After Zheng leaves court to generous applause, a smiling Felix Auger-Aliassime is interviewed: “I had a difficult start because Michael is a great young player with a great future and he stayed at a great level in the first set. After was the highest level I’ve played this year so I’m glad I played it in front of you all on centre court. Believe it or not, I’ve been coming here since 2019 and this is my first time playing on centre court so it was both our first times. I’m very happy that my first match on centre court is a win.”
How has he changed since he played a quarter-final here in 2021? “I’m a very different player, improved everything in my game and my composure is better. In 2021 there was no crowd as well so nice to have people watching.” Auger-Aliassime will play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a multiple-syllable knock-out in the next round.
Auger-Aliassime apologises for getting a lucky turn of the tape. But he’s not feeling too kind as he lobs Zheng who he had lured to the net. Zheng saves his first match point with a fabulous ace, but AA takes the game with a zinger. They shake hands at the net and AA gives Zheng a friendly pat on the chest.
Ace. A winning smash hit out by Zheng. A dinky volley. A serve hit out. Game Auger-Aliassime and Zheng must serve to stay in the match. Zheng, playing in his first Wimbledon, has suddenly come up against a man in a flow state. The crowd try to carry him but a huge Auger-Aliassime forehand wins the first point. Then a double-fault. But Zheng hauls back to 30-30 and eventually holds his serve! An energy gel and a glass of water are his reward but he’s soon out facing the Auger-Aliassime serve again.
Everything has flowed for Auger-Aliassime since they closed the centre court roof and the floodlights went on at the end of the first set. It’s no surprise - eight of his nine titles have been indoors, and - wow - he’s already won his service game and is 4-0 up. Zheng goes again. No, they say in the commentary box, he’s consistently serving to the Auger-Aliassime forehand. Gorgeous, dominant tennis from Auger-Aliassime who wins a 12-shot rally to go 3-0 up. A tricky start for the second set for Zheng who can feel the next round slipping out his grasp - 0-2 down already.
Over on Henman Hill the crowds are relaxing with a Pimm’s or two, while Lauren Cochrane has been casting a fashionable eye over court style. The queen of outfits reached the second week of Wimbledon for the first time earlier today.
The crowd purrs as Auger-Aliassime slips up the net and makes good shapes as he volleys to zoom to 30-0. A flying overhead smash gives him set point and an ace seals the deal to go two sets up: 7-6, 6-2. Zheng slopes to his chair for a drink, a second break down, the set almost gone. Auger-Aliassime has a banana and an energy gel, we didn’t get much of a look at Zheng but he now spins the racquet in his hand as he waits for the AA serve, 5-2 down.
Auger-Aliassime, hair cropped, sweatbands on each wrist, bounces the ball twice, three times. “He’s a high-risk player” say the commentators as AA double faults. But though he’s missing a few first serves, he takes the game to make it 4-2. Auger-Aliassime pounces on a sliced Zheng forehand to make it 30-30, and piles the pressure on. He earns a break point and after an outstanding rally, Zheng nets. That’s the break AA was looking for and suddenly the 140 places between the two players starts to show. 3-2. Now Auger-Aliassime fluffs his line, as his service game also goes to deuce. Zheng is nimble, quick, but a drop volley gives AA advantage and an overhead crash wins the game. On the radio the commentators criticise how far back Zheng is standing behind the baseline. 2-2. Auger-Aliassime is on the prowl, and puts the pressure on Zheng who has to fight not to go down an early break. But he takes his chance with his third game point when Auger-Aliassime’s forehand is long. Zheng leads the second set 2-1.
The roof is on and both Auger-Aliassime and Zheng win their first service games of the second set comfortably. There are a few empty green seats now at Centre Court but the majority of the crowd have stayed for this final match between the No 3 seed and qualifier Zheng, who defeated Cameron Norrie earlier this week just a month after he graduated in psychology from Columbia University.
I think this suspended centre court match between Zheng and Auger-Aliassime is the last standing today. Just to recap some of what has happened today: A slightly out of sorts Djokovic knocked out Rinderknech to end French interest at Wimbledon. Roman Safiullin sent teenager Joao Fonseca home. Thanks Katy, we swap just in time for Felix Auger-Aliassime to secure the first set 7-6 (7-1) with a domineering tie-break and for Wimbledon to close the Centre Court roof. Auger-Aliassime and Zheng have just started a first-set tie-break, but my day is done, so Tanya is here to take you through the rest of that match. Bye from me and hello again to Tanya …
“I’m glad I didn’t let the second set derail me,” says Gauff. “I don’t think I’ll be too tired [after back-to-back three-set matches], it’s grass so you’re not playing too many long points. I’m still young, I honestly don’t really wake up sore after a match. I’m not playing my best tennis yet, but I definitely feel more confident after the last two matches, and Belinda will be tough too.” An unreturned serve from Gauff at 30-all brings up match point No 4. Unlike the others, this one is on Gauff’s racket, and even though she can’t find a first serve, her second lands, and Liu eventually prods into the tramlines! It was complicated at times, but Gauff ran away with it in the end, and she’s into the fourth round for a fourth time, where she’ll play the 2021 Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.
