Djokovic pumped to win 100th Wimbledon match

LONDON — Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic won his 100th match at Wimbledon and led the march of the old guard into the last 16 on Saturday, while an ailing Barbora Krejcikova's title defense ended in defeat and tears.

World No 1 Jannik Sinner was at his ruthless best yet again, as the Italian gathered momentum in his quest for a maiden All England Club title, while American Ben Shelton and Australian Alex de Minaur announced themselves as dark horses for the crown.

Djokovic is on an altogether different plane as he looks to capture his eighth Wimbledon title — to match Roger Federer's record on the pristine lawns of London — and his 25th major overall to surpass Margaret Court on the all-time list of champions.

The 38-year-old showed exactly why Wimbledon could be his best chance of achieving those elusive targets when the 2023 and 2024 runner-up dismantled Davis Cup teammate Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3,6-0, 6-4 in a little under two hours.

A century of victories put him among elite company, as the sixth seed became only the third player to achieve the feat at the tournament after nine-time women's champion Martina Navratilova and Swiss great Federer.

"Wimbledon is a favorite and a dream tournament for not just myself, but probably the majority of players. Growing up, most of the kids dream of playing here and winning here," Djokovic said.

"I've been blessed to do it multiple times. Any history that I make in my favorite tournament, I'm blessed."

Seven-year-old Tara Djokovic wowed Wimbledon with a victory dance after dad's win on Centre Court.

Djokovic was asked during his on-court interview to shed light on the little dance he's been doing recently.

He said it's done to a song called Pump It Up.

"There's a song with my kids — look, my daughter's doing it right now," a smiling Djokovic said as he looked into the crowd. "You want to show it darling?"

The TV camera then panned to Tara, who then showed everyone how it's done: pump your fists down, then left, right and overhead.

The crowd roared.

"She's the master. It's a little tradition we have right now. Hopefully we can keep going so we can keep pumping more in Wimbledon."

The 34-year-old Bulgarian, Grigor Dimitrov, won his 100th match across the four Grand Slams when he quelled the challenge of Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (0).

Joining him was fellow veteran Marin Cilic, as the Croatian 36-yearold got past spirited Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to book a meeting with Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli, who took apart big-serving Czech teenager Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

While Cobolli may not be relishing a meeting with the tricky Cilic, his compatriot Sinner will welcome the chance to test his metronomic hitting against Dimitrov in what promises to be a classic.

Sublime Sinner

A sublime Sinner booked that clash with a 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 hammering of Pedro Martinez. The top seed, who has lost just 17 games in his first three matches, equaled the professional era record for fewest games dropped along the way to making the Wimbledon fourth round.

"About the games lost, this is whatever," Sinner said, his grounded nature coming into sharp focus.

"I'm not looking at these kinds of records. I know everything can change very quickly from one round to the other."

Indeed, that was the case as, after the unexpected high of last year's title triumph, Krejcikova came crashing down, losing 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to American 10th seed Emma Navarro in a disjointed Court One contest.

The distressed 29-year-old Czech, who has endured her share of injuries this season, was in tears as she prepared to serve to stay in the tournament at 3-5 in the deciding set, before eventually crashing out.

"It was tough, neither of us played our best tennis, she was dealing with some injuries, and I was dealing with whatever I was dealing with," Navarro said, adding that it was difficult to focus when her opponent was struggling.

"It's not easy to be composed. Part of you is saying 'just put a bunch of balls in the court and that's all you need to do'. But then, you trick yourself into not playing the way that you want to play."

Krejcikova's exit, and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina's 7-6 (6), 6-3 defeat to Danish powerhouse Clara Tauson, means that, for the eighth consecutive year, a first-time women's champion will be crowned at the Grand Slam.

Agencies