FRENCHMAN Ugo Humbert has taken out third seed Casper Ruud in the second round of Wimbledon to advance through to the Round of 32 overnight. Ruud, who is best known for his clay court play was always up against it on grass, and the talented Humbert has an all-court game and it shoed during the 3-6 6-2 7-5 6-4 victory.

The match lasted two hours and 36 minutes out on No. 2 Court, with the unseeded Humbert having slipped down the rankings this year, but still remaining a dangerous prospect. Humbert served 10 aces to six and only six double faults to nine, whilst hitting a total of 53 winners. Ruud had a 50 per cent split between his winners and unforced errors at 21 apiece, but Humbert was too strong overall, making the most of his power, to hit Ruud off the court, often coming up to the net and playing 50 more points there to keep the Norwegian moving.

Norrie survives scare on home court

British ninth seed Cameron Norrie came from two sets to one down to get past a gallant Jaume Munar in three hours and 13 minutes. Norrie trailed 6-4 3-6 7-5, before only dropping two games in the final two sets to win 6-0 6-2 and book his spot in the Round of 32. The top ranked Brit hit four more winners (46-42) and four more unforced errors (42-38) in an evenly matched contest, but Norrie’s consistency on serve was key.

The ninth seed won 64 and 62 per cent of his first and second serve points off a 63 per cent clip, compared to Munar’s 63 and 49 off 61 per cent. Norrie broke nine times to five during the match, and critically only served two double faults to seven aces, while Munar had seven and 10 respectively. Both players looked comfortable at the net, with the winner edging his opponent with a 70 per cent success rate compared to Munar’s 55 per cent.

Seeds tumble in Ladies’ singles

There was more than just one upset in the Ladies’ Singles draw, with three of the Top 10 seeds ousted in the Round of 64, two of which were Grand Slam winners. Out on Centre Court, Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia became public enemy number one in London by defeating home court favourite and US Open champion Emma Raducanu. The British top seeded player only hit 12 winners during the match, as Garcia produced 25 in a one-hour and 26-minute victory, 6-3 6-3.

Meanwhile the biggest name to fall was second seed Anett Kontaveit whose recent form in 2022 has wained compared to her remarkable 2021 campaign. This time Kontaveit fell to unseeded German, Jule Niemeier in straight sets, 6-4 6-0. She struggled against the 97th ranked 22-year-old, hitting just seven winners for 24 unforced errors and serving at just 51 per cent. Niemeier did not face a break point in the match, and won a superior 79 and 70 per cent of her first and second serves.

The third big upset was two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza falling to Belgian Greet Minnen in just over an hour. Muguruza hit just nine winners for 33 unforced errors in a forgettable performance, lasting just 61 minutes on court as the 88th ranked Minnen won 6-4 6-0. She also hit 15 winners for 14 unforced errors, wand won 75 per cent of her first serve points off a 68 per cent clip.

OTHER RESULTS

In the Gentlemen’s Singles, there was nowhere to hide for Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, as top seed Novak Djokovic won in straight sets, 6-1 6-4 6-2 in a flat two hours. American John Isner spoiled Andy Murray‘s run in four seeds, while fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz had a significantly easier run than the first round. Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul both advanced in a good day for the Americans, though 15th seed Reilly Opelka fell in four tight sets against recent grass phenomenon, Tim Van Rijthoven.

In the Ladies’ Singles, fifth seed Maria Sakkari and sixth seed Karolina Pliskova advanced through to the second round, as did Grand Slam winners, Angelique Kerber and Jelena Ostapenko. In the clashes between the unseeded players, rising Slovenian talent Kaja Juvan booked her spot in the third round, as did the likes of top eight seeds, Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula, while Harriet Dart will fly the flag for the home nation in the third round.