Duckworth Eliminates Darderi After a Great Battle
The first match of the day on Center Court brought an incredibly tight battle in which Australian tennis player James Duckworth defeated Italian Luciano Darderi 7:5, 7:6(7). The match lasted one hour and 47 minutes. Duckworth relied heavily on his serve, hitting 17 aces and winning an excellent 88% of points behind his first serve. Darderi put up strong resistance, especially in the second set which went to a dramatic tie-break, but the Australian was calmer in crucial moments, converting one of the two break points offered in the match, while dropping his serve only once.
Machac Cruises Past Young Nurlanuly
There was no uncertainty in the second match on Center Court. Experienced Czech Tomas Machac easily dealt with 18-year-old local player Zangar Nurlanuly, who received a main draw wildcard (WC) for this tournament. Machac won 6:0, 6:2 in just one hour and three minutes of play. The difference in quality and experience was obvious from the first point. Machac fired 8 aces and converted an incredible 6 out of 8 break point opportunities. The young Kazakh tried his best and managed to break his opponent’s serve once in the second set, but ultimately won only 30 points in the entire match compared to Machac’s 55.
Mannarino Causes an Upset and Knocks Out Rublev
The third duel brought a huge sensation, as Frenchman Adrian Mannarino eliminated the tournament’s fourth seed, Russian Andrey Rublev, with a score of 6:4, 3:6, 6:3 after two hours and 16 minutes of a grueling battle. This match was statistically highly unusual. Rublev actually won significantly more points in the match (102 to Mannarino’s 92) and hit 13 aces to the Frenchman’s 6, but was defeated. The key was break point conversion and playing under pressure. Mannarino converted 2 out of 9 break point chances, but excelled when he had to defend – saving 5 of the 6 break points he faced, showing incredible mental toughness in the deciding set.
Emotional End for Kukushkin: Tsitsipas Dominant in the Local Legend’s Farewell Match
The fourth match on Center Court brought the most emotions, as it marked the end of local tennis player Mikhail Kukushkin’s professional career. Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas left no room for surprises, securing a convincing straight-sets victory (6:1, 6:2) after just one hour and two minutes of play.
Tsitsipas played a statistically flawless match. He did not offer Kukushkin a single break point opportunity, firing eight aces with an incredible 83% of points won on his first serve (19 of 23) and 82% on his second (14 of 17). With 29 winners and only 14 unforced errors, the seventh seed completely controlled the action on the court, winning a total of 61 points compared to Kukushkin’s 29. Kukushkin fought until the very end, managing to save three match points, but with 20 unforced errors and zero aces, he ultimately had to accept defeat in his final official tournament appearance.
Bellucci Defeats Etcheverry in a Tennis Marathon
Moving over to Court 1 brought the longest and most unpredictable match of this part of the schedule. Italian Mattia Bellucci defeated sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7:6(5), 2:6, 6:4 in an exhausting match lasting two hours and 32 minutes. Just like in the Rublev match, we saw a statistical paradox here too – Etcheverry won 10 points more overall than his opponent (103 to 93), but left the court defeated. Bellucci relied on a strong serve (15 aces) and aggressive net play, where he won 19 out of 21 points. Although the Argentine dominated the second set, the Italian found the right energy in the third, capitalized on a crucial break point, and closed out the match in his favor.
Basilashvili Convincing Against Diaz Acosta
In the final covered match from Court 1, Georgian tennis player Nikoloz Basilashvili confirmed his excellent form from the qualifiers and swiftly defeated Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta 6:2, 6:4. The encounter lasted exactly one hour and seven minutes. Basilashvili was in a perfect attacking mood, firing 14 aces with a 100% break point conversion rate (4 out of 4). Diaz Acosta had no answers for the Georgian’s devastating groundstrokes, who dictated the pace throughout the match and deservedly secured a spot in the next round with 26 winners.
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