December 28, 2024

Wimbledon – Nakashima v Kyrgios, Garín beats De Minaur and Rybakina through – live!

Garin #Garin

On Centre Court, they are underway, with Nakashima holding serve to go 1-0 up. Soon enough, Kyrgios holds, and it’s 1-1 in the opening set.

Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA

Updated at 08.52 EDT

Garin attempts to put the previous game behind him, and at 30-30, he whips a disguised forehand to fox De Minaur. They play a hue rally at 40-30, and Garin can only net. Deuce. Then an error from him on the same forehand, and a break point to De Minaur. Then, a quite incredible rally, both of them scrambling all over the place, and Garin saves himself by forcing De Minaur to scoop the ball back from the baseline. A gutsy, gutsy hold from the Chilean. It’s 6-5 in the third.

Over on Centre Court, Nick Kyrgios is now knocking up with Brandon Nakashima. The afternoon show is almost with us. On Court No 1, Elena Rybakina is up against Petra Martic, and having been 3-0 up is now at 3-3.

Another wobble on De Minaur’s serve at 15-30, but a huge forehand sends Garin sprawling. Then comes a failed drop shot and deuce. And De Minaur pulls off an unlikely escape in somehow rescuing what should have been a winner from Garin, instead lobbing it back. Then, when Garin attempts a drop, he reads it, for 5-5.

De Minaur chases across the net to volley home, and then drops a beauty to level the third at 4-4. The pressure is now on Garin to hold. A stop/drop volley takes him to 15-0, then De Minaur’s error grants him a 30-0 lead. Then a crasher of a smash, and it’s 40-0. But then De Minaur reads a faded drop shot, and Garin can’t dig out a low-flying forehand, and suddenly the pressure is back on, only for him to come to the net and volley home. 5-4 in the third, and now De Minaur needs to save himself.

Another double fault by Garin, and it’s 30-30, though he comes off best at a point they both race to the net and he crashes the ball towards his opponent. Then, however, he can only net from the baseline. A big serve, an ace, is challenged. It was miles in, a true waste of a challenge. And then a fine lob sends De Minaur scrambling and keeps his nose in front in the third set.

De Minaur is still struggling with the Garin return of serve, and his own, too. He throws in a double for a break point. And he saves that by crashing down the line with a backhand poke down the line. He does the same to quell the next break point. Then Garin can only launch a forehand out of bounds. Then comes another double fault. The nerves are heightening and the energy lessening. A dangerous combination but still, he manages to hold, Garin netting after a long rally.

A double fault, a highly untimely one, hands De Minaur two break points and he takes them, meaning we are back on serve at 2-3 in the third, the Australian two sets up.

Big hold from Garin, to love, and with an ace. 3-0 in the third set, a commanding lead. De Minaur recovers his step a little with a service hold for 3-1. This is now an even contest with the Chilean in the ascendancy.

Cristian Garin. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA

Updated at 08.18 EDT

Garin holds the first game of the third set with some ease, and then races to a 0-30 lead on the De Minaur serve. De Minaur yelps in delight when he pummels home for 30-30. Hell of a rally follows, and De Minaur, grimacing, coughs up another break point. And this time, Garin grabs it. He’s back in this, long way back but a glimmer. He’s 2-0 up and serving for the third.

Updated at 07.57 EDT

De Minaur a bit wobbly when serving out. This happened against Broady on Saturday, and a double fault, his first of the match, pegs him back to deuce. Garin spots his chance and claims a break point. De Minaur saves it with an ace, then gets to advantage and set point again, but can only net. Still, he gets another chance when Garin goes for broke and clanks the ball way out. And eventually, with his 24th unforced error, though off quite a zippy serve, Garin nets and it’s two sets up to De Minaur. 6-2 7-5 so far, and on course to meet Big Nick Kyrgios should both the Australians progress.

De Minaur forces a break point, and looks to have saved himself with a defensive forehand, and the momentum swings back to De Minaur, who can now serve out the second set for the second time at 6-5 up.

Garin’s eye is definitely in now, and he gets to 0-30 on the De Minaur serve, and then to 0-40 with a winner that beats his opponent at the net. That’s the shot of the match so far. De Minaur has to save himself as he did in the first set when serving out. This time, he can’t do so, and nets to level the second set at 5-5.

It’s soon enough 5-3 to De Minaur, via a successful challenge of a Garin baseline hit that goes long. Garin at least makes him serve for the set for a two-sets lead.

