Related items

• Wimbledon: Djokovic coasts into quarter-finals after crushing Rune

  Novak Djokovic coasted into the Wimbledon quarter-finals after dispatching Holger Rune in straight sets on Monday.

  The 24-time major champion held his serve throughout a dominant Centre Court performance, triumphing 6-3 6-4 6-2 to move into the 60th grand slam quarter-final of his illustrious career.

  Djokovic never looked troubled by his opponent, nor by the knee injury that required surgery last month, en route to setting up a last-eight meeting with ninth seed Alex de Minaur.

  The seven-time Wimbledon champion dropped sets in his previous two victories but Rune's early showing suggested a routine victory from the off, as the Dane committed nine unforced errors in a one-sided first set.

  Serbia's Djokovic latched onto those failures at will, taking just half an hour to seize a 1-0 match lead after breaking Rune's first service game and holding out from then on.

  Rune improved in the second set, yet a cruel drop of service handed a 4-3 advantage to Djokovic, who then relinquished six set-point chances on his opponent's struggling serve.

  A partisan crowd appeared in favour of Rune, celebrating every point won, yet Djokovic needed just one more set point to seal the second before glancing towards the spectators to quieten them down.

  Djokovic repeated the dose in the third – and final – set, breaking Rune's opening serving game, though the 15th seed did squander an opportunity to break when attempting to level midway through.

  That missed chance was once again punished emphatically as Djokovic secured another break in the following game before sealing a convincing victory in just over two hours.

  Data Debrief: Djokovic edging toward Wimbledon history

  Djokovic held a modest 3-3 against top-20 players in 2024 before this clash, though Rune proved no match for the Wimbledon veteran.

  With this victory, Djokovic moved second in the all-time list for most quarter-final appearances at the grass-court major, surpassing Jimmy Connors (14) – only Roger Federer (18) can better the Serbian's 15.

  Djokovic's next aim will be levelling Federer's record eight triumphs at Wimbledon, starting with a last-eight clash against De Minaur.

• Wimbledon: Emotional Svitolina struggled for focus after Russia attacks on homeland Ukraine

  An emotional Elina Svitolina says she struggled to focus during her last-16 win at Wimbledon after Russian attacks killed at least 29 people and hit a children's hospital in her native Ukraine.

  The 29-year-old overcame China's Wang Xinyu to reach the quarter-finals on Monday but was reduced to tears in her on-court interview after the ongoings in her homeland.

  The strike was part of one of the heaviest attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, with Svitolina sporting a black ribbon to pay tribute to her home country.

  "It was a good performance from my side and it's a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people," said Svitolina, who has regularly addressed the impact of the war on Ukraine.

  "It was not easy to focus on the match. Since the morning it was very difficult to read the news and just to go on the court... it's extremely tough.

  "I'm happy I could play today and get a win."

  Wimbledon organisers made a rare exception to relax the tournament's strict all-white rules for Svitolina's fourth-round match, allowing the 2023 semi-finalist to wear the black ribbon on the chest of her white outfit.

  "I feel like it would be understandable after such a big attack on my country," she later added at a press conference.

  Ukraine's largest children's hospital was among the buildings hit in the attack and world number 21 Svitolina will continue to raise awareness of the war.

  "It's [an] incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians. It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything," she continued after her 6-2 6-1 win.

  "I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything.

  "I have to put my head down and show up and do my best, my very best. Every Ukrainian is using their own way to raise awareness, to raise money, to help in every possible way they can."

  Svitolina faces Russia-born Kazakh player Elena Rybakina in the next round of the grass-court major.

• Wimbledon: Fritz fights back to stun Zverev in last-16 thriller

  Taylor Fritz fought from behind to win a five-set thriller against Alexander Zverev on Centre Court, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second time.

  Fritz, who previously made the last eight in 2022, was on the brink of defeat as a typical big-serving display from Zverev saw him take the first two sets.  

  However, the match turned on a fourth-set tie-break dominated by the American, Zverev losing his way as he missed out on a first quarter-final appearance at SW19, losing 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

  The Centre Court crowd had to remain patient for a break in the opening set with both players excellent with ball in hand, Zverev winning 83% of his first-serve points to Fritz's 81%. A powerful backhand ensured it was Zverev who got the breakthrough nine games in.

  Neither player could force a break point in a slog of a second set, which Zverev took in a tie-break, roaring to the crowd as Fritz sliced a backhand wide on set point. 

  But Fritz refused to go away, drawing Zverev to the net far more regularly and finally breaking the German's serve at the 15th attempt. 

  It was a similar story in the fourth as both players served well, but Fritz stepped up in the tie-break, Zverev looking dejected as he fell 6-1 down before slicing a backhand long on set point.  

  The momentum was with Fritz from there as he secured a huge break four games into the decider, holding his nerve from there to tee up a meeting with first-time grand slam quarter-finalist Lorenzo Musetti.

  Earlier on Monday, Alex de Minaur sealed his place in the last eight – where he will face Holger Rune or Novak Djokovic – with a 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over Arthur Fils.

  Ninth seed De Minaur squandered a 4-2 lead in the third set but recovered to take the match in four, his flat groundstrokes proving too much for spirited 20-year-old Fils.

  The Australian suffered a scare as he appeared to hurt his ankle on match point, but he played down fears over his condition after the match. 

  "I will be alright, I will find a way," he said. "I made it a lot harder than I should have but I'm happy to get through."

  Data Debrief: Rare upset for Fritz 

  Fritz showed great character to hold firm in the face of Zverev's big-serving display before launching a rousing comeback in front of a delighted Centre Court crowd.

  He previously held a 1-13 record against top-10 opponents at grand slams, but he has now become the first American to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in a single year since Andy Roddick in 2009.