Key events<\/p>\n
Madison Keys (26) beats Katie Swann 6-1 6-4<\/p>\n
A booming forehand winner, whipped cross-court, has Keys bellowing, and she seems to fancy herself this year. Next for her, though, a proper tussle against either Kenin or Anisimova ; if she gets through that, we\u2019ll really be talking.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Keys, though, plays a poor shot with Swan caught at net, the putaway volley inciting the Brit to noise up the crowd. But a netted backhand means another match point … then Keys goes long on the forehand, a careless shot suggesting she\u2019s not feeling much jeopardy. A third opportunity to close follows\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Oh dear. Pliskova sends down a double to cede a break, Swiatek leading 6-1 3-2, while Swan gets to 15-30 then attacks a second serve. But Keys takes over in the rally, her backhand too strong, and a match-point raising ace follows.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A standing ovation on No 1 as Swan breaks Keys back for 4-4 in the second .. then is broken again, meaning keys will shortly serve for the match at 6-1 5-4. Elsewhere, Kostyuk leads Blinkova 2-0, Eala has just taken set two off Joint to force a decider, ad Svajda leads Majchrzak 1-1 3-2<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rafael Jodar is undeniable. After an iffy display yesterday, today he\u2019s attacking Carreno Busta\u2019s second serve in the proper manner and generally hitting it harder and truer. He breaks again for 4-1 in the fifth and is seeded to meet Jannik Sinner in round four; tasty.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ach, Swiatek breaks Pliskova back, but now it\u2019s time to give Fery his moment and check in with his interview .. oh, there isn\u2019t one. Instead, though, Kostyuk and Blinkova are out, the former now firmly installed as a favourite of this blog, so let\u2019s stay with that match for now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s serving well now, and when that\u2019s the case, anything can happen.<\/p>\n On No 1, meantime, Swan is making a better fist of things, trailing Keys 1-6 3-3 \u2013 they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Arthur Fery beats Otto Virtanen 5-7 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3<\/p>\n Arthur Fery is a player. a forehand winner seals the deal \u2013 that\u2019s the technical aspect \u2013 but the mental one is equally impressive. Next for him it\u2019s Bergs or Faria \u2013 he now has the no 4 seed\u2019s path through the draw \u2013 and he\u2019ll fancy himself to do whichever of those he faces.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Back on 18, Virtanen holds, but at 2-1 5-3, Fery will shortly serve for the match.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Swan, I\u2019m afraid, has nothing for Keys, who leads 6-1 1-1, while Jodar is serving for a decider against Carreno Busta. It\u2019s amazing, really, how just eight months ago, he was nowhere and now he\u2019s 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\u2019s time to enjoy a fifth set.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Swiatek is just so much surer and swifter about the court than Pliskova, allowing her 0-40 and closing to 30-40 \u2026 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 \u2013 gosh, imagine how much she loves tennis to put herself through all that \u2013 has one break back. Can she use that as a springboard to force her way into the game?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Swiatek is all over Pliskova, breaking a second time for 4-0, and she\u2019s 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 \u2013 what must Ben Shelton be thinking \u2013 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.<\/p>\n Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova serves to Iga Swiatek. Photograph: Jaimi Joy\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.01 EDT<\/p>\n We\u2019re under way on Centre, Swiatek holding then making 15-40. And, though she\u2019s sent out wide on return, she lands her shot on the baseline and Pliskova can\u2019t return. Good start from the champ, who leads 2-0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAt what age is it no longer acceptable to wear a baseball hat backwards?\u201d wonders Darrien Bold. \u201cAsking for a 43 year old friend.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.36 EDT<\/p>\n 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\u2019s playing, he\u2019ll take some stopping.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s such a talent I don\u2019t think it\u2019ll be long before he acclimatises.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019re minutes away from action on Centre, the 34-year-old vet and former world no 1, Karolina Pliskova, taking on Iga Swiatek<\/a>, the champ. I\u2019m looking forward to this one: even when she was at the top of the rankings, I never thought Pliskova could win a major \u2013 she was just a bit wooden \u2013 but she\u2019s now canny enough to make this a contest.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Liudmila Samsonova beats Diana Shnaider 6-4 4-6 6-2<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Liudmila Samsonova celebrates on her way to beating Diana Shnaider. Photograph: Robert Prange\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.04 EDT<\/p>\n Next on Court 3: Jodar (23) 3-6 6-3 1-6 2-1 Carreno Busta.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Samsonova has broken Shnaider again, so is now serving for the mach at 5-2 in the third \u2026 and she quickly makes 30-0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Fritz felt the third set getting difficult \u2013 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<\/a> have always come after winning Eastbourne, but he didn\u2019t play that this time, so came in with different rhythm and is really happy to win again.<\/p>\n He\u2019s then asked about his NBA trousers \u2013 apparently he made a bit of a thing about taking them off before the match \u2013 saying he\u2019s not really into that kind of thing, so it\u2019s a good change for him. Sadly, our photo bank is silent on the matter.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Keys breaks Swan immediately for 2-0 and Fery gets Virtanen to love so leads 1-1 3-2 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Taylor Fritz (6) beats Patrick Kypson 6-2 6-2 7-5<\/p>\n That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Taylor Fritz pops the ball over the net during his second round victory over Patrick Kypson. Photograph: Toby Melville\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.38 EDT<\/p>\n 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 \u2026 then he middles one for advantage and another go at closing the show \u2026 which he also can\u2019t take.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019re 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 \u2013 her serve and power work nicely and she\u2019s won four tournaments on the surface \u2013 but I don\u2019t think she moves well enough to win here. We shall see.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Next on Court 3: Alexandra Eala (29) v Maya Joint.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSuper-stoked\u201d, he says, and \u201csuper-grateful to be out here playing some great tennis\u201d, while enjoying the London sun.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s loves difficult. \u201cnot a lot of top-spin, lot of flat, low shots \u2026 I\u2019ll need to get some treatment on my lower back.\u201d<\/p>\n Otherwise, he hopes to stay here for a long time and I can\u2019t lie, I\u2019d absolutely love that for him \u2013 though I fear he won\u2019t get by Cobolli if they meet in round four.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n De Minaur is another for whom this is a massive tournament. He\u2019s been really candid about the toll being not quite good enough to beat the best players in the biggest tournaments has taken on him \u2013 he\u2019s hit his physical and technical ceiling while doing all he can to raise it, but it\u2019s never looked like close to enough, excellent player though he is, and the frustration must be immense. Let\u2019s hear what he\u2019s got to say\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Alex de Minaur (5) beats Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-2 6-2<\/p>\n Mannarino made that harder than the score suggests, but De Minaur moves on to face Svajda or Majchrzak next.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s Alex De Minaur on his way to beating Adrian Mannarino of France. Photograph: Cameron Spencer\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.09 EDT<\/p>\n 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\u2019s not working.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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 \u2026 and only needs one, stepping in to assault a backhand that Virtanen can\u2019t get back. That\u2019s brilliant behaviour, that top-20 potential evident for all to see, and the crowd enjoy the arse out of it. We\u2019re level at one set apiece.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Fery does his best but Virtanen holds for the breaker looking strong in the process, and on 12, we\u2019ve 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\u2019ll shortly reconvene for a decider.<\/p>\n Arthur Fery returns to Otto Virtanen. Photograph: John Walton\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.07 EDT<\/p>\n Daria Snigur beats Leolia Jeanjean 6-4 6-3<\/p>\n After upsetting Elina Svitolina in the Ukraine derby, Snigur doesn\u2019t waste her acquisition of the no 8 seed\u2019s path through the draw; next for her, a qualifier, whether Bolkvadze or Krueger. She\u2019ll take that.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s 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\u2019s got every chance \u2026 and rushing to his hold, he\u2019s guaranteed a breaker at least, while Samsonova has just broken Shnaider back to love.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.24 EDT<\/p>\n We get going on No1 at 1pm BST, 1.30pm on Centre, but before that, we\u2019ve close matches on 12 and 18. Samsonova is still holding her own against Shanider, who beat Sabalenka \u2013 admittedly with help from Sabalenka herself \u2013 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 \u2013 who our commentators reckon has the ability to break the top 20 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.25 EDT<\/p>\n Mannarino is a proper tennniser, a lefty stylist and touch-player \u2013 which makes me feel like I\u2019m describing Henri Leconte, my old fella\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Also going on:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019re still on serve in set two on 18, Virtanen leading Fery 7-5 2-3.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We were saying earlier in the week that this is a huge chance for Fritz, and it is. He\u2019s been getting closer the last couple of years \u2013 he played pretty much as well as he could losing last year\u2019s semi to Alcaraz \u2013 and the next-highest seed in his eighth is Bublik. I\u2019d be shocked if he didn\u2019t beat him, and though it\u2019d then be Zverev in the last eight, he\u2019s 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 \u2013 against whom I\u2019d back him in any event \u2013 we\u2019re probably talking one of De Minaur, Dimitrov, Berrettini, Fils. Or, in other words, it\u2019s never getting better.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Just to round up our other scores before we dig in properly:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.07 EDT<\/p>\n I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I guess it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n Wotcha one and all and welcome to Wimbledon 2026<\/a> \u2013 day 4! And guess what? It\u2019s yet another jazzer.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Arthur Fery v Otto Virtanen \u2013 conqueror of Ben Shelton \u2013 and already we\u2019re wondering if anyone\u2019s got any spare eyes, though we\u2019ve barely even got going.<\/p>\n No 1 Court opens with GB\u2019s 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<\/a>, 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n And, in between times, we\u2019ve got Alexander Zverev; Rafael Jodar seeking another come back against Pablo Carreno Busta in a match that began yesterday; Amanda Anisimova, last year\u2019s beaten finalist, must negotiate former Aussie Open champ, Sofia Kenin; Francis Tiafoe, the no 17 seed, takes on GB\u2019s Jan Choinski; Jasmine Paolini, whose first-round match was one of the best we\u2019ve seen so far, won\u2019t find Viktoria Golubic a pushover; and I\u2019m only ending this sentence because it\u2019s becoming too unwieldy to continue.<\/p>\n But we\u2019ve also got the exciting Alexandra Eala \u2013 she\u2019ll address Serena\u2019s vanquisher, Maya Joint \u2013 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 \u2013 it\u2019s on.<\/p>\n