Key events<\/p>\n
OK, so let\u2019s see what Cobolli had to say. He\u2019s really happy his dad\u2019s still here, and it was a tough match against a good opponent.<\/p>\n
Today is his trainer\u2019s 10th anniversary, so he congratulates him, saying he\u2019s in time for dinner.<\/p>\n
Duckworth, he says, hits very flat which, on grass, makes him hard to break and he didn\u2019t play well, but he\u2019s happy to have won \u2013 and it was windy, which isn\u2019t easy. But he\u2019s happy to have the honour to play at Wimbledon<\/a> and he\u2019s looking forward to the next round.<\/p>\n Busted harvesting towels, he says they\u2019re for his team, before thanking the crowd and the Italian support, saying he didn\u2019t play that well today, but it\u2019s easier with them cheering and he hopes they come for the next round.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Unsurprisingly given the mental dump he must\u2019ve experienced, Choinski is broken in game one of set two, but again, he makes deuce on the Tiafoe serve\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Dimitrov makes 6-5 then, as they slug it out from the back, he\u2019s the one looking to dominate, blocking back the return then slicing hard before moving to the forehand and pushing Mensik over the baseline … until the error comes! That is a burglary, and doesn\u2019t Wa Griggzy love it! He leads by a set, Mensik having burned seven break points while he won none \u2013 and yet.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Mensik gets to 4-2 in the breaker then nails an ace, and when Mensik comes in next point, he realises he\u2019s run past the ball and can\u2019t get back at it; 4-4.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Next on Centre: Caty McNally v Elena Rybakina (2).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.35 EDT<\/p>\n Back with Berrettini, he says his career has been great and though he\u2019s had tough moments, he\u2019s back, he\u2019s smiling when he\u2019s playing, it\u2019s a privilege.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Gosh, Choinski forces another opportunity to take the set \u2026 and this time, the sixth, he takes it, Tiafoe going long; he must be an exceptionally relieved young man, Thinking to do for the no 17 seed, who\u2019s not been at it so far.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n After Tiafoe doubles on game point, Choinski forces another advantage, and can he takes this one? Er no, he cannot, straying long; that\u2019s 10 chances to break forsaken. You just can\u2019t do that at this level, but when Tiafoe forges in front again, he plays a decent rally to restore deuce as the game hits the 10-minute mark; on No 1, Dimitrov serves out to force a first-ert breaker, but Mensik has been easily the better player so faar.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Flavio Cobolli (9) beats James Duckworth 7-6(4) 3-6 7-6(3) 6-1<\/p>\n Cobolli played his best tennis when he needed it, finishing hurling flamethrowers, and he meets Khachanov next, in another banger.<\/p>\n Flavio Cobolli bashes out a backhand during his win over James Duckworth. Photograph: Marko \u0110urica\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.35 EDT<\/p>\n This time, Choinski finds a decent return but, offered a chance to come in with Tiafoe stranded, he picks the wrong side, a stop-volley does the rest, and back to deuce we go. Back with Cobolli, he now leads 5-1 in the fourth and, serving for the match, makes 40-0; suddenly, he looks unstoppable.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Two big serves, two opportunities to clinch the set averted, then Choinski nets a forehand, and he\u2019s now 0\/8 on break points; Tiafoe is 0\/0. No matter; a terrible drop is given the treatment, and here comes another opportunity\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Berrettini is very happy, saying the first round was tough for so many reasons, but it was such a nice moment playing against a legend like Stan, four sets like that on No 1, a match he\u2019ll remember for the rest of his life. But he also thinks that this one was pretty special, Centre Court, and it\u2019s been a while since he played there \u2013 remember he lost the 20021 final.<\/p>\n He thinks he played a really high-level match \u2013 Arthur played well, especially from the baseline and on serve. He\u2019s one of the best in the world and he knew he had to play well to beat him, he found the right energy in the fourth. But let\u2019s interrupt him because Choinski has three set points at 5-4 0-40 against Tiafoe\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Before we hear from the handsome devil, let\u2019s go around the courts. Rakhimova is about to serve for the match against Sakkari, leading 1-1 5-4; Cobolli, who\u2019s enjoying himself, leads Duckworth 2-1 1-2; Mensik leads Dimitrov 5-4on serve; Tiafoe and Choinski are level at 4-4; Lehecka leads Molcan 6-3 2-1 with a break; Bublik leads Jacquet 2-0; and Golubic leads Paolini 1-0 with a break.