Novak Djokovic marched effortlessly into his 50th Grand Slam quarter-finals when Ons Jabeur became the first Tunisian player to reach the All England Club round of 16, leading a large number of first-time players to reach the Manic Monday milestone. The number one in the world, Djokovic, chased a sixth Wimbledon and a record-breaking 20th major and made it into the last tournament for the 12th time with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Chilean Cristian Garin Eight. Next he will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, one of many players who finished in the last eight places of the tournament for the first time.
On the list were the top seeded Ashleigh Barty, the second seeded Aryna Sabalenka, Karolina Pliskova, Viktorija Golubic as well as Matteo Berrettini, Denis Shapovalov and Karen Khachanov for the men.
Djokovic is halfway to a calendar grand slam.
Only two men have swept all four majors in the same year, with Rod Laver the last in 1969.
“The confidence is very high after winning the French Open,” said Djokovic.
“Under the circumstances, it was one of my biggest wins – two fives, two fours in the second week.
“They took a lot from me, but they also gave me wings.”
Barty reached the quarter-finals for the first time and defeated the French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic 7: 5, 6: 3.
The 25-year-old Australian is playing against the winner of the match between the unseen compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic and the British teenager Emma Raducanu for a place in the semi-finals.
“It was an incredibly tough game,” said Barty.
“Barbora has had an amazing year and I’m happy to see it through in the end. I found some good things when it was important.”
In her historic campaign, Jabeur reached the quarter-finals for the first time, defeating Poland’s 2020 French Open winner Iga Swiatek 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
The 26-year-old is the first Tunisian to reach the round of 16 and will meet second-placed Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Elena Rybakina 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
“It was a great game and I had to stay calm instead of getting angry when I didn’t finish the first set because being angry wouldn’t have helped my cause,” said Jabeur.
Both Jabeur and Sabalenka have 33 victories in the season’s fastest time in 2021.
13 service breaks
Former world number one Pliskova reached her first Wimbledon quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Russian wildcard Liudmila Samsonova.
Later on Monday, eight-time champion Roger Federer, who takes on Italian Lorenzo Sonego, could become the oldest quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in the Open era.
Federer, just five weeks before his 40th birthday, is in the Wimbledon round of 16 for the 18th time.
Overall, it will be his 69th appearance in the fourth round of a slam.
Berrettini, the seventh seed in the men’s rankings, was only the fifth Italian to finish in the last eight with a quick 6: 4, 6: 3, 6: 1 win over Ilya Ivashka from Belarus.
The master of the Queen’s Club, the first Italian in the quarter-finals since 1998, will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada or the German fourth-placed Alexander Zverev for a place in the semi-finals.
Second seeded Daniil Medvedev, who staged a comeback after two sets for the first time in his career to beat 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic, will meet Hubert Hurkacz, the Polish 14th.
Khachanov also reached a first quarter-finals with a five-set win against Sebastian Korda, who was celebrating his 21st birthday.
The 25 seeded Russian Khachanov triumphed over his American rivals 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 and meets the Canadian 10th seeded Denis Shapovalov.
An 81-minute marathon final set on Court 18 included 13 service breaks before Khachanov solidified himself to victory.
Shapovalov, who knocked two-time champions Andy Murray out of the tournament in the final round, dismissed Spain’s 2019 semi-finalists and eighth seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1, 6-3, 7-5.
The only British player left in the individual draw is 18-year-old Raducanu, who defied her ranking of 338 to reach the second week of facing Tomljanovic.
Raducanu has just graduated from high school and has attracted many new fans, including rock star Liam Gallagher, the former Oasis front man.
“BIBLICAL,” tweeted Gallagher in response to Raducanu’s third-round win over Sorana Cirstea.
The German Angelique Kerber, the only ex-champion left with the women, meets Coco Gauff.
Funded
Gauff, 17, wants to become the youngest woman since Maria Sharapova to reach a Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2004.
Viktorija Golubic, 66th place, defeated Madison Keys 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 when she also made it into the last eight for the first time, where she will face Pliskova.
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