
“It’s never easy to finish a match like this and I hope it’s nothing really serious,” said Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, who will next take on Ons Jabeur in a tantalising rematch of last year’s final.
“It was really unlucky for Beatriz and I hope she gets better,” added Rybakina.
DEMOLITION JOB
Tunisian sixth seed Jabeur set up the last eight clash with Rybakina after crushing out-of-sorts former champion Petra Kvitova 6-0 6-3 in a Centre Court demolition job.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus continued her march towards a second Grand Slam title of 2023, as the Australian Open champion beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 6-0.
Both players were absent from the tournament last year after the grasscourt Grand Slam decided to ban competitors from Russia and its ally Belarus due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a “special military operation”.
“I’m really enjoying being here,” Sabalenka said.
“I’m super happy to be back and I’m really enjoying every second on court … I just want to stay as long as I can so I can enjoy the atmosphere.”
It was the end of the road for another Russian in 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who fell 3-6 7-6(4) 6-2 to American Madison Keys after being handed a point penalty late in the decider after appearing to throw her racket to the ground.
Keys, seeded 25th, will meet Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.
It was also a day to rejoice for fellow American Eubanks, who got past Tsitsipas 3-6 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4 6-4 to make the quarter-finals on his Wimbledon debut.
“I feel like I’m living a dream right now, this is absolutely insane,” said Eubanks, who meets Medvedev next.
“It’s surreal, it’s unbelievable, I can’t believe it.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
