Wimbledon day three: Djokovic on court, Thiem and Tsitsipas play decider – live | Wimbledon 2023

Another swift hold for Djokovic who, by dint of leading 5-4, invites Thompson to serve to stay in the match. Berrettini and Songeo, meanwhile, are 2-2 in set three, and Thiem has just held to love for 4-4 in the fifth.

Oh and Thompson also makes his hold while, on Centre, Sinner leads Schwartzman 5-4 on serve in the first.

…and when Tsitsipas has a backhand called out, he thinks he’s done it! But a challenge reveals the ball was good so they replay the point, and what a volley the Greek somehow conjures, stretching low on the forehand to send back a glorious drop! This is fantastic stuff, it really is, and seconds later the hold is secure. Tsitsipas leads 4-3 in the final set.

Back on Centre, where Djokovic leads 2-0, Thompson is serving at 3-4, probably knowing that, playing more or less as well as he can, he’s likely to lose in straights. Djokovic gets him to deuce, but on Court 2, Tsitsipas nets at 30-all to hand Thiem a break point…

Good stuff going on on Court 12, which is where I’m off. Keys has taken the first set off Kartal 6-0, so I’m moving to watch Berrettini, who’s just levelled the match at one set-all, play his good mate Sonego.

Leading 2-1, Tsitsipas gets to deuce on the Thiem serve, but goes long with a forehand return that was there for him – not to hit a winner but to ask a question – and a lush backhand drop seals the hold. It’s so good to see the Austrian back playing like this, and if he can stay fit, there’s plenty out there for him.

The shadows are encroaching onto Court 2 as Tsitsipas flows his way to 2-1 in the fifth and, on Centre, Sinner applauds as Schwartzman dashes in to execute the most dainty of drops. the Italian still holds though, up 3-2 in the first.

Djokovic leads Thompson 2-1 in set three, on serve, while Keys broke Kartal to love at the first time of asking and now leads 3-0 in the first.

Thiem takes his time and serves … into the net. But then he goes again, Tsitsipas nets his return, and at 6-3 (1)6-7 2-6 7-6(5) he’s earned himself a decider! He wasn’t the better player in that set, but he took his chance and now it’s a shoot-out! I can’t wait!

Superb from Thiem, a drop and a drop volley taking him from 4-3 to 6-3. Tistsipas has two serves to come, so he’ll only have one go on his own delivery, but he’s playing really well again, so will fancy himself to do the necessary.

Tsitsipas finds himself marooned at the net and we all know what’s coming next: Thiem, whose get earned him this opportunity, blazes a typical backhand pass for 4-2 and a mini-break. He’s three points away from a final-set decider.

On Centre, Sinner and Schwartzman are away; on 3, so are Kartal, of GB, and Keys, of USA.

Absolutely classic Djokovic. At 5-4, he sends down a weak second serve that Thompson nets, then on set point he delivers an ace and, well though his opponent’s played, he’s still two sets down. Meantime, Tsitsipas plays a beautiful hold for 6-6 which means he’s a breaker away from a meeting with Andy Murray tomorrow.

Djokovic grabs the first mini-break, of course he does, and leads 4-2; Tsitsipas will now serve for a fourth-set breaker against Thiem.

Back on Centre, Djokovic is serving for a breaker …and makes it, to 15. At Roland-Garros, he won all six he played, made no unforced errors, taking 42 of 55 points. Good luck, Jordan old mucker.

“Three tabs open on the iPad,” says Richard Hirst. “Wimbledon, women’s Ashes, England U-21 semi-final, bliss.”

I’m tennis only, two matches on the desktop, one on the lap, one on the phone. I’m can’t say I’m not frightened about what happens when the Test starts tomorrow.

“I can just see all the followers of the blog furiously googling ‘Jim Duffy’ right now,” returns Simon McMahon – to save you the trouble, Simon supports Dundee United and Duffy is a Dundee icon. Anyway: “Hegarty and Narey would make a good pair. Sturrock and Dodds on the eyeballs. Wee Jim, well let’s not go there.”

Gosh, imagine if every time you looked through your own eyes, you saw Luggy and Dodds.

Holger Rune [6] beats George Loffhagen 7-6(4) 6-3 6-2!

That breaker i mentioned? Vesely took it, so leads Korda, seeded 22, 7-6(7) 2-1. Oh, and Pliskova is serving for the match leading Stevanovic 6-2 5-2, while Thompson now has Djokovic fighting through deuce.

Thompson is making a really good fist of this, forcing Djokovic to serve to stay in the second set at 4-5, and Thiem is back playing properly, 3-3 with Tistsipas in the fourth. Finally, Rune has a double break on Loffhagen and, as I type, he raises two match points at 5-2 in the third.

Denis Shapovalov [26] beats Radu Albot 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-2!

Barbora Krejcikova [10] beats Heather Watson 6-2 7-5!

Theim and Tsitsipas are 2-2 in set four, Thiem 2-1 in front, while Djokovic shows Thompson the new balls before serving at 6-3 3-4 and Watson fights for the hold that’ll give her a second-set breaker and Krejcikova tries to finish her off. So far, three match points have been saved or spurned, depending on your bent.

“I’m afraid your tattoo correspondents have reckoned without Wimbledon’s rules,” returns Richard Hirst. “Are there such things as white tattoos?”

Where there’s a will there’s a way, as demonstrated by Cameroon in 2002 when Fifa tried to tell them what they could and couldn’t wear.

I thought Vesely v Korda would be tight and it is; they’re playing a first-set breaker, Korda leading 7-6.

Tommy Paul [16] beats Shintaro Mochizuki 7-5 6-3 6-1!

