Second seed Alexander Zverev joined celebrated German compatriots Boris Becker and MIchael Stich in the record books as the second seed advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon on Saturday.

Zverev’s 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-4 defeat of Marcos Giron thrusts the 29-year-old into the trio of overachievers who have reached the second week here on four or more occasions.

The June French Open titleholder needed just 90 minutes to polish off the opening stwo sets against his American opposition  

He had to work harder in the third, breaking in the final game to advance on his first match point during his 10th Wimbledon appearance.

“He plays well on grass so I had to be100 percent ready on the first point,” the winner said. “I’m happy to be through in straight sets.

“I’m lying on my serve in the most important moments, especially on the grass. I want to keep going and play a lot more great matches out here.”

Zverev next gets Jiri Lehecka, who beat Jaume Munar of Spain 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

The German is into his 25th round of 16 at a major and has won 13 of his last 14 matches.

Fifth seed Alex de MInaur kept his nearly-clean slate with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Zach Svajda.

The Australian has advanced to the second week here for a third straight time while losing just one set along the way. The third set was littered with six service breaks in eight games.

“I thought it was a high-quality match,” the winner said. “Zach is an immensely talented player, and made my life very, very difficult.

“I’m happy that I was able to stay strong mentally and keep my level throughout the third and fourth sets.

“That was key to the win today.” 

De Minaur will play his 15th fourth-round match at a Grand Slam after achieving his 27th win of the season.

Ninth-seeded Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli needed four hours to defeat Karen Khachanov, with the Italian posting a 0-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2 result.

Arthur Fery hurrying on through a late-match nosebleed to salvage British pride with a four-and-a quarter-hour win over Belgian Zizou Bergs 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-8).

Main photo:- Alexander Zverev beat Marcus Giron in third round – by Roger Parker/ISF Ltd

Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovc and Jannik Sinner wrapped up third-rond wns at exactly the same moment on Friday as the elite pair advanced under pressure into the second week at Wimbledon.

Defending champion Sinner held off American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while seven-time All England Club winner Djokovic won his 105th match at the event with a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) defeat of Arthur Rinderknech, last Frenchman in the field..

The 39-year-old Djokovic completed his win as Rinderknech hit the grass with a diving volley which the Serb calmly tapped into the open court after three and a quarter hours.

Rinderknech fired 67 winners to 40 for Djokovic, who came within two points in the 18-minute third of losing a set to love on grass for the first time in his career.

But the survivor with 24 Grand Slam titles recovered form in the fourth set, winning it in a tiebreaker to reach the fourth round here for the 18th time.

 “It was a close and tiring match, I was happy to win the tiebreaker,” Djokovic said. “Sometimes you have to find a way to win and I’m happy I did that today.

“There was a lot of slipping and sliding, drop shots, cat and mouse play.

“This has always been a dream tournament of mine, but I’m not thinking about records – I’m just trying to win the match on a given day.”

Djokovc admitted he felt the pressure. “I was stressed out with more tension than usual. It was a challenging match for me.”

Sinner’s win was slightly less dramatic as the world No. 1 earned a straight-sets success on a third match point against No. 81 Brooksby.

“For sure I’m happy with the win,” Sinner said. “I’m trying to improve every day and there are some small things to work on.

“I need to get better if I want to go far here. This surface is very unpredictable… one thing goes slightly wrong and it is tough to win.

“I hope to try to be the best that I can in a couple of days (fourth round).”

Two-time semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev, the eighth seed, was ambushed by Jan Leonard Struff 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Medved held an 8-1 lead in their series, with his only defeat to the German coming five years ago on grass in Halle.

Roman Safiullin, a 132nd-ranked qualifier who once cracked the top 40, ended the dream of Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 defeat which no pits him against Djokovic. 

The win in just over two hour was a relief for the winner, whose previous two matches were only decided by fifth set 10-point tiebreakers.

The enormity of the occasion got the best of Safiullin, who had to pause his post-match interview to brush away tears.

“After the US Open I had to stop to treat my injury. That time was super tough,” he said. “Even half a year ago I didn’t know if I’d be able to be back. I didn’t know. I’m super happy to be back here.”

The 19-year-old Fonseca said he missed out on his chances in a “tough match.”

“He was putting a lot of pressure, he’s a guy that likes to control the point. 

“I didn’t play bad. Of course I had some opportunities to let him think a little bit

more and let him play more points. I tried to do my best.

“It was a great run here again I think I’m improving on grass and that motivates me to keep going.”

Another teen hopeful, Spaniard Rafael Jodar, was ousted 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 by Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki.

Doubles specialists are up in arms about ATP plans leaked during Wimbledon that would scale back the doubles event to a mere sideshow.

A controversial initiative revealed that men’s tennis bosses – the outfit is led by former Italian journeyman player Andrea Gaudenzi – intend to almost wipe the team game from tournament lineups in time for the 2028 season.

Andrea Gaudenzi

Under the slash-and-burn scenario, doubles fields at the Masters 1000 level would be cut in half to 16 teams and shrivel to eight only at the lower-tier 500 and 250 levels.

No decent explanation of the plan has yet been provided, with players flailing in the dark over draconian strategy.

The matter could well end up in court in the ATP’s litigious home base in the US.

“Their way to tackle it is to just get rid of all doubles players and have singles guys play doubles, which I don’t think is the right decision,” British 2025 Wimbledon doubles winner Lloyd Glasspool said.

His partner Julien Cash added: “It’s something that all the doubles players are united on.

“We hope it doesn’t go as far as legal action but if it has to then I know that we’re all on board to do so.”

Prize money could also take a big hit, with the current 80/20 split with singles cut to 90/10.

The world No. 1 pair of Harri Heliovaara and Brit Henry Patten – Wimbledon winners in 2024 – were also knocked back by the proposal of doom for doubles 

The said players had not been informed about details of the possible restructuring.

“It’s very difficult because all of those decisions have taken place behind closed doors, even the ATP Council members were unaware of these plans,” Patten said.

“It makes dialogue extremely difficult when those decisions and discussions are happening behind closed doors in the ATP.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now about whether it’s going to be viable to be a professional doubles player after 2028.”

The ATP dipped into the corporate-speak grab-bag by way of an explanation.

The sanctioning body did not hide the fact that it was all about the money: less for doubles means more to pay out as singles prize money, ciring the tired old excuse of cost pressures.

“Any potential changes will be developed through close consultation with players, tournaments and the ATP Board with any decisions made in the best long-term interests of the sport and its consumers,” the legalese-heavy ATP statement read.

“Doubles isn’t a carnival sideshow. It is one of the most successful parts of tennis – integral to the amateur game – with the potential to do so much more,” the player statement said.

“Yet the impact of the ATP’s proposals will be to diminish the sporting excellence that is professional doubles and turn off the pipeline of pro doubles players and the entire infrastructure that supports them.

“Doubles is not an afterthought we fell into. It has always been part of this sport’s identity, not a discount version of it.”

They added: “Do the maths on what that means for anyone outside the top 30: it will be impossible to make a living.

“This is not a minor adjustment. It is a plan to end doubles as a viable profession, dressed up as a cost-saving measure.

“It is being pushed through with almost no transparency and almost no consultation with the players whose careers and livelihoods are on the line.”

Main photo:- Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakins winning Australian Open doubles in 2022 by Roger Parker/ISF Ltd