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Djokovic and Alcaraz still on collision course – ARN News Centre
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AFP
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz remained on collision course at Wimbledon with fourth-round victories on Monday while Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur set up a repeat of last year’s final.
Defending champion Djokovic conceded his first set of the tournament as he was briefly thrown off balance by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz on the resumption of their contest.
The 36-year-old, who led by two sets when Wimbledon’s curfew halted his progress on Sunday, quickly recovered to claim a 7-6(6) 7-6(6) 5-7 6-4 victory in his 100th match at the tournament.
World number one and top seed Alcaraz also dropped a set but hit back in sensational fashion to beat Italian former runner-up Matteo Berrettini 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-3.
Alcaraz will face fellow 20-year-old Holger Rune on Wednesday in what will be the youngest Wimbledon men’s quarter-final in the professional era while seven-time champion Djokovic is back in action on Tuesday in his 56th Grand Slam quarter final, against Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev.
Djokovic, bidding for a fifth successive title, took his winning streak at Wimbledon to 32 matches and is now unbeaten on Centre Court for a decade.
But the Serb said he had not enjoyed facing Hurkacz whose thunderous serves left the world’s best returner powerless at times, at one point even knocking him to the floor.
“He put up a great performance,” said a relieved Djokovic, who withstood a barrage of 33 aces from Hurkacz.
“I don’t recall the last time I felt this miserable on returning games to be honest, because of his incredibly accurate and powerful serve.”
Alcaraz came through a significant test against 2021 runner-up Berrettini with flying colours. Italian Berrettini’s serve and sledgehammer forehand briefly stopped the Spaniard in his tracks but Alcaraz took charge.
“I’m hungry for more,” Alcaraz said. “It’s something I really wanted. I came in this year with that goal — get into the quarter-final, I’m wanting more,” he said.
Sixth seed Rune is rivalling Alcaraz in the popularity stakes and he gained more fans as he battled back to eclipse 21st seed Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgarian who was once regarded as a future Grand Slam champion.
Flair player Rune won 3-6 7-6(6) 7-6(4) 6-3 to become the first Dane in 65 years to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
Third seed Daniil Medvedev maintained his steady progress, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time after ailing Czech Jiri Lehecka pulled up with a right foot injury while trailing 6-4 6-2.
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas’s hopes of becoming the first Greek man to reach the quarter-finals were wrecked by American outsider Christopher Eubanks who continued his fairytale debut at the grasscourt slam with a 3-6 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4 6-4 win.
Rybakina enjoyed an easier route into the quarter-finals after her Brazilian opponent Beatriz Haddad Maia retired with a back injury while trailing the third seed 4-1 in the first set.
“It’s never easy to finish a match like this and I hope it’s nothing really serious,” said Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, who will next take on Jabeur who she beat in last year’s final.
“It was really unlucky for Beatriz and I hope she gets better,” added Rybakina.
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Tributes have poured in after the son of former Chelsea star Eddie Newton was found dead alongside his friend following a hike in the UAE, where temperatures soared to 50C.
Cassius Newton, 34, and his friend Aran Martinson, 33, were found by rescuers on July 18 after setting out on a hike in the mountainous Wadi Naqab region.
The pair, from Dorset and Essex respectively, both lived and worked in the UAE. Their bodies were discovered between 3km and 4km from their vehicle.
According to a report, Chelmsford area coroner Michelle Brown said their provisional causes of death included cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Cassius, a non-league footballer, was the son of former Chelsea midfielder and coach Eddie Newton, who spent more than a decade with the club.
His wife was in the UK when she became concerned after Cassius failed to contact her following the hike and reported him missing.
The two men had been living at a luxury resort in Ras Al Khaimah.
Tributes after desert tragedy
Tributes poured in after the deaths.
Aran’s wife described him as “incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious”, saying he had recently begun a new chapter in his career and was excited about the future.
Blackfield & Langley Football Club paid tribute to their former player, saying: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the passing of former player Cassius Newton; our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
National League club Eastleigh, where Cassius had previously played, said it was “deeply saddened” by his death.
Chelsea connection
Cassius’ father Eddie Newton played for Chelsea from 1990 to 2001 and famously scored in the club’s 1997 FA Cup final victory.
The former midfielder also represented Cardiff City, Birmingham City, Oxford United and Barnet.
After retiring as a player, Newton moved into coaching, working as assistant manager at MK Dons and West Brom before returning to Chelsea.
He later served as assistant manager under Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benítez.
(With inputs from BBC, The Sun)
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