'Big win deserves big celebration': Alcaraz's cheeky act after five-set ...

Carlos Alcaraz cheekily copied England Euro 2024 star Jude Bellingham’s trademark goal celebration on Friday as he soaked up the adulation on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

The defending champion came through a tough five-setter against close friend Frances Tiafoe to reach the fourth round, where he will face America’s Brandon Nakashima or 16th seed Ugo Humbert of France.

TOPSHOT - Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates mimic Jude Bellingham’s celebration after winning a five-set thriller at Wimbledon.Source: AFPWho did it better?Source: AFP

After the match he spread his arms wide as he walked around Centre Court, in homage to the England midfielder, who plays for his beloved Real Madrid.

Alcaraz, 21, said he had “huge respect” for Bellingham, who scored a spectacular overhead winner for England on Sunday against Slovakia in the last 16 in Germany.

The world number three also copied the footballer’s celebration on court at last year’s US Open, posting a picture on X captioned “Hey, Jude”.

“We’re in London,” he said on Friday. “He is England. So that’s why. I told him that the big win deserves a big celebration.” He was speaking just after Spain beat Germany 2-1 to progress to the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

Sinner romps into Wimbledon last 16

Top seed Jannik Sinner dropped just seven games as he crushed Miomir Kecmanovic to reach the Wimbledon fourth round on Friday.

The Italian, who was given a workout by compatriot Matteo Berrettini in the second round, had no such problems against the Serbian world number 52, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

The Australian Open champion, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, faced just a single break point in the evening match on Centre Court, which lasted only 96 minutes.

“It feels great to be back here,” said Sinner. “It’s a very, very special place, if not the most special place to play tennis and I love the atmosphere here so this all combined makes me very happy.” He said it was important to make friends with the grass.

“Be very kind to the grass and something positive will happen,” he added. “In the beginning, I was struggling a lot but every year I feel like I am improving so let’s see what I can do this year but being happy on the court is the most important.” Sinner will face either Canada’s Denis Shapovalov or US 14th seed Ben Shelton for a place in the quarter-finals.

Gauff overpowers qualifier to reach Wimbledon fourth round

Coco Gauff swept into the Wimbledon fourth round on Friday, seeing off the challenge of British qualifier Sonay Kartal 6-4, 6-0 with a minimum of fuss.

The US Open champion, who has made at least the semi-finals of the past three Grand Slams, broke five times in the match to equal her best run at the All England Club.

The American world number two did not have it all her own way in the first set against the world 298.

But ultimately she had too much in her locker for her unknown opponent, firing 16 winners to Kartal’s six and racing through the second set without dropping a game in 22 minutes.

“This is my first time playing a British player here so I was little nervous because I knew you’d be for her, which is understandable,” said Gauff.

“Being an American I know how it feels when I’m at the US Open. When I play at home it gives me an edge. Thankfully you guys (the crowd) were pretty nice to me so that helped.” Gauff, 20, made her career breakthrough at Wimbledon as a qualifier in 2019, reaching the fourth round, and made the same stage in 2021.

She faces compatriot Emma Navarro in the last 16.

Epic scenes as tennis golden girl seals return

Emma Raducanu reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time since her 2021 US Open triumph when she defeated world number nine Maria Sakkari at Wimbledon on Friday.

The 21-year-old British star defeated her Greek opponent 6-2, 6-3 for only her second win over a top-10 player.

She will now fancy her chances of making the quarter-finals when she tackles New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun, the world number 123, in the fourth round.

Raducanu, ranked at 135 and playing on a wildcard after struggling with a series of injuries, had defeated Sakkari in the semi-finals on her way to her history-making US Open breakthrough almost three years ago.

On Friday, she was in control from the start under the roof of Centre Court with a break in the first game.

She broke serve again in the seventh on her way to pocketing the opener, having saved all five break points she had faced.

Backed by an expectant home crowd, Raducanu carved out a crucial break for a 2-1 lead in the second set and eventually sealed the tie on a third match point.

Raducanu had arrived at the All England Club after making her first semi-final of the year at Nottingham last month.

She then saved a match point to beat Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne for her first win against a top 10 player

Who said what

Who said what at Wimbledon on Friday, the fifth day of the 2024 tournament:

“Just ultimate respect. Him just saying, ‘It’s good to see you play like that.’ Me just saying, ‘I can’t stand you!’” -- Frances Tiafoe jokes about what he said to Carlos Alcaraz at the net at the end of his five-set loss

“I didn’t ask because Wimbledon is Wimbledon. But I was really happy when I saw that I was playing first match.” -- Alcaraz on being able to catch the late action of Spain’s Euro 2024 win over Germany once his Centre Court duties were complete

“The first one he hit was actually a gem. He hit it so well. I think it probably bounced three times before I even got up there.” -- Tommy Paul on Alexander Bublik hitting underarm serves during their third-round clash

“I don’t know where that started, to be honest. Every time I’ve seen him for the past three years, we always do this. We don’t even shake hands. We just touch pinkies.” -- Paul and Bublik employ a different take on the post-match handshake

“Practically more sheep and deer than people.” -- New Zealand’s Lulu Sun on her small home town of Te Anau

“It’s strange. When I was watching the girls that were winning Slams, making finals, I felt like they were so far from me.” -- Jasmine Paolini, the first Italian woman to make the last 16 at each of the first three Grand Slams of the same year

“I like to have a good relationship. I think tennis in its more original form is a game of good sportsmanship and of camaraderie. We’re putting positive energy out into the world instead of negative energy.” -- Emma Navarro preferring to have cordial links with rivals rather bitter rivalries

“At the bottom of my heart, I wasn’t accepting it. I was, like, ‘I’m going to continue no matter what.’ Of course, there are some moments that there’s pain, and you don’t really know what to do and you a feel a little bit lost. But I didn’t care.” -- Paula Badosa, who suffered a tournament-ending back injury at Wimbledon in 2023, which kept her off the tour for the rest of the year

“This is my first time playing a British player here so I was little nervous because I knew you’d be for her, which is understandable. Thankfully you guys were pretty nice to me so that helped.” -- Coco Gauff to the Court One crowd after defeating home player Sonay Kartal

“Oh, don’t open that door. Next question, please.” -- Grigor Dimitrov, now 33, on how he used to spend his evenings in London in his younger yearsafp