World No. 2 Novak Djokovic is one set from reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals, but will have to wait until Monday to resume his match against No. 17 Hubert Hurkacz after play was suspended Sunday due to a curfew.
Djokovic, who is attempting to match Roger Federer’s mark of eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles, will have a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6) lead when play resumes.
Djokovic, 36, has yet to lose a set at this year’s event but had to rally from a 6-3 deficit in the first-round tie-breaker. The Serbian star won five straight points as the 26-year-old from Poland let three straight set points slip away.
Hurkacz, who beat Federer in the Swiss legend’s last Wimbledon appearance in 2021, produced 22 aces in the opening two sets as his serve reached 139 mph, but he also dropped the second-round tie-breaker.
The winner will face Andrey Rublev of Russia, who reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal with a five-set victory over No. 23 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.
Rublev, the No. 7 seed, posted a 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-4 win, securing the penultimate point of the match with a dive to his right that earned him a standing ovation.
“It was the most lucky shot ever,” said Rublev. “It was luck, nothing else. I don’t think I can do it one more time.”
Three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe, handling commentary on BBC TV, said it was “one of the great shots” of recent years at Wimbledon and “an electric way” to end the match.
In other men’s action Sunday, world No. 92 Roman Safiullin of Russia came back from a set down to upset No. 26 Denis Shapovalov of Canada, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.
Battling a knee injury, Shapovalov was limping as he walked off the court following the loss.
“I felt sore the whole time. … It was getting worse and worse,” he said. “I think as soon as other parts get tired, just have more and more impact on the knee. As the match went on, it just became unbearable.”
Safiullin had never advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam event, but now he will face No. 8 Jannik Sinner of Italy, who defeated Colombia’s Daniel Elahi Galan, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3.
“Today was a tough day,” Sinner said. “I was not feeling great on the court but I managed to win the most important points. Usually I’m calm but sometimes it happens. There were some tough calls on my side.”
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, the No. 21 seed, had to wait until Sunday to finish off American Frances Tiafoe, the 10th seed, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. Dimitrov was up two sets Saturday when rain forced the match to be suspended. Dimitrov will face No. 6 seed Holger Rune of Denmark on Monday.
“This was a really bad match. Horrible, horrible stuff,” Tiafoe said. “To play this poorly is very depressing, especially at Wimbledon. I genuinely think I am one of the best grass-court players in the world but I didn’t show it at all. I have to live with that.”
–Field Level Media