After an initial phase of weakness, Andrej Rublew has reached the third round of the Wimbledon grass classic. The number seven of the tournament defeated Aslan Karazew 6:7(4/7) 6:3 6:4 7:5 in an all-Russian duel on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Olympic champion Alexander Zverev defeated Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer lackluster 6: 4 7: 6 (7/4) 7: 6 (7/5) in his opening match, which had been postponed several times.
Reuters/Toby Melville
Increase of Rublev
Rublew, who did not compete in Wimbledon last year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, improved after a mixed first set and finally won comfortably. His next opponent will be determined in the game between David Goffin and Tomas Barrios Vera.
Zverev made a successful comeback at Wimbledon after missing the tournament last year with a serious foot injury. He also put away the days of waiting due to the many rain interruptions. “He was a very tough opponent and the rain was a very tough opponent,” said Zverev, whose match was one of the last first-round matches to end.
Wawrinka wins Djokovic duel
Stan Wawrinka meanwhile played a duel with favorite Novak Djokovic. In the second round duel with Tomas Etcheverry, who was 15 years his junior, the 38-year-old Swiss player had the upper hand 6:3 4:6 6:4 6:2. It was the first time in eight years that Wawrinka has reached the third round of the Grand Slam tournament in London.
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