LONDON : Novak Djokovic continued his remarkable Wimbledon journey by matching Roger Federer’s record of 105 match wins at the All England Club, while defending champion Jannik Sinner produced his most convincing performance yet to reach the fourth round.
The 39-year-old Djokovic, chasing a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title and an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam crown, defeated France’s Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) in another commanding Centre Court display.
World number one Sinner, who could face Djokovic in the semifinals, also looked increasingly comfortable on grass, defeating American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime quietly advanced with a 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-1 victory over Michael Zheng and will next face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive run with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko to book a blockbuster fourth-round clash against Naomi Osaka.
Osaka reached the last 16 for the first time after comfortably defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3.
Coco Gauff also progressed, overcoming fellow American Claire Liu 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 despite letting match points slip in the second set.
American teenager Iva Jovic impressed again by defeating Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Meanwhile, two highly rated 19-year-olds exited the men’s tournament. Brazil’s Joao Fonseca was beaten 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 by Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, while Spain’s Rafael Jodar lost 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 to Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki.
Djokovic equals Federer
Djokovic’s victory drew him level with Federer on 105 Wimbledon match wins and matched the Swiss legend’s record of 18 appearances in the fourth round.
“I propose a match-up between me and Roger for 106,” Djokovic joked during his on-court interview after celebrating with a playful dance for his daughter Tara.
“Let’s just stop it here and call Roger to come.”
The Serbian controlled the opening two sets with his trademark precision and athleticism before Rinderknech mounted a spirited comeback by taking the third set. Djokovic, however, recovered in time to dominate the fourth-set tiebreak and seal another milestone victory.
He will next face Safiullin, with a chance to move ahead of Federer on the all-time Wimbledon wins list.
Sinner finding his rhythm
After surviving a difficult opening-round test, Sinner has steadily improved and looked in complete control against Brooksby.
“Trying to move better. Return today was a little bit better,” Sinner said.
“So all things considered, today was a small step forward.”
The Italian next meets world number 151 Shintaro Mochizuki and cannot face another seeded opponent before the semifinals.
Sabalenka sets up Osaka showdown
Sabalenka maintained her perfect record without dropping a set, overcoming Ostapenko in straight sets despite expecting a much tougher contest.
“She is really dangerous. Last match I played against her, I couldn’t do anything, she just smashed me off the court,” Sabalenka said.
“The plan is to get better every day. A little better level every time I am competing on this beautiful grass.”
She now faces four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in one of the standout matches of the fourth round.
“I’m ready to fight and do whatever it takes to get through,” Sabalenka added.
Elsewhere, fourth seed Jessica Pegula defeated Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, 11th seed Belinda Bencic edged Anna Kalinskaya in a deciding-set tiebreak, and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova advanced with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Nikola Bartunkova to set up an all-Czech meeting with Karolina Muchova.