But Gauff, a former US and French Open winner, has never gone further than the fourth round at Wimbledon, something few would have predicted when she first announced herself as a 15-year-old in 2019 by beating Venus Williams en route to that stage. Could this year be different? She’s definitely got the fight, but she may need to find another level against Bencic. Gauff has held on to her headstart in the third set and now leads 3-2, 30-0 on serve. Apparently Liu was forced to check out of her hotel on Wednesday, having not expected to reach the third round as a qualifier, but her accommodation problems may not be an issue for much longer, because Gauff holds for 4-2 and is pushing on Liu’s serve at 0-40. Liu saved three match points in the second set and must now fend off three break points if she’s to avoid falling a double break down. She succumbs on the first. So Gauff will serve for the match - nearly an hour after she first did - at 6-3, 6-7, 5-2.
Gauff v Liu is one of only two singles matches still taking place as the sun starts to dip: Felix Auger-Aliassime v Michael Zheng is the other, with the third seed FAA currently level at 3-3 in the opening set on Centre Court against the American qualifier who got the better of Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the first round. Sean Ingle was watching Djokovic’s win earlier: This hasn’t exactly been flowing tennis, with 23 winners and 40 unforced for Liu, and 15 and 22 for Gauff, with five double faults. But it’s absorbing nonetheless, though Gauff does immediately remove some of the third-set intrigue by breaking Liu to 30 before consolidating for 6-3, 6-7, 2-0.
Gauff and Liu are now into a tie-break. Gauff came within three points of defeat in the breaker in her second-round match, but that was in the third set, this is in the second, and Gauff has the comfort this time of knowing she won the first set. Liu pulls off a one-two punch for 4-3, and then moves to 5-3 with some courage under fire at the net. Gauff replies with a one-two punch of her own … but Liu lasers a forehand for 6-4 … then chips long on the first set point … before Gauff’s sometimes brittle serve cracks and she double faults on the second SP! Liu takes the tie-break 7-5 and they’re going to a third! Which will be hard for Gauff to accept given she served for the match at 6-3, 5-3 and had three match points on Liu’s serve at 6-3, 5-4.
It’s all over on court 18, though, where Krejcikova has backed up her second-round win over Mirra Andreeva with victory over her fellow Czech, which became a little more complicated than expected when she was pulled back from 5-2 ahead to 5-5 after missing those three match points, before taking the final two games to get over the line. So the experience of the 30-year-old former Wimbledon champion wins out over the youth of the 20-year-old Bartunkova, and Krejcikova will face another Czech next, Karolina Muchova, who’s just ended the run of the qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew, 6-2, 7-6.
But let’s hotfoot it back to No 1 Court, because Gauff has advantage on Liu’s serve at 6-3, 5-4, and it’s her second match point. Gauff goes for the drop shot … Liu does the same back … Gauff charges forward and tries to pass Liu … but the qualifier is like an octopus at the net and puts away the volley! And Liu goes on to hold for 5-5, despite a third MP! This match isn’t over yet.
“She’s a really dangerous opponent,” says a smiling Sabalenka. “Last time she smashed me off the court [in Stuttgart last year]. So I’m so happy with the performance and the level.” She’s then asked what it’s like to face an opponent who hits the ball as hard as she does - “Yeah, it’s really scary!” - and about watching that Nadal documentary. “It’s such an inspiration. I had goosebumps. He said the only thing you can control is your focus and motivation and it’s been in my head ever since. I don’t know if he’s watching, probably not, but thanks! It’s been an inspiration.” And what of facing Osaka next, in a repeat of their recent French Open blockbuster? “Another aggressive player, very powerful match, and I’m ready to fight and do whatever it takes to get through.”
Well, well. Gauff promptly falls 0-40 behind. And is broken to love when Liu puts away a smash! That went by in the blink of an eye - but Sabalenka’s service game is more prolonged, but the world No 1 eventually pulls away for 40-30 … and an unreturned serve gets the job done! Impressive from Sabalenka, who puts away a very dangerous opponent. If she keeps this up surely she can go one - or even two - better than her three previous semi-final appearances at Wimbledon. If she’s playing at the top of her game, I think only her nerves - or Elena Rybakina - can beat her.
Ostapenko, with only the spot where she is serving still in the Centre Court sun, foot faults before netting her second serve! It’s the most untimely double fault because it means Sabalenka has her first match point at 30-40. Sabalenka unleashes on the return … but misses! A reprieve for Ostapenko. And Ostapenko grasps it with both hands, bashing her way through the next two points to hold, just as Gauff finally gets the second-set breakthrough against Liu for a 6-3, 5-3 lead. Sabalenka and Gauff will serve for their matches at the same time … Ostapenko holds. Sabalenka holds. It’s 6-4, 5-3 Sabalenka, with Ostapenko serving to stay in it. Meanwhile Gauff and Liu are still on serve in an attritional second set, with Gauff leading 6-3, 4-3.
Over on court 18, the 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova, after her second-round win over the French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, is serving for the match at 6-3, 5-2 against her countrywoman Nikola Bartunkova … and three match points come and go before she’s broken! She needed seven MPs against Andreeva, though, so the clever and classy Czech won’t be panicking just yet. A third Czech is also in action right now, with Karolina Muchova, the 10th seed, a set up but a break down at 5-4 in the second against the qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew.