New Delhi: Novak Djokovic’s path at Wimbledon has become a little less complicated after Joao Fonseca suffered a surprise third-round defeat to Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin.
Fonseca had been tipped as a potential fourth-round opponent for the Serbian after impressing during the French Open, where he defeated Djokovic in a memorable five-set contest. However, the Brazilian teenager’s Wimbledon campaign came to an unexpected end as Safiullin produced a dominant performance to win 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Djokovic was due to face Arthur Rinderknech in his third-round match and will now avoid another early showdown with the rising Brazilian if he progresses to the last 16.
Safiullin continues impressive Wimbledon run
Safiullin has been one of the surprise performers at this year’s Championships. The World No. 132 battled through qualifying before defeating 12th seed Andrey Rublev and Botic van de Zandschulp in two five-set thrillers to reach the third round.
The Russian delivered one of his best displays of the tournament against Fonseca, needing just over two hours to seal a straight-sets victory, ending Fonseca’s hopes of reaching the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time.
The Brazilian had arrived in London full of confidence after reaching the French Open quarter-finals, his best Grand Slam result so far. He also began his Wimbledon campaign with comfortable wins over Roberto Bautista Agut and Jesper de Jong, but Safiullin proved too strong on the day.
Dimitrov reflects on emotional return
Elsewhere, Grigor Dimitrov continued his impressive comeback by defeating Czech 15th seed Jakub Mensik 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to book his place in the third round.
The victory carried extra meaning for the Bulgarian, who was forced to retire injured at Wimbledon last year during his match against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. As the roof closed during this year’s contest, Dimitrov admitted the memories briefly returned.
“I looked up four or five times, hoping that I was going to finish the match before they decided to close the roof,” Dimitrov said. He added, “It was almost like deja vu, but all you can do is smile. What happened in the past stays there and I have to embrace what comes next, whether it is good or bad.”
After the win, the 35-year-old became emotional while thanking the Wimbledon crowd for their support. “This week has been the best week in the past 12 months, without a doubt,” Dimitrov said, reflecting on his difficult recovery from injury.
While Djokovic moves a step closer to another Grand Slam title, Dimitrov’s return to form has become one of the most inspiring stories of this year’s Wimbledon.