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Jul 4, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates winning his match against Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany on day five at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Jul 4, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates winning his match against Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany on day five at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Day five of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships witnessed some blockbuster Round of 32 action, and it did not disappoint one bit. Some of the world’s best players – including Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Madison Keys, Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz stepped foot on the historic grass courts at All England Club to bid for a spot in the pre-quarterfinals. Additionally, several other British stars featured too.
Carlos Alcaraz Shrugs Off Jitters to Win, Aryna Sabalenka Overpