"Wimbledon 2023: Djokovic Stopped by Curfew, Swiatek Makes Historic Quarterfinal Run"

Wimbledon 2023: Djokovic Halted by Night, Swiatek Makes First Quarterfinal in London... Day 7 Recap

The Serb and the Pole were set to play their respective Round of 16 matches on the grass courts of Wimbledon on Sunday. However, rain did not disrupt the day's schedule, except for Novak Djokovic's match. Stopped by the traditional curfew, his duel against Hubert Hurkacz will have to wait a few more hours to reach its conclusion.

Djokovic halted just one set away from the quarterfinals

Nevertheless, Djokovic will have the opportunity to wrap up the match on Monday. Facing the Polish player (No. 17), the world No. 2 once again demonstrated his nerves of steel. He had a streak of 12 consecutive tiebreak wins before the match and added two more, albeit with some difficulty.

Challenged by the powerful and accurate serves of his opponent, the 23-time Grand Slam champion had to erase three set points before eventually winning the set. As both players struggled to break each other's serves, the second set also went to a tiebreak, which Djokovic won once again.

Swiatek saves two match points

On Centre Court, the Polish player faced a tough challenge against Belinda Bencic (No. 14). Trailing after losing the first set, the world No. 1 found herself in a precarious situation at 5-6 in the second set. Despite her forehand often faltering, the Roland-Garros champion managed to save two match points and level the set with a tiebreak.

With a sense of liberation, she eventually dominated to secure victory and reach her first quarterfinal on the grass of Wimbledon in her career. Swiatek will now face Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who defeated Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in three sets.

Rublev battles through, Sinner and Dimitrov ease through

In his match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik (No. 23), Andrey Rublev ultimately came out on top. Leading after winning the first two sets, the Russian had the chance to close out the match with two match points in the third set. However, Bublik, who had defeated Rublev in the final of the Halle tournament in June, found the strength to erase those opportunities, level the score, and push the match into a fifth set. After 3 hours and 20 minutes of play, the seventh seed eventually emerged victorious.

In the other matches in the men's draw, Italian Jannik Sinner (No. 8) had a straightforward victory against Colombian Daniel Galan, winning in straight sets. Meanwhile, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, whose third-round match against Frances Tiafoe (No. 10) was interrupted on Saturday evening, smoothly advanced to the Round of 16 with a three-set victory over the American.