Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz outlasted his close friend Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling five-set match to advance to the Wimbledon fourth round on Friday, while US Open winner Coco Gauff cruised to victory. Alcaraz emerged victorious with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, showcasing 16 aces among his 55 winners in a nearly four-hour Centre Court spectacle.
"Playing against Frances is always a significant challenge," Alcaraz acknowledged, recalling their five-set battle in the 2022 US Open semi-finals which he won en route to his first Grand Slam title. "He's incredibly talented and a formidable opponent, and he's proven once more that he belongs at the elite level."
Alcaraz, aiming to be the sixth man to win both the French Open and Wimbledon consecutively, has now reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the tenth time. He will face either France's Ugo Humbert or the USA's Brandon Nakashima next.
Meanwhile, women's world number two Gauff easily dispatched British qualifier Sonay Kartal, who despite her low ranking of 298, had made it to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. Gauff's 6-4, 6-0 victory included a dominant second set where Kartal managed only eight points. Kartal, who had earned just over $18,500 in 2024, will leave Wimbledon with a substantial $182,000.
"This was my first match against a British player here, so I was a bit nervous knowing the crowd would be rooting for her," Gauff said. "I'm glad the crowd was kind to me, which helped." Gauff will next play American Emma Navarro for a spot in the quarterfinals.
In other matches, US men's 12th seed Tommy Paul advanced to the fourth round for the second time with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik. Paul, who won the Queen's Club title just before Wimbledon, has now won eight consecutive grass court matches. "I'm enjoying playing on grass," Paul noted.
Grigor Dimitrov, a semifinalist a decade ago, beat 37-year-old Gael Monfils in straight sets. Two-time quarter-finalist Madison Keys, seeded 12th, reached the second week of a Grand Slam for the fifth time with a win over Marta Kostyuk. Keys will next face French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini, who secured her first Wimbledon win this year. Seventh-ranked Paolini defeated former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in straight sets.
Lulu Sun made history as the first New Zealand woman to reach the last 16 since 1959, defeating China's Zhu Lin in straight sets. Sun, ranked 123rd, had previously ousted Chinese eighth seed and Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen in the first round. Born in the small New Zealand town of Te Anau, known more for its sheep and deer than people, Sun hopes her performance will bring attention to her hometown.
Sun's next opponent will be Britain's former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who defeated Greek ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3.
