Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was stretched to the limit en route to the Wimbledon fourth round but world number one Jannik Sinner, his likely semi-final opponent, was unruffled as he advanced in ominous fashion at rainy Wimbledon on Friday.

When Emma Raducanu nonchalantly flicked a lob that appeared to be drifting long before it dropped inches inside the baseline to earn her a break and a hollering ovation from the Wimbledon crowd, Maria Sakkari must have known this was not going to be her day.

Novak Djokovic survived a minor scare in his hunt for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon trophy before Iga Swiatek produced a more assured display to reach the third round on an emotional Friday marked by the start of Andy Murray’s farewell.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and top seed Jannik Sinner took contrasting routes into the third round of Wimbledon but eighth seed Casper Ruud was unable to find a way through and felt the gloom on a cloudy Thursday.

Naomi Osaka’s goal to improve her grasscourt game will have to wait for at least another 12 months after her Wimbledon comeback stalled in the second round following a 6-4 6-1 walloping by American Emma Navarro that mercifully lasted only 58 minutes.

Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev was being pushed so hard by Frenchman Alexandre Muller in their Wimbledon second-round clash on Centre Court yesterday that he lost track of the score.

Centre Court ticket holders were expecting to watch Andy Murray’s last stand at Wimbledon on Tuesday but instead got a glimpse of the new force in British tennis in the shape of 22-year-old Jack Draper.

Marketa Vondrousova’s Wimbledon title defence came to an early end as she fell to a surprise first-round defeat by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

Seven-times Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic eased concerns about his knee with a clinical performance to dismantle Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-2 6-2 and reach the second round.

Carlos Alcaraz opened his Wimbledon title defence with a hard-fought victory over Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal.

Emma Raducanu snapped a dispiriting sequence of first-round defeats for British players at Grand Slams as the wildcard beat Mexico’s Renata Zarazua 7-6(0) 6-3 on Centre Court on Monday.

In the continuation of a first-round match suspended on Monday due to darkness, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki upset No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5 at the Bad Homburg Open in Germany.