Garin continues to fight for his life, and a break point chance comes his way. And at the net, he manages to take it, via the top of the net. There’s visible relief as he prepares to serve the next game at 3-3. But then he offers up his own two break points, the first of which is taken, and it’s 4-3 to De Minaur.

Cristian Garin of Chile in action at the net. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA

Updated at 07.27 EDT

Evidence that Garin hasn’t quite given up the ghost, as he clatters an overhead home, and then serves out. It’s 3-2 to De Minaur now.

A beaut of a drop shot rushes De Minaur to 40-0 up, and then Garin, who seems to be losing heart cranks a baseline shot way out of bounds. It’s 3-1 in the second.

Then, having held his own serve, De Minaur breaks the Garin serve. He’s 2-1 up and serving a break and a set up.

A break point at 0-40 is soon forced by Garin but De Minaur sees that out, then clatters a volley home with a backhand overhead, followed by an ace. 1-1 in the second and De Minaur looks very strong.

Garin suffered from an eye problem in that first set, suggesting the pollen count in SW London was getting to him a little. He did seem to improve after a short chat with the trainer, and his accuracy seems to be returning. He takes the first game for an early lead in the second set.

That’s pollen for you. Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 07.04 EDT

De Minaur soon enough has two set points at 40-15, he’s dominating Garin while not being asked to play anywhere near his best tennis. And, after a couple of let-cords, Garin nets, and it’s a 6-2 first set in just about 40 minutes.

Nice serve and volley from Garin as he responds well to De Minaur’s speed at deuce, only to misread on the next point to find himself back at deuce. He eventually concedes the double break to a whipped lob from the Australian who at 5-2 will serve for the first set.

Garin’s serve is looking better than in that shaky first game, and he’s testing De Minaur a little more. He does, though, change his racket at 30-30 on his opponent’s serve, but to no avail, it’s soon enough 4-2.

Good, easy hold from Garin ahead of the first break in play, but De Minaur’s speed round the court means he holds quickly enough, too. 3-1 up now, the Australian, Garin needs to stay within the lines of the court a bit more often.

Alex De Minaur returns the ball to Chile’s Cristian Garin. Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 06.51 EDT

Garin seems to recover his step quite quickly and forces two break points on the De Minaur serve, though can only backhand into the net for the second, meaning it’s deuce. He makes an error to present game point but his speed is causing De Minaur problems, and another break point is on offer. A big serve snuffs that out but this is turning into a long old first service game but eventually, he holds for 2-0 and a clear lead in the first set.

De Minaur and Garin get underway, Garin none too promisingly by double faulting on the very first point of the match, and an error on a forehand presents two break points. And the first is gobbled up, meaning it’s 1-0 with an early break for the Australian.

Before we begin with Alex de Minaur’s match with Christian Garin, let’s relive the golden moment of the fortnight so far, Ricky Livid himself, Sir Cliff Richard.

Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion and BBC pundit, has taken a dim view of Nick Kyrgios’s antics against Tsitsipas on Saturday. The word “mayhem” was used.

Per Reuters:

He’s brought tennis to the lowest level I can see as far as gamesmanship, cheating, manipulation, abuse, aggressive behaviour to umpires, to linesmen. Something has got to be done about it. It’s just an absolute circus. It’s gone to the absolute limit now.

Tsitsipas would make a line call and he’d go up there and start complaining, he’d be in his face – that’s part of gamesmanship, that’s the sort of stuff he does and I think there’s a limit.

Let’s hope he doesn’t drop tennis there to a lower level than he did on Saturday.

Here’s the reports from yesterday’s first official Middle Sunday.

The second week of Wimbledon is here, and it features the hero/villain of the piece in Nick Kyrgios, whose Saturday night was alright for fighting with Stefanos Tsitsipas in perhaps the most entertaining match of the fortnight so far. He’s taking on Brandon Nakashima today on Centre Court. The pick of the women’s matches looks to be Paula Badosa against Simona Halep.

Here’s the singles order of play:

Centre Court, starting at 1.30pm UK time

  • 1. Brandon Nakashima v Nick Kyrgios
  • 2. Paula Badosa v Simona Halep
  • 3. Botic Van De Zandschulp v Rafael Nadal
  • No 1 Court, starting at 1pm

  • 1. Elena Rybakina v Petra Martic
  • 2. Jason Kubler v Taylor Fritz
  • 3. Amanda Anisimova v Harmony Tan
  • No 2 Court, starting at 11am

  • 1. Cristian Garin v Alex De Minaur
  • 2. Alize Cornet v Ajla Tomljanovic
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