Murray bids farewell, Kokkinakis comes on top in a two-day epic: Top stories from Wimbledon Day 3 and 4
The interesting bits from Round 2 of The Championships.
The Italian blockbuster delivered as expected.
The all-Italian clash between World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and former top 10 player and Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini lived up to expectations. Both players battled neck and neck for 3 hours and 46 minutes. However, it was Sinner who came out on top after a grueling four sets, winning all of them in tie-breaks to finish the match 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(4).
Grass continues to trouble clay-court specialists.
8th seed Casper Ruud and 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas once again faced early exits from The Championship. On Wednesday, Ruud lost to Italian veteran Fabio Fognini 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-3. The two time Roland Garros finalist faced the Round 2 exit for third consecutive time.
Following day, three time Monte Carlo champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas face exit from Round 2 after being defeated by Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori, 7-6(8), 7-6(12), 3-6, 6-3. Despite an early challenge in the tie-breaks and winning the third set, Tsitsipas' efforts fell short against Ruusuvuori. Tsitsipas has previously crashed out in the first round of Wimbledon three times, and his overall record now stands at 9-6.
Kokkinakis thumped Aliassime in a five-set epic but was forced to retire later.
In an epic Round 1 encounter played over the course of two days, Thanasi Kokkinakis came back from two sets down to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime. After trailing by two sets, Kokkinakis narrowly won the third set tie-break 11-9. In the rain affected match that went across two days. Kokkinakis emerged victorious as he beat the 17th seed 4-5, 5-7, 7-6(9), 6-4, 6-4 over the course of four and a half hours.
However, this marathon battle did not help Kokkinakis as he was unable to fully recover for his Round 2 match. The Aussie retired during the third set against Lucas Pouille after winning the first set 6-2 but losing the second 7-5 and trailing 5-2 in the third.
End of an era: Andy Murray honored at Center Court
After withdrawing from his singles match, local hero Andy Murray returned to Center Court for the Men's Doubles encounter alongside his brother Jamie Murray for the last dance. The Murray brothers were defeated by the Australian pairing of Peers and Hijkata 7-6(6), 6-4. Following the match, Andy Murray was honored at Center Court with a tribute video featuring a message from his longtime rivals Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, as well as his close friend on the tour Venus Williams and best moments from his career. The video was followed by a huge round of applause and Murray's interview. Tennis greats like John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, and Novak Djokovic among others were present on the court for this occasion.
Murray will be back later this week to play Mixed Doubles alongside young British ace Emma Raducanu. The Scotsman has announced he'll be retiring from the sport later this year.