Star Tennis players Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka moved into the third round of Wimbledon on Wednesday. Defending champion Sinner was pushed by Portugal’s Nuno Borges before securing a 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4 victory on Centre Court. Borges stayed with the world No. 1 throughout the opening two sets, forcing tie-breaks on both occasions and refusing to give the Italian any easy passage.
Sinner, however, produced his best tennis when it mattered most. He took control of both tie-breaks with solid serving and accurate groundstrokes before earning the only decisive break of the third set to complete the win in just over two hours.
The victory also marked a significant milestone in Sinner’s career. It was his 95th Grand Slam singles match win, taking him past Nicola Pietrangeli for the highest number of major singles victories by an Italian player. He will face American Jenson Brooksby in the third round as Sinner continues the defence of his Wimbledon title.
Sabalenka challenged but proved too hot to handle
On the other hand, Sabalenka also advanced in straight sets. However, her path proved far from straightforward against American McCartney Kessler. The Belarusian looked in complete control after taking the opening set 6-1, but Kessler responded with an impressive turnaround in the second. The American opened up a 5-2 lead and came within a game of forcing a deciding set before Sabalenka fought back to level the score and send the contest into a tie-break.
Kessler had four opportunities to extend the match, earning set points during the second set and in the tie-break. Sabalenka held firm under pressure, saving each of them before edging the breaker 11-9 to wrap up a 6-1, 7-6(9) victory in one hour and 39 minutes.
The result keeps the top seed on course for a first Wimbledon singles title. She will next face Latviaโs Jeena Ostapenko, who booked her place in the third round with a straight-sets win over Antonia Ruzic.
Notably, their meeting is expected to be one of the standout matches of the third round, with both players known for their aggressive shot-making. Sinner, meanwhile, remains on track in his title defence after adding another landmark achievement to his growing list of career records.
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