Bublik closes the day with a marathon win as Zverev, Fritz and Lehecka also advance
Extrait: A 13-11 tie-break, five sets and four hours to close the day: Alexander Bublik (No 10) outlasted Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3 to reach the last 16, where Taylor Fritz awaits – as Alexander Zverev and Jiri Lehecka booked a meeting of their own.
Alexander Bublik, Wimbledon 2026 | © Action Plus / PsNewz
Kazakh 10th seed Alexander Bublik ended a long Saturday at Wimbledon with the most draining win of the day, outlasting American seed No 17 Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round, one of four men to book a place in the last 16 on a day that broke largely along seeded lines.
The match turned on a third-set tie-break of rare length, Bublik edging it 13-11 to move two sets to one ahead before Tiafoe forced a decider. The Kazakh, ranked No 11, had the fresher legs at the last, breaking clear in the fifth to complete a win over four hours that followed an equally arduous route to this point – a five-set defeat of Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis (4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-4) and a win over Frenchman Kyrian Jacquet (6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5)).
The most assured performance of the afternoon belonged to Alexander Zverev, the German second seed and reigning French Open champion, who beat American Marcos Giron 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the second week. Zverev, who has never gone beyond the fourth round here, sensed a shift.
“This year, for some reason, the tournament is kind of just getting started for me,” he said after the match. “What helps me most right now is that I’m playing better – it’s as simple as that. Winning the French Open helps with confidence, and anybody would sign up to come to Wimbledon as the French Open champion.”
Zverev’s reward is a meeting with Czech 13th seed Jiri Lehecka, who edged Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the last 16. Lehecka, ranked No 14, had beaten Slovak Alex Molcan (6-3, 6-2, 6-4) and Australian Alexei Popyrin (6-4, 6-2, 6-4) without dropping a set before Munar took him to four.
American sixth seed Taylor Fritz also came through, edging Italian Lorenzo Sonego 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5) to keep alive a strong grass-court season that has already brought finals at Stuttgart and Halle. Fritz, ranked No 7, now awaits Bublik in the last 16, a meeting of two of the bigger servers left in the draw.
Wimbledon 2026, Men’s singles 1st round results
J. Sinner [1] d. J. Brooksby: 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
S. Mochizuki (Q) d. R. Jodar [23]: 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4
H. Hurkacz d. T. Paul [21]: 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-2
J. Struff d. D. Medvedev [8]: 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 7-5
F. Auger-Aliassime [3] d. M. Zheng (Q): 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-1
A. Davidovich Fokina [22] d. M. Fucsovics: 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-3
R. Safiullin (Q) d. J. Fonseca [24]: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
N. Djokovic [7] d. A. Rinderknech [25]: 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4)
A. De Minaur [5] d. Z. Svajda: 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
F. Cobolli [9] d. K. Khachanov [19]: 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2
G. Dimitrov (W) d. M. Berrettini: 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3
A. Fery (W) d. Z. Bergs: 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(5)
T. Fritz [6] d. L. Sonego: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(5)
A. Bublik [10] d. F. Tiafoe [17]: 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3
J. Lehecka [13] d. J. Munar: 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
A. Zverev [2] d. M. Giron: 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-4
