The drama and entertainment continued on Day 6 of the men’s singles at Wimbledon. There were eight third round matches, with only one not being completed due to some rain in the evening. Matteo Berrettini won three tight sets to knock out Alexander Zverev and continue his good run. Who else looked good, who looked bad, and which five-set thriller was the match of the day?
Wimbledon Day 6 Recap
Who looked good
#1 seed Carlos Alcaraz had a very competitive and thoroughly enjoyable third round match against Nicolas Jarry, with both players playing at a good level. Alcaraz eventually prevailed 6-3 6-7 6-3 7-5. The Chilean can be very proud of his performance, showing no fear as he hit several winners in a powerful display. Jarry showed he can excel outside of his favoured clay courts. Alcaraz had a few periods where his level dropped, but overall this was an ideal test for him, and one he managed to overcome.
Daniil Medvedev also had to get the better of an opponent who offered a stiff challenge, winning 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 against 2021 quarterfinalist Marton Fucsovics. The Hungarian hit 13 more winners than Medvedev, consistently trying to take time away from the 2021 US Open champion. Medvedev had to stay focused on his serve and produce in the big moments, winning the last three sets with a single break of serve in each set. It was a potential banana skin the third seed did well to navigate.
Stefanos Tsitsipas backed up his memorable victory over Andy Murray by beating Laslo Djere 6-4 7-6 6-4. The match was far closer than the straight sets score would suggest. Both players created four break points throughout the entirety of the match. But it was the Greek who was more clinical in the big moments in all three sets to win. Djere is another player who prefers clay but showed real promise on grass today. But Tsitsipas used his his experience well.
Grigor Dimitrov had a superb first two sets against Francis Tiafoe before the match was suspended due to rain. He leads 6-2 6-3 1-2 overnight. The Bulgarian showed the form that saw him reach his first Grand Slam fourth round in three years at Roland Garros. He did not concede a single break point, and hit his forehand particularly sweetly on Court 2.
Christopher Eubanks dream run continued as he defeated Christopher O’Connell 7-6 7-6 7-6, meaning he has now won eight consecutive matches since the start of the Mallorca Open. There were only two breaks of serve during the match, and the Australian O’Connell did not play badly. Eubanks finding his big serve better during the tiebreaks was the difference in the end. He faces Tsitsipas next.
Who looked bad
Francis Tiafoe will be very grateful that the rain arrived. He was out of sorts from the beginning. As good as Dimitrov was, Tiafoe did not serve anywhere close to his capabilities, and also leaked more unforced errors than usual. It will be interesting to observe if he comes out with a different mindset tomorrow. He will need to find the Dimitrov backhand more consistently if he is to stage a comeback.
Tommy Paul will be rueing two poor sets as he lost 6-2 7-6 6-7 6-7 6-2 to Jiri Lehecka. The American does deserve credit for how hard he fought from two sets down, showing a great attitude. But he was far below his best in the first and last set, seeming to run out of steam at the end after the effort to win the third and fourth set. It was a match he could have won if near his best, and he will have regrets.
Match of the day
Holger Rune and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina played one of the matches of the tournament. The sixth seed Rune somehow managed to win 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-6. The Dane saved two match points before the championship tiebreak. He then found himself 8-5 down in the tiebreak, but reeled off five straight points to win. An incredible moment occured at 8-8 all in the tiebreak, when Davidovich Fokina chose to hit an underarm serve, which backfired spectacularly as Rune eagerly dispatched the misplaced serve. That is the third time Rune has played a fifth set tiebreak this year, winning two and losing one to Rublev at the Australian Open.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
