September 22, 2024

Wimbledon 2021: Barty, Norrie and Gauff win, Federer in action – live!

Barty #Barty

12.38pm EDT 12:38

Goodness me, this is the best match I’ve seen in tiiiiime. Both players are bushed but they’re still taking on and making shots, just a bit more slowly than before. Sorribes Tormo, having faced match point earns game point with a terrific low volley, but after another endurance test, Kerber hammers a backhand winner. They’ve been going three hours 10 minutes, and they’re back playing another round of deuces.

Updated at 12.39pm EDT

12.33pm EDT 12:33

Kerber holds, just, and now leads 5-2 in the third. Sorribes Tormo is, for the first time, showing signs of weariness.

Updated at 12.34pm EDT

12.32pm EDT 12:32

“Yesterday I wrote later in the day to Bryan about Murray’s lack of grace in not even giving a small acknowledgement to his opponent,” emails S Fuller, “who, as we know, had recently come off a three-day marathon and is a qualifier. Good to see others have made note of Murray’s bad behavior. And you published it today.

As a Brit living in Vancouver, Canada, I, of course, wanted him to win, given all he has been though but as the match progressed I was leaning to OO. A problem of a hip is no excuse for loutish behaviour.As I said to Bryan, I have always had mixed feelings about Murray — I like his feminist stance but the scratchiness and often lack of grace…

Well , we now have Federer, the consummate gentleman on.”

I’m not sure about this. I don’t think we should balance Murray’s feminism against him being annoyed when things don’t go his way – we shouldn’t conflate sport with stuff that really, really matters – and after all he’s been through, forgetting to mention his opponent at the end of an exhausting, emotional match seems understandable to me. Has anyone who knows him ever spoken badly of him?

12.26pm EDT 12:26

Kerber breaks Sorribes Tormo for 4-2 – surely she won’t be broken back again? – while Gasquet spurns two break points allowing Federer to hold for 1-1.

Angelique Kerber screams during a close match. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Updated at 12.29pm EDT

12.25pm EDT 12:25

Medvedev’s performance against Alcaraz was probably the best I’ve seen on the men’s side. I’ve still not a clue how he gets by Djokovic and Zverev, his seeded semi-final opponent, is playing beautifully. But I’m looking forward to seeing him try.

12.21pm EDT 12:21

Federer and Gasquet are away too, Gasquet holding in the first game. Federer will have to play a lot better than he did against Mannarino, though will do badly to have an opponent serve as well as Mannarino did that day.

12.18pm EDT 12:18

But Sorribes Tormo breaks back for 2-3! This is such a match – I urge you to gerriton if you can.

12.16pm EDT 12:16

And Azarenka breaks at the first time of asking, while Kerber is up a break in her decider against Sorribes Tormo.

12.06pm EDT 12:06

Ostapenko beats Kasatkina [31] 6-1 3-6 8-6!

“Come ooooon! Come oooaaaaannnnn!” yells Ostapenkz and what a win that is! Just a few minutes ago Kasatkina was serving for the match, but a barrage of winners – 48-11 overall – took her home. It must be said, both of these are great fun, but it’s the Latvian who makes round three, where she’ll encounter Tomljanovic or Cornet.

12.01pm EDT 12:01

Meanwhile, that terrific match on No2 is still compelling us, Kerber and Sorribes Tormo locked at 1-1 and deuce in the final set. Ostapenkz, meanwhile, has 0-30…

Sara Sorribes Tormo wins a point at the net against Angelique Kerber. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 12.08pm EDT

12.00pm EDT 12:00

Around the courts: Bublik and Dimitrov [18] are at one set all, on serve in the third; Tomljanovic leads Cornet 5-2; and Fritz [31] leads Johnson two sets to one.

11.58am EDT 11:58

Wow! I’m not going to lie, Ostapenkz, as I hope they call her in the locker room, is my favourite, and she plays two brilliant points to break back. First, she dominates a baseline rally, then when Kasatkina changes the flow with a big forehand, she sticks in there before finding a winner, after which she finds another. And then she holds to love! Kasatkina is under pressure!

Jelena Ostapenko powers a shot against Kasatkina. Photograph: Javier García/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 12.02pm EDT

11.55am EDT 11:55

On No3 Court, Kasatkina is serving for the match against Ostapenko – it’s 6-5 in the third, but 30-all.

11.53am EDT 11:53

Next on Centre: Roger Federer [6] v Richard Gasquet

Next on No1: Victoria Azarenka [12] v Sorana Cirstea

11.53am EDT 11:53

Gauff [20] beats Vesnina 6-4 6-3!

