(Reuters) -Novak Djokovic’s quest for an elusive 25th Grand Slam faces a major hurdle as the 38-year-old Serbian runs into in-form Alex de Minaur in the last 16, while Iga Swiatek faces Clara Tauson who stunned former champion Elena Rybakina in the third round.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: ALEX DE MINAUR V NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Djokovic joined Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova in an elite list of players who have won 100 matches at Wimbledon when he eased past Serbian compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3 6-0 6-4 in the previous round.
While he can also equal Federer’s mark of eight titles at the All England Club, the milestone that is driving Djokovic is a 25th major to take him past Margaret Court.
It is a record that has eluded him since he won the 2023 U.S. Open and he will look to build momentum and achieve the feat at Wimbledon, which he says is his favourite tournament.
But Djokovic faces an opponent who is coming into Monday’s match with unfinished business as Australian De Minaur, who had to pull out of their Wimbledon quarter-final last year with a hip injury, is relishing the chance to finally meet the Serbian on grass.
“It’s funny how life works … here we are a year later and I get my opportunity and chance again,” De Minaur, 26, told Australia’s Stan Sport after Saturday’s win. “He’s going to be very difficult to beat … I’m going to have to go after it.”
De Minaur, who has won only one of his three meetings with Djokovic, said he was up for the task ahead.
“You want to be beating the best players in the world … I see it as the ultimate challenge in this sport, and I’m ready,” he added.
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: IGA SWIATEK V CLARA TAUSON
Five-times Grand Slam winner Swiatek has yet to replicate her stellar claycourt dominance on grass, but the former world number one said she had found a level of comfort at this year’s Wimbledon that she had not felt before.
The 24-year-old barely missed a beat as she brushed aside Danielle Collins 6-2 6-3 in the third round, a rarity for the Pole who has never won a WTA title on grass.
“I was in the zone,” Swiatek said after Saturday’s victory. “I had practices where the ball was listening to me. Today was a good day and it is a new experience feeling good on this surface.”
However, Swiatek’s Wimbledon campaigns have often been derailed by rising contenders. In 2023, she lost in the quarter-finals to wildcard Elina Svitolina. Last year, she was upset by unseeded Yulia Putintseva in the third round.
Tauson, who defeated last year’s semi-finalist Elena Rybakina in the third round, may fancy her chances of becoming the latest opponent to derail Swiatek’s Wimbledon dream as the Danish 22-year-old enjoys her best year on the circuit yet.
“Before the grass season started, I’d never won a match on grass,” Tauson said after beating Rybakina. “But I played some of my best tennis.”
RISING ANDREEVA FACES HUNGRY NAVARRO
Seventh seed Mirra Andreeva has enough reasons to feel confident after she dismantled Hailey Baptiste in straight sets to reach the last 16.
“With every match I play I feel my level is rising,” Andreeva said after Saturday’s win.
The 18-year-old has emerged as a dark horse for the women’s title after winning her first two WTA 1000 trophies this year, notably beating Aryna Sabalenka to clinch the Indian Wells Open in March.
Andreeva has yet to drop a set as she faces 10th seed Emma Navarro, who knocked out defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the third round.
However, for Navarro, the win came with an asterisk as Krejcikova was visibly struggling with injury as she lost the match after winning the first set.
“Neither of us played our best tennis,” Navarro said.
A win over Andreeva would be the best way for the American, who reached the quarter-finals last year, to announce herself as one of the major contenders for the title.
WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON MONDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)
Centre Court (Play begins at 1230 GMT)
11-Alex de Minaur (Australia) v 6-Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
7-Mirra Andreeva (Russia) v 10-Emma Navarro (U.S.)
1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v 19-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
Court Number One (Play begins at 1200 GMT)
18-Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) v Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)
10-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v Lorenzo Sonego (Italy)
8-Iga Swiatek (Poland) v 23-Clara Tauson (Denmark)
Court Number Two (Play begins at 1000 GMT)
Marin Cilic (Croatia) v 22-Flavio Cobolli (Italy)
19-Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain)
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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