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Mario Berrettini beats Arthur Fils (20) 6-4 7-5 3-6 6-3<\/p>\n After a terrific win over Wawrinka in round one, Berrettini delivers again; he knows his way around a grass court alright, and that backhand slice is a thing of vicious, dangerous beauty; if he had a drive backhand even half as good, he\u2019d be almost unstoppable. Next up: Mensik or Dimitrov, and whichever make it through, it promises to be a bazza.<\/p>\n Matteo Berrettini and Arthur Fils shake hands at the net after Berrettini\u2019s victory. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.32 EDT<\/p>\n Gosh, with Fils stranded at the net and so many options to finish, Berrettini, lost in the supermarket, dumps a forehand \u2026 but an ace down the T gives him advantage, and he\u2019s back to a point away.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Not easily done. A missed forehand and double donate 0-30 \u2026 but it\u2019s soon 30-all, a booming serve down the middle raising match point.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Serving to stay in the match, Fils swats a backhand wide for 30-all, and Berrettini is two points from victory. So he unloads on the forehand, two landed on the lines then another leaping beauty gets big on Fils, who can\u2019t react. The match point, though, is saved, whereupon Fils serves out for 3-5; Berrettini will have to serve it out.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Fils plays two wonderful winers, but Berretini still holds, winning the biggest points to lead 2-1 5-2. The question with him, really, is how fit he can stay \u2013 he did brilliantly in Paris, but then couldn\u2019t complete his quarter-final, which must be a terrible disappointment. His backhand slice, though, is working beautifully.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A terrific drop secures a 7-6 set an 2-1 lead for Cobolli, a raucous crowd singing his name as he punches air in exhibition style. I watched an interview with his mates during Roland Garros and they talked about how down to earth he is, and that they barely talk about tennis, just about their lives in Rome; he\u2019s a very likeable dude.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Cobolli holds to force a third-set breaker, and when Duckworth nets, he leads 3-2 with a mini-break, then guides a backhand return down the line for 6-2 and four set points. On 2, Choinski has started well, a volley at net earning another break point, confiscated with a big serve; Tiafoe quickly closes out for 2-2.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Excellent work from Duckworth, who secures his hold for 2-1 6-5, while Tiafoe whizzes through deuce to level at 1-1 with Choinski. Berrettini, meanwhile, has taken full command on Centre breaking for 2-1 3-1, and he\u2019ll take some stopping from here. Fils was threatening to break into the elite of the elite when he got injured, but though he\u2019s back, he\u2019s not yet back back.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n They\u2019re under way on Centre, Mensik holding for 1-0, while on 2, Choinski holds, then Tiafoe erases break point with an ace, and on 3, a ludicrous backhand pass down the line gives Cobolli 1-2 5-5 0-30 \u2026 but an ace quickly levels the game.<\/p>\n Jakub Mensik swipes a backhand to Grigor Dimitrov. Photograph: Mike Egerton\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.03 EDT<\/p>\n I can\u2019t imagine what that felt like for Wa Griggzy, because he really was playing well enough to make the final having presumably resigned himself, at 34 as he was then, to never doing that. He\u2019s in form again, though, and I\u2019d absolutely love it if he could make it happen this term.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Allow Instagram content?<\/p>\n This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Dimitrov v Mensik is a helluva contest. Mensik needed five sets to get by GB\u2019s Toby Samuel in round one, but he\u2019s in great form having made the semis in Paris and his game is more suited to grass than clay. Dimitrov, meanwhile, was the leader of the never generation, shut out of everything by the Big Three, but he\u2019s a much better player now than then, and had he not torn a pec when leading Sinner 2-0 in last year\u2019s round four, who knows? And we can sure it stuck with him, partly because he\u2019s a human being, but also because he broke down in tears after winning his first-round match. If he hits the same level, though, he can do anything.