Two of the big favorites in the men’s draw are rolling toward a potential showdown
Friday at Wimbledon is in the books. Many of the top seeds are still rolling on through toward the fourth round, but a few are heading home early after stunning third-round upsets.
No. 8 Daniil Medvedev is among them after a shocking straight-set loss to Jan Lennard Struff. Medvedev was up a break in each of the three sets and had a chance to close out the third up 5-2 and serving for set point at 40-15 before an unbelievable meltdown to lose the set and match 5-7.
Other notable losses on Friday include American Tommy Paul who fell to Hubert Hurkacz in four sets, as well as a pair of rising stars in Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar.
Those who did not slip up, however, were No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 7 Novak Djokovic. Sinner ousted American Jenson Brooksby in straight sets while Djokovic needed four to take care of No. 25 Arthur Rinderknech.
On the women’s side, chalk held once more as all top seeds advanced on through, including No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 4 Jessica Pegula and No. 7 Coco Gauff.
CBS Sports was with you throughout the day on Friday with the latest updates and results from both brackets.
Keep it locked here over the next two weeks for our complete coverage of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
Where to watch the 2026 Wimbledon Championships
- Dates: June 29 – July 12, 2026
- Location: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club — London
- TV: ESPN, ABC | Stream: fubo (try for free)
Gentlemen’s singles matches on Friday
1. Jannik Sinner def. Jenson Brooksby — (6-4, 6-3, 6-4)
3. Felix Auger-Aliassime def. Michael Zheng — (7-6, 6-2, 6-1)
7. Novak Djokovic def. 25. Artur Rinderknech — (7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6)
Jan Lennard Struff def. 8. Daniil Medvedev — (7-6, 7-6, 7-5)
Hubert Hurkacz def. 21. Tommy Paul — (4-6, 7-6, 7-5, 6-2)
22. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Marton Fucsovics — (7-6, 6-2, 6-3)
Shintaro Mochizuki def. 23. Rafael Jodar — (1-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4)
Roman Safiullin def. 24. Joao Fonseca — (6-3, 6-3, 6-3)
Ladies’ singles matches on Friday
1. Aryna Sabalenka def. Jelena Ostapenka — (6-4, 6-4)
4. Jessica Pegula def. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro — (6-1, 6-3)
7. Coco Gauff def. Claire Liu — (6-3, 6-7, 6-2)
10. Karolina Muchova def. Mananchaya Sawagkaew (6-2, 7-6)
11. Belinda Bencic def. 19. Anna Kalinskaya — (6-4, 4-6, 7-6)
14. Naomi Osaka def. Daria Kasatkina — (6-1, 6-3)
16. Iva Jovic def. 18. Ekaterina Alexandrova — (6-3, 3-6, 6-4)
Barbora Krejcikova def. Nikola Bartunkova — (6-3, 7-5)
Aryna Sabalenka pushes to fourth round, Coco Gauff advances
Gauff’s into the round of 16 for a fourth time at the All-England Club, where she’ll try and reach the quarterfinals for the first time. Sabalenka plays Naomi Osaka on Sunday, ahead of Gauff’s next match with Belinda Bencic, who ousted Anna Kalinskaya in a third-set tiebreak.
Gauff took control in the third against Liu after losing her composure a bit by the end of the second, the first set loss she has suffered this tournament. Liiu came to the net twice as often as Gauff during the match and by the end of the second set tiebreak, had won 23 of 33 net point opportunities.
Gauff faulted on serve facing set point in the second, this coming after Liu had saved three match points. However, she responded with consistency in the third, breaking Liu in the first game before marching on with a decisive victory.
Gauff’s now 23-7 in her career during three-set matches at majors.
What she does best.
Aryna Sabalenka powers in to the fourth round, defeating Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 – Naomi Osaka awaits next…#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/gWb1OpALyu
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2026
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner leaves no doubt in straights
Now 23-4 all-time at Wimbledon, Sinner takes on Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuk on Sunday in the round of 16. Sinner chose not to play. grass-court warmup tournament heading into the All-England Club, instead choosing to rest after his surprising second-round loss at French Open.
Thus far, Sinner’s well-calculated decision looks flawless for a player on the verge of an opportunity to win his second straight Wimbledon title with a couple more wins.
Novak Djokovic ties Roger Federer with 105th career Wimbledon win
For match point during the fourth-set tiebreaker, Djokovic crashed to the ground while hitting a backhand winner to finish it off after Rinderknech hit the grass while reaching for a forehead near the net. After taking the first two sets, Djokovic labored through the third losing 6-1, an impressive stretch from Rinderknech that featured several aces and forehand precision during a couple breaks.
Rinderknech was on the winning end of a 17-shot rally on serve to knot the fourth set at four before Djokovic’s eventual win. During the multi-hit exchange, Rinderknech saved a pair of drops from Djokovic and returned a lob from the baseline after a full sprint from the net.
Rinderknech held serve at love eight times during the match, not an easy feat against a 24-time grand slam champion. However, Djokovic’s reliability proved too much down the stretch in the first career matchup between the two. The No. 7 seed in the tournament, Djokovic will play Roman Safiullin up next as the 39-year-old continues his quest to win his eighth Wimbledon championship.
Naomi Osaka sets career mark, Jess Pegula advances
Fourth-seeded American Jess Pegula also cruised in the third round, beating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 6-3. Pegula’s Wimbledon breakthrough came in 2023 when she reached the quarterfinals and now has a chance to do the same on Sunday. She’s a threat to any opponent left in the draw when her grass-court game clicks and she has not dropped a set thus far at the All-England Club.
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