DEFENDING champion Novak Djokovic breezed into the Wimbledon last 16 as he dropped just seven games in a convincing win against fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic today.
Djokovic, 35, won 6-0 6-3 6-4 on Centre Court to earn his 24th consecutive victory on grass.
The top seed has not lost a grass-court match since being beaten by Marin Cilic in the final at Queen’s in 2018.
The six-time SW19 champion plays Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven next.
“I thought I started off very well, with good intensity and good focus,” said Djokovic, who reached the Wimbledon last 16 for the 14th time, which leaves him trailing only Roger Federer (18) and Jimmy Connors (16) in the record books.
Asked what that number meant to him, he joked: “It means I’ve been playing for quite a few years.
“I’m blessed to be still playing at the highest level and I’m proud of my consistency.”
His next opponent, 25-year-old Van Rijthoven, had never won an ATP Tour main-draw match until his home tournament in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last month, which he went on to win by beating world number one Daniil Medvedev in the final.
His impressive form on the grass has continued at the All England Club, beating Georgian 22nd seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4 6-3 6-4 to claim his eighth straight victory on the surface.
In women’s singles, Tunisian third seed Ons Jabeur showcased her skill and variety to entertain the Wimbledon fans on the way to reaching the fourth round.
Jabeur, 27, dominated the early exchanges and that set the platform for a 6-2 6-3 win over French teenager Diane Parry on Centre Court.
She threatened to bagel Parry as she led 5-0 in the opening set but the 19-year-old made a fight of the contest.
She is joined in the fourth round by Latvian 12th seed Jelena Ostapenko, who came from a set down to beat Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 3-6 6-1 6-1.
It marks the first time she has reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam since her 2018 run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Former French Open champion Ostapenko will face world number 103 Tatjana Maria next after the German upset Greece’s fifth seed Maria Sakkari.
Maria won 6-3 7-5, coming from 3-0 down in the second set to win the final three games and reach the fourth round of a major for the first time.
BBC Sport