<\/p>\n Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The GuardianShare<\/a><\/p>\n Moving around the courts, Sakkari leads Rakhimova 6-3 0-5; Khachanov leads Hanfmann 6-3 6-4 2-2; and Duckworth leads Cobolli 6-7 6-3 4-3, so I\u2019m going to turn off Fearnley, who\u2019s two sets and a break down to Munar to watch that one.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Next on No 1 Court: Jakub Mensik (15) v Grigor Dimitrov.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Zverev says for two and half sets he played an almost perfect match, then lost a bit of focus and concentration. He\u2019s happy not to have played another set though he loves playing at Wimbledon<\/a> and isn\u2019t old yet but he\u2019s getting to that point and needs to conserve energy, also noting that wining comfortably is good for your confidence. He loves this tournament but is still waiting for a big result; playing like this, it\u2019s possible this year.<\/p>\n Asked if he has more confidence having won in Paris, he says in tennis you need to have a bad memory, whether good or bad, and though it was a big relief and now he knows he can do it, you have to take each match seriously and play at 100%.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n On Centre, Fils has won the third set against Berretttini to trail 4-6 5-7 6-3 and will, imagine, back his fitness to get the job done from here, while Munar has broken Fearnley for 6-4 7-6 2-0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Next on No 2 Court: Francis Tiafoe (17) v Jan Choinski.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Make no mistake, Anisimova can win this. She\u2019s got the game to beat anyone and finding her best stuff when she needed it most will give her so much confidence. Her v Maddy will be a banger; I\u2019d not like to be a ball in that one.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Anisimova says she went through a lot there \u2013 \u201csome moments were really awful\u201d \u2013 but she\u2019s happy to be through. \u201cI never thought I\u2019d be saying this but thank you to my serve today. I\u2019m not an amazing server, but now I ca finally say I can serve pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n Kenin is a tough opponent and a fighter, so she hoes the crowd enjoyed it and thanks them for the love and support. At 3-1 she told herself to keep fighting, this might be her last moment so just have fun \u2013 she tries to bring herself to the present moment especially when stressed and remind herself to have fun as she\u2019s playing at Wimbledon<\/a>. These are the tyyes of matches she trains so hard for, these are the fun ones, the thrillers.<\/p>\n She was starting to get some French Open flashbacks of losing the breaker but the thing with tennis is you only have to experience something once to learn from it and she kept telling herself to do better.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.20 EDT<\/p>\n Alexander Zverev (2) beats Valentin Royer 6-1 6-3 7-6(3)<\/p>\n Another powerful display from the French Open champion. He might\u2019ve got it won sooner, but 2 hr 4 min is no slouching. Next for him: Marcos Giron.<\/p>\n Alexander Zverev prepares to unleash a big serve during his straight sets win over Valentin Royer. Photograph: Tolga Akmen\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.55 EDT<\/p>\n Amanda Anisimova (6) beats Sofia Kenin 6-2 4-6 7-6(3)<\/p>\n Anisimova outlasts Kenin, the full extent of her power on display in the match breaker. Next for her: Madison Keys, and don\u2019t mind if we do.<\/p>\n Amanda Anisimova focuses on a backhand return during her win over Sofia Kenin. Photograph: Andrew Matthews\/PAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.01 EDT<\/p>\n Zverev makes it 5-1 and is two points from victory; the same is so of Anisimova at 8-3, then another unreturned serve takes her to within a point of round three. Kenin has given her loads, as we thought she might, but this has been a dominant breaker.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n On No 1, Royer has forced a third-set breaker against Zverev, who leads it 3-1, while Fils is warming to it against Berrettini, up 4-2 though trailing 0-2. Meantime, an Anismova ace, her second of the breaker, gives her 7-2, and this is very impressive indeed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks Katy and hi again all. The match breaker on No 2 is under way, Anisimova taking an immediate mini-break and, regardless of how this shakes out, I hope it inspires Kenin to rediscover herself. She\u2019s had a dreadful year, losing eight on the spin at one point, but she\u2019s a grand slam champ and so much better that \u2026 but she\u2019s down 4-1 and needs something badly. Oh, but Anisimova gets so low to punish an inside-out forehand winner to the corner and at 5-1, she\u2019s five points away.<\/p>\n