Wimbledon Round of 16: Struff Faces Hurkacz, Sabalenka Faces Osaka

Drawing particular attention is Jan-Lennard Struff's first Wimbledon round of 16. The 36-year-old from Warstein is in the last 16 of the grass-court classic for the first time in his career. By his own account, he does not want to know about his prize money for reaching the round of 16 and "forbids" Wimbledon reporter Ina Kast from enlightening him. Struff's opponent Hubert Hurkacz is well known to him: the two have met four times so far, each winning twice. The match is scheduled for approximately 4:00 p.m.

In the women's draw, Aryna Sabalenka is among those in the round of 16. The 28-year-old from Belarus defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 in the third round to advance to the round of 16. One thing is already certain: Aryna Sabalenka will remain world number one after the tournament. She is hoping for her first Wimbledon title.

Sabalenka on Course for the Title

In the men's draw, Alexander Zverev faces Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16. Zverev had previously defeated Marcos Giron of the United States 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in the third round, wrapping up the match in 2 hours and 34 minutes.

Big Names Fall Early

The women's third-round matches on Saturday produced upsets. Amanda Anisimova (world number 6), Jelena Ostapenko, defending champion Iga Swiatek (3), and world number two Elena Rybakina were among several top-ten players to be eliminated. Swiatek, who won Wimbledon last year, fell to the surprisingly strong Alexandra Eala 6-7 (9-11), 2-6. Anisimova lost to Madison Keys (world number 22) 6-3, 2-6, 3-6, becoming the fourth top-ten player to bow out early. Mirra Andreeva (5) had already been eliminated in the second round.

Elise Mertens (world number 27) also impressed, knocking Rybakina out of the tournament 6-7 (4-7), 1-6. In the men's draw, 35-year-old Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who entered on a wild card, came through in five sets against Matteo Berrettini to reach the Wimbledon round of 16 for the sixth time in his career. Dimitrov now faces Britain's Arthur Fery, who is also in the main draw thanks to a wild card.

Taylor Fritz defeated Lorenzo Sonego 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Fritz praised the tiebreak afterward: "Der Tiebreak war unglaublich. Er hat nur einen einzigen Fehler gemacht." Lorenzo Sonego is described in the article as world number seven, which contradicts the usual world rankings.

The doubles competitions also made headlines. Serena Williams had announced via Instagram that her planned doubles comeback alongside her sister Venus Williams could not take place because her knee was not yet match-fit after her singles match on Tuesday: "Ich habe alles getan, um bereit zu sein, aber leider ist mein Knie einfach noch nicht wettkampfbereit." Kevin Krawietz and Venus Williams lost in the first round of the doubles event to Lloyd Glasspool and Tereza Mihalikova 4-6, 4-6.

Comebacks and Withdrawals in Doubles

Another interesting development in American women's tennis concerns Iva Jovic, who is poised to become the new number one among American women, replacing Jessica Pegula.

The live coverage from Wimbledon follows the action on the courts with point-by-point updates, analysis, and reactions from the players.

Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, it remains to be seen whether the seeded players can confirm their status or whether the third-round upsets will continue into the round of 16. One thing is already certain: Aryna Sabalenka will remain world number one after Wimbledon.