Roger Federer extended his flawless winning streak at Wimbledon to 26 consecutive sets as the defending champion crushed Lukas Lacko but women’s second seed Caroline Wozniacki suffered fresh Wimbledon woe with a shock 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 loss to Ekaterina Makarova in the second round.
Seven-time champion Serena Williams faced little resistance in her progress to the third round as she overpowered Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova 6-1, 6-4. But sister Venus had to fight back to beat Alexandra Dulgheru in the second round.
Milos Raonic slammed 34 aces as the 2016 Wimbledon finalist won 7-6 (7/4, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4) against Australia’s John Millman.
The big stories
Federer cruises to third round
Federer delivered a Centre Court masterclass lasting 89 minutes as the Swiss star hit 48 winners and 16 aces in his 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
The 36-year-old is now on his joint second longest streak of sets won at Wimbledon – his best was 34 between the third round in 2005 to the 2006 final.
Next up for Federer is a third round tie against 39-year-old Croatian Ivo Karlovic or German world number 64 Jan-Lennard Struff.
Serena crushes qualifier Tomova
Serena was in dominant mood on Centre Court, brushing aside Tomova in just 66 minutes with 24 winners and four aces to extend her streak of consecutive match wins at the All England Club.
“It was better than the first round. I’m happy I’m going in the right direction,” Serena said.
“I’m getting there. I expect to get there, not only for Wimbledon but for the tournaments in the future.”
The 36-year-old, whose winning run encompasses her Wimbledon titles in 2015 and 2016, missed the grass-court Grand Slam last year while she prepared to give birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September.
Wozniacki’s stunning defeat
Wozniacki saved five match points but has now failed to get past the last 16 in 12 visits to the All England Club.
It was a bitter defeat for the 27-year-old Dane, who was expected to challenge for the Wimbledon title after winning her maiden Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in January.
Wozniacki, plagued by an invasion of flying ants during the Court One clash, saved five match points but has now failed to get past the last 16 in 12 visits to the All England Club.
Shot of the day
From the sidelines
Bugs’ life for Wozniacki
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki was knocked out by Ekaterina Makarova but found an invasion of flying ants just as much as a nuisance on Court One.
“They’re in my mouth and in my hair and everywhere – we need to do something. Is there a spray?” said the Dane as she slumped to a 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 defeat to the Russian.
“I want to be here to focus on tennis, not eating bugs.”
Monfils gets caught up in World Cup fever
French star Gael Monfils got caught up in the excitement and drama of England’s World Cup victory over Colombia while watching the penalty shootout in a London pub.
“Unbelievable. Like, crazy. Crazy. Like, crazy. I was scared to have my phone. It was jumping, screaming. Everything. Beers, everything. Was great, great.”
Right royal pickle
Top British sports stars are traditionally invited into the Royal Box on Centre Court on Saturday but face a dilemma this time around: accept the invite or stay away and watch England v Sweden in the World Cup quarter-finals instead. The All England Club steadfastly refuses to show football on its public television screens.
Quotable quotes
“Your coach is a piece of s**t. By the way.”
– A gracious Jack Sock congratulates Italy’s victorious Matteo Berrettini at the net.
“We drive by the queue every day to get to Wimbledon. Serious respect for your dedication to tennis.”
– Eugenie Bouchard salutes those who slept overnight to get tickets.
“I’m happy if they say whatever they say, as long as it is ‘game’ and my name somewhere, and not ‘game’ and the other name. That makes sense, right?”
– Roger Federer on the custom of referring to women players as ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’ while men are referenced by their surnames.
“I’d be the first player walkover to see the World Cup.”
– Gael Monfils jokes about a potential predicament should France make the World Cup final which clashes with the men’s singles final.
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