Krejcikova makes it 6-5 in set two, then calls out the trainer for some kind of foot and ankle issue – the forehand that caused it seemed innocuous enough, so hopefully she’s OK. She opts to take a timeout so the physio has three minutes to sort her support, while Rune has broken Loffhagen immediately in set three and is almost home.

“I’ll tattoo both shoulders,” says Simon McMahon, “if Murray makes the second week. And I’ll throw in both eyeballs if he wins a third Wimbledon title. Suggestions welcome as to what I should go with…”

Gosh, that’s a bold promise, because if Murray wins his round two match, he’ll have the number 5 seed’s passage through the draw. He won’t win it, obviously, but he’s one win away from a portrait of Jim Duffy all over your back.

Rune secures the second set to lead 7-6(4) 6-3, then leaves for a bathroom break; he’ll have to be quick because both players went at the end of set one, so can’t go again till the end of set three; he’ll have to be back within the change of ends, which he is. And on Court 2, Tsitsipas serves out for a 6-2 set, and Thiem, now 2-1 behind, just hasn’t been at it today.

Watson’s done a really good job hanging in this second set and at 4-4 she arranges advantage on the Krejcikova serve … but nets a forehand, then her opponent serves out. Loffhagen, meanwhile, forces Rune to serve for a 2-0 lead, while Tsitsipas breaks Thiem again and at 5-2, is close to forging in front.

Tsitsipas has been upping the pressure and when he gets to 30-40, Thiem loads up on the forehand, sends it fractionally wide, and that’s the break! He leads 3-2 in the third, and yesterday’s interruption seems to have worked well for him.

Also going on:

Good stat on BBC: Thiem is one of only two players with at least five wins over the big three; the other, of course, is Andrew Murray. He leads 2-1 in third.

“Worst place to have a tattoo is famously right under your shoulder,” advises James W. “Something about a ton of blood vessels all coming together in that particular corner of the body.”

Djokovic volleys into the tape, the ball clambers over, and secures a love-hold for a 6-3 first set against Thompson – who’s playing really well, for all the good it’s doing him.

On 12, Shapovalov has levelled his match with Albot at 1-1 and now leads 4-2 in the third, while Pella is serving for his match with Coric at 5-1 in the fifth.

Thanks Tom and hi again everyone. I’m delighted to be back watching Thiem and Tsitsipas – they’re 1-1 in the second – while Rune has broken Loffhagen, who played so well yesterday, and leads 7-6 3-1. On Centre, Djokovic is serving for the first set at 5-3.

Meanwhile, over on Court 1 Heather Watson is digging in without ever really getting on top against Barbora Krejcikova. It’s 2-2 in the second set.

And Daniel’s back and recharged, so I’ll hand you back over. Enjoy the rest of the day.

Thompson miscues a smash at the net and sends it long, giving Djokovic a sniff at 15-30, but his first serves are in good order, winning him the next two points, but you can’t advance to the net and offer Djokovic a juicy forehand at a decent height so we go to deuce. A gorgeous drop volley at the net gives Djokovic a break point, which he converts when he makes Thompson stretch at the net and volley long.

That going-through-the-gears thing is upon us. Djokovic leads 4-2, first set.

As dominant a service game as anyone will likely send down to Djokovic this fortnight keeps Thompson level at 2-2 but Djokovic doesn’t give the Australian a sniff on his own serve either and also wins his to love. We whizz on to 3-2.

And in the eagerly followed delayed match on Court No 2, Tsitsipas has won the second set in a tiebreak to draw level with Dominic Thiem.

Protest latest:

Not such good news for Heather Watson though: she’s lost the first set to Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, and Novak Djjokovic is under way on Centre Court against the 70th-ranked Australian Jordan Thompson, who’s acquitted himself decently so far. But Djokovic leads 2-1 in a first set that’s gone with serve thus far.

A seed has fallen: Roman Safiullin has beaten Roberto Bautista Agut 2-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 in a four-hour duel.

Katy Boulter beats Daria Saville 7-6, 6-2

Elsewhere, Coric v Sella has indeed gone to a fifth set while Milos Raonic, a former finallist here of course, has beaten Dennis Novak of Austria in four sets.

Boulter, serving for the match, is broken back. She initially eases to 30-0 on her serve before double-faulting and is pegged back to 30-all, misjudging a low drop shot at the net. And suddenly Saville has a break point when Boulter whips a forehand narrowly wide. And then another double-fault hands the Australian the break. Boulter still has the advantage though at 5-2

It’s not going so well for Boulter’s compatriot Heather Watson, who was broken in her first service game by Barbora Krejckova and the Czech No 10 seed leads 4-1. Boulter though is looking confident and assertive now and romps to three break points on Saville’s next service game, converting at the first opportunity. She’s a game away from the second round at 5-1.

Let’s jaunt over to Court 18, where they’ve swept up the jigsaw pieces and what have you, where the second set between Katy Boulter and Diara Saville has thus far gone with serve at 1-2, with Saville serving. Boulter gets a slab of luck with a thick net cord deflection to put some pressure on at 15-30, and when a Saville backhand drifts long the British woman has two break points. She squanders the first with a forehand into the net, but not the second. A ferocious return of serve enables Boulter to dictate the rally and push Saville to the corner of the court, forcing her to scoop the ball wide and long.

Boulter leads 7-6, 3-1.

A quick look round the courts reveals that the 20th seed, Roberto Bautista Agut, has been taken to a fifth set by the Russian Roman Safiullin, and a fifth set looks likely on Court 14 where the 13th seed Borna Coric has recovered from losing the first two sets to Guido Pella, winning the third 6-4 and cruising into a 3-0 lead in the fourth.

Iga Swiatek (1) beats Sara Sorribes Torino 6-2, 6-0