Just Stop Oil protesters disrupted play on day 3 at Wimbledon
Wimbledon 2023 enters day four with Andy Murray back to headline Centre Court.
The drama of Wednesday surrounded the Just Stop Oil protests, with three arrests made for aggravated trespass and criminal damage, leading to SW19 heightening security as a result of the confetti and puzzle pieces scattered across Court 18 by the protesters. Murray is due to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in a mouthwatering second-round match, with the pair’s history from a famous five-sets match at the 2021 US Open adding extra spice to the second-round match. That contest, which Tsitsipas won, was packed with tension and bad blood after accusations from the Briton that the Greek took bathroom breaks to gain an advantage.
Elsewhere on Thursday, defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina is back in action, with the No. 3 seed scheduled to face Alizé Cornet. Follow live updates, scores and results from SW19 below.
Iga Swiatek breezes through while Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk fights back to win
World number one Iga Swiatek was enjoying the calmness amid the chaos at Wimbledon after easing past Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round.
The Pole was able to book her place in the third round before some first-round matches had even started after rain caused havoc with the scheduling.
There was little danger of her being knocked out of rhythm as she breezed to a 6-2 6-0 victory on Centre Court.
Here’s a round-up of some of the best action from Day 3:
Jack Rathborn6 July 2023 09:05
Where to watch Wimbledon 2023: TV channel guide and schedule
Wimbledon is back and the big question ahead of the Championships is whether anyone can stop Novak Djokovic from joining Roger Federer on a record eight men’s singles titles.
Djokovic has been in unstoppable form in the grand slams this season and has now won a record 23 major titles after victories at the Australian Open and French Open this season.
The Serbian has won four Wimbledon titles in a row and defeated Nick Kyrgios in last year’s final to continue his dominance on the grass courts of SW19.
Elena Rybakina is the defending champion in the women’s singles after winning her first grand slam title in last year’s final against Ons Jabeur.
Jack Rathborn6 July 2023 08:55
Long live the wildcard: Arthur Fery produces a Wimbledon moment even in defeat
Perhaps when he is old and grey, Arthur Fery will still remember the sound – the sincerity in the cheers, the warmth in the applause as the crowd welcomed him to Wimbledon. There he was: the world No 391 with a boyish face on a man’s frame, his bag a flash of red against the pristine green turf as he led out the world No 3, Daniil Medvedev, for the toughest of opening tasks at the grass-court slam.
“Definitely haven’t had that before,” the 20-year-old Briton would reflect later in the day. “Walking out to a packed Court 1, that was super special. I definitely couldn’t really get ready for that, no matter what I did before.”
It didn’t take long for the first of many, many, “Come on, Arthur!”s to echo down from the stands (thankfully there were no ironic “Come on, Tim!”s), that initial call acknowledged by Fery with a vigorous nod of the head, before whistles rung around the arena. There was even a charm in the youthful exuberance with which he skipped to the baseline, after standing face to face with Medvedev for the toin coss, where the Russian towered over the wildcard.
Jack Rathborn6 July 2023 08:45
The two sides of Novak Djokovic equal Wimbledon perfection
The feverish roar from Novak Djokovic eventually arrived deep into the second set. Jordan Thompson caught the Serbian’s attention with rare consistency from his serve, so routinely bludgeoned toward the champion at over 130mph. But despite 21 aces for the Australian, it is Djokovic’s ability to dance on Centre Court, switching between fire and ice, that makes his game at Wimbledon almost perfect, as proven by this straight-sets (6-3, 7-6, 7-5).
A breeze swept across Centre Court just after 5pm, boosting the hopes of the heavy-hitting Thompson, aiming to end one of the great sporting streaks of the modern era: 29 consecutive wins since 2017, with fortress Centre Court not breached since 2013.
Djokovic, who clinched a 350th grand slam win, joining Roger Federer and Serena Williams as the only players in the history to achieve that, has wrestled even the most ardent Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fans into submission in the exhausting debate surrounding who is the greatest man to ever pick up a racket. Yet the appreciation for this titan shines brighter than ever.
Jack Rathborn6 July 2023 08:35
Three arrests made at Wimbledon after Just Stop Oil protests
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage after Just Stop Oil protesters twice disrupted matches at Wimbledon.
The first time, eco-activists threw orange confetti and jigsaw pieces on Court 18, and one of them sat on the ground during a match between Grigor Dimitrov and Sho Shimabukuro.
Play was briefly delayed while marshals picked up the pieces. The crowd booed, before security officials removed the protesters.
The eco group objects to Wimbledon being sponsored by Barclays bank, which it claims has lent £30 billion to oil and gas companies in the past two years. Fossil fuels are a large emitter of greenhouse gases, causing climate change. The Metropolitan Police said a man and a woman had been taken into custody.
In the second case, play was halted, again on Court 18, when another protester, who like the earlier ones was in a Just Stop Oil T-shirt, threw confetti on the grass, interrupting British number one Katie Boulter’s first-round match. He was led off the court.
A man in this case was also arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage. Both Boulter and opponent Daria Saville helped clear the court after the protester was escorted away.
A Just Stop Oil protester threw orange confetti and jigsaw puzzle pieces on to court (Adam Davy/PA)
(PA Wire)
Jack Rathborn6 July 2023 08:23
Wimbledon order of play and Thursday’s schedule
CENTRE COURT – 13:30 START
L. Broady (GBR) v C. Ruud (NOR) 4
A. Cornet (FRA) v E. Rybakina (KAZ) 3
A. Murray (GBR) v S. Tsitsipas (GRE) 5
A. Zverev (GER) 19 v G. Brouwer (NED)
S. Stephens (USA) v D. Vekic (CRO) 20
J. Pegula (USA) 4 v C. Bucsa (ESP)
For the full order of play, see below:
Jack Rathborn6 July 2023 08:13
