Key events<\/p>\n
Borges narrowly avoids being double-broken but still trails 1-2 2-4, while Merida has broken Medvedev back for 1-1 5-5 and this match is maturing into a proper struggle.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a>Francis Tiafoe (17) beats Terence Altmane 7-6(6) 6-1 4-6 6-4<\/p>\n Next for Tiafoe: Lehecka or Popryrin. Tasty.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Oh but from 30-40, Gauff breaks Sierra so, at 5-3, she\u2019ll now serve for the first set. Gosh, and I just love the way Fonseca is playing plays \u2013 the way he generates power on his forehand feels illegal, and he\u2019s just carted a monster down the line to save break point at 6-1 0-1. Back on No 1, meanwhile, 40-0 has become 40-30; a bit of pressure for Gauff. But Sierra then tamely nets a return, and the consequent celebration tells us how tough a set that was. But the no 7 seed takes it 6-3, and it\u2019s a long schlep back from here.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner has, predictably. broken Borges again so he leads 7-6 7-6 2-1, and though he\u2019s asked to fight back from 0-30 for his consolidation, he gets it done. Meantime, Medvedev has done similarly to Merida, leading him 1-1 4-2, while we\u2019re still on serve on No 1, Gauff leading Sierra 4-3.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.53 EDT<\/p>\n Fonseca is playing so well \u2013 he leads De Jong, who\u2019s nae mug, 6-1 \u2013 I\u2019m now looking at his draw. And whaddaya kna: he\u2019s seeded to face none other than Novak Djokovic in round four, a different proposition on grass than clay on which, of course, he came from two sets down to beat him in Paris. Get through that, though, and he\u2019s seeded to face Auger-Aliassime in the last eight, a match I\u2019d back him to win, then Sinner in the semi.<\/p>\n Joao Fonseca with a low forehand. Photograph: Maja Smiejkowska\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.46 EDT<\/p>\n Biggup Nuno Borges. Well, sort of; he breaks back, but really, Sinner, perhaps thinking the match was as good as done, gifted it him. He leads 2-0 1-1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Moving around wa outside courts, Altmane trails Tiafoe by 2-1 and a break; a fifth set looks likely. Kalinskaya is serving for the first set against Parry at 5-4; Bouzas Maneiro, one of my could get really good at some points players, has beaten Yastremska 6-3 6-7 6-2; and Michael Zheng, so impressive seeing off Cameron Norries, leads Mejia 7-6 6-7 6-1.<\/p>\n Frances Tiafoe tosses his racket. Photograph: Matthew Stockman\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.51 EDT<\/p>\n It\u2019s disintegrating fast for poor old Borges, who takes a break between sets, returns, ploughs through a long game, and is broken. Sinner leads 2-0 1-0, but he\u2019s not at his most vulnerable until it gets to 5-1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Gauff breaks Sierra at the first tie of asking for 2-0 in the first, but then finds herself down 0-40, the Argentinian settling. And though the first two break points are snatched back, a backhand swatted wide means that at 2-1, we\u2019re back on serve.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Fonseca breaks De Jong immediately and leads 3-0; Medvedev levels up against Merida, who now leads 1-1 1-0; and Gauff has taken the first game against Sierra.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n What\u2019ll be hurting Borges is how he performed when serving for the set, giving the game away with errors after playing pretty much as well as he can, whereas the tiebreak, Sinner seized. I do wonder, though, if the chasing pack don\u2019t fear him quite as much as they did when he won here last term.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n At 2-2, Borges contests a brutal rally, then nets a forehand, and that\u2019s the mini-break, doubles when a backhand is dumped into the net. At 4-2 Sinner, another set is slipping away \u2013 but the champ isn\u2019t playing that well. However, as I type, of course, he smites a signature backhand down the line for 5-2, a wrong-footing forehand makes it 6-2 and, once more, he\u2019s finding what he needs when he needs it. Sure enough, Borges then nets a backhand, concluding a 7-2 breaker, and Borges has nothing but regret to show for his 1hr 36 of endeavour.<\/p>\n Nuno Borges hits a shot to Jannick Sinner. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.21 EDT<\/p>\n On No 1, Gauff and Sierra are out while, post-Muchova, I\u2019ve stayed on 3 for Fonseca v De Jong. And in beteween, on 2, Medvedev, a set down to Merida, is serving for the second at 5-3. But let\u2019s get to the Sinner-Borges breaker, the champ down 1-2 on serve.<\/p>\n Coco Gauff with her eye on the ball. Photograph: Henry Nicholls\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.24 EDT<\/p>\n In typical style, Sinner holds to love, shovelling pressure down Borges\u2019 gullet as he\u2019s back having to serve almost as soon as he\u2019d finished. To his credit, though, he responds with a love hold of his own, so off we mooch to a second breaker.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Muchova says it\u2019s five years since she gave an interview on court at Wimbledon; gosh, where does the time go. Asked about the variety with which she plays. she says it\u2019s mainly instinctive and when she feels good, and now she does, it\u2019s whatever comes into her mind. \u201cCome forward, hit some droppies\u201d, she summarises.<\/p>\n Finally, she talks about the joy of playing doublers with Serena \u2013 I\u2019ll bet \u2013 and off she goes. If she\u2019s fot, confidence and in form, she\u2019s a problem and, for the first time in time, I think she might be. Nine unforced errors, 28 winners is serious gear.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tension as another error gives Sinner 15-30, but a big forehand restores parity, then the champ wafts long to go down set point. And, when a ball drops in mid-court, though he\u2019s reaching for it, Borges has time and space to put a backhand away down the line \u2026 only to net. He\u2019s making hard work of this, then at deuce, a net-cord switches momentum in the rally, allowing Sinner to make advantage \u2026 and then Borges nets a forehand. That\u2019s five unforced errors, I think, and I\u2019d not be shocked if the match disappears from here. Sinner leads 7-6 5-5, and to have played this well and two sets down, if that\u2019s what happens, will demand some recovery.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Elsewhere, Merida is now a set up on Medvedev, leading 6-3 2-2; Borges makes 15-0, then nets for 15-all.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019ll do Muchova\u2019s interview presently but, on Centre, Sinner has just held \u2013 after burning a 0-30 in the previous game \u2013 meaning that, at 7-6 4-5, Borges will now serve for the second set.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Next on No 1: Solana Sierra v Coco Gauff (7).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rory McIlroy is on Centre and guess what he\u2019s wearing! Oh my days, this could well be the ultimate flex; no wonder he looks so happy.<\/p>\n Photograph: Neil Hall\/EPA<\/p>\n \u201cThink I\u2019ll go for this little green number, what you reckon?\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sabalenka talks about a \u201ctrue battle, and a great fight, incredible level\u201d. As ever, she\u2019s \u201csuper-happy\u201d to have passed the test. <\/p>\n She kept telling herself to\u201d stay low and you might be lucky enough to get the set.\u201d Kessler was making good decisions, and that was hard to handle, but after giving herself 8\/10 first round, this time she\u2019s up to 9.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Karolina Muchova (10) beats Shuai Zhang 6-3 6-2<\/p>\n Zhang had her chances, but Muchova knew too much, her canny touch-power game looking in better nick than recently. Next for her: Sawangkaew.<\/p>\n Karolina Muchova progesses. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.54 EDT<\/p>\n Aryna Sabalenka (1) beats McCartney Kessler 6-1 7-6(9)<\/p>\n Two gigantic forehands and there\u2019s nothing Kessler can do, but she played brilliantly, as well as she possibly can, and the question now is whether she can go on from here. Sabalenka, meanwhile, will be better for the test, which is just as well, as next for her it\u2019s the boom or bust of Jelena Ostapenko. I can\u2019t wait for that.<\/p>\n Aryna Sabalenka is through to the third round. Photograph: Adam Davy\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.52 EDT<\/p>\n Ach, Kessler nets coming in and now Sabalenka has match point on serve \u2026 but the return is good and she nets! To 9-9 we go, ad this might be the best I\u2019ve seen Kessler play \u2013 and by the way, is McCartney the best expression of the American desire to first-name surnames? Anyroad up, another error from Kessler means 10-0 Sabalenka and another match point\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n At 7-7, Sabalenka sweeps a backhand wide, and now Kessler has set point on her own serve \u2026 for all the good it does her, the iron fist slamming a backhand to the corner so the the velvet glove can caress a volley into the open space. This is great stuff.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A booming forehand to the backhand corner seizes control of the rally for Kessler, so Sabalenka sticks out an arm, the ball comes off the middle \u2026 and dips over the net for a flukey winner. The heartfelt apology is very moving, I\u2019m choking up here, then from 5-5 she makes it 6-5 and match point \u2026 so Kessler nails a first serve, whams a forehand to the corner, and that\u2019s enough then, when Sabalenka nets a backhand she\u2019s a set point of her own \u2026 quickly confiscated via service winner<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Borges secures two break points and Sinner saves the first, but then misses his first serve so his opponent comes in \u2026 and the champ goes long! Borges trails by a set but leads 2-1 in the second, while Sabalenka directs a backhand into the tape and Kessler leads 5-4 in their breaker.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019m also watching Medvedev, who trails Merida 4-2; Sinner, who leads Borges 7-6 1-1; and Muchova, one of our favourites, who leads Zhang 6-3 3-2 with a break.<\/p>\n