She says no court makes her as nervous as Centre and that Vesnina is a really good player, so she tried to focus on every point. Vesnina “came swinging”, she continues, and was serving big, but she’s changed a lot. Last time she was on this court, most people didn’t know her name, but now she feels at home. Then, she was just enjoying it but now she’s trying to learn and win as well. Next for her it’s Juvan or Burel.

Coco Gauff celebrates winning against Russia’s Elena Vesnina. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 12.01pm EDT

11.50am EDT 11:50

Medvedev, eh – what a player. He says in Russia they say that the third time is lucky, so he hopes he can get to his third major final and win. He meets Cilic [32] or Bonzi next and says that’s a great but difficult match for the third round – they start shortly.

11.47am EDT 11:47

Medvedev beats Alcaraz 6-4, 6-1, 6-2

The second seed ends up making short work of the Spanish teenager, and his game looks in good order. Alcaraz showed some spark though, has plenty of shots and we should look forward to seeing more from him in the future.

And with that I’ll hand you back to Daniel.

Daniil Medvedev on his way to defeating Carlos Alcaraz. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 11.50am EDT

11.45am EDT 11:45

A quick whizz around the outside courts: Sara Sorribes Tormo has won the second set against Angelique Kerber 7-5 to take it into a decider. Dmitrov is now two sets down to Bublik, and it’s 4-4 in the third set between Ostapenko and Kasatkina.

11.38am EDT 11:38

Coco Gauff’s had a mini-wobble. Suddenly mistakes are creeping into her serve, and Vesnina’s reclaimed one of the two breaks by which she was trailing. She finds herself at risk of another break at 15-30 on her next service game with a couple of double-faults, but digs in well to hold and go 4-2 up.

And Alcaraz has won a game on his serve, to huge cheers on No 1 Court.

11.32am EDT 11:32

“Am I the only person who found Andy Murray’s behaviour in the latter stages of last night’s game totally unacceptable,” asks Julie Ousset. “He behaved like a tempestuous two year old as did the English contingent in the crowd. Shame on you all.”

I’m not sure I’d describe those fans waving the Saltire last night as an “English contingent”, and the person to whom Murray was being most abusive was himself, roaring his self-fury at every lapse. Which is very much who he’s always been, what he’s always done.

Updated at 11.35am EDT

11.27am EDT 11:27

Alcaraz’s service game has now completely collapsed. He’s now not held serve since the middle of the first set and is a break down in the third set against Medvedev already. These two will be getting showered and changed within the half-hour.

And Ilya Ivashka has beaten Jeremy Chardy in four sets on Court 15.

11.21am EDT 11:21

Gauff is looking imperious now – what an asset to the game she is – and she points Vesnina all over the place from the back of the court to secure a second break of the second set and go 3-0 up.

Coco Gauff gets into her stride against Elena Vesnina. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters

Updated at 11.47am EDT

11.20am EDT 11:20

Seeds in trouble has been something of a theme of the week so far, and indeed of all recent grand slams, and another in a bit of mither is Grigor Dimitrov, the No 18 seed, who’s a set down to Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. Bublik is now serving at 5-6 in the second.

11.16am EDT 11:16

Medvedev wins second set against Alcaraz 6-1

Fair dos, Medvedev is outplaying Alcaraz now, the jitters and errors returning to the Spaniard’s game, and the Russian seals yet another break with a gorgeous floating drop shot. He then yomps through his service game to take a two-set lead.

And Kasatkina, the No 31 seed, has levelled it up against Ostapenko, taking the second set 6-3.

11.10am EDT 11:10

Gauff wins first set against Vesnina 6-4

The teenager again offers little to her opponent on serve and holds to 30 to take the first set.

11.08am EDT 11:08

Medvedev breaks Alcaraz’s serve for the third time in a row, to go 3-1 up in the second set. Alcaraz is still playing his shots – some exquisite ones at that – but Medvedev’s got the answers at the moment, and superior ruthlessness.

11.05am EDT 11:05

Gauff has found her range now, she’s just gone 5-3 up on Vesnina, serving with authority and having got the break in the seventh game. While Sorrines Tormo has broken back against Kerber – it’s now 2-3 in the second set, with the German a set up.

11.00am EDT 11:00

Pedro Martínez beats Gael Monfils!

The No 13 seed is out, beaten in four sets after losing the fourth set tiebreak 7-5. And Martínez’s Spanish compatriot Alcaraz recovers his mojo to break back. It’s 1-2.

10.57am EDT 10:57

Erratic service games from the young’uns on my screens, Carapaz being broken again to give Medvedev a 2-0 lead in the second set, and Gauff making a couple of unforced errors to concede two break points. She claws them back though with some powerful, nerveless serving and keeps it on serve at 3-3. She’ll feel good about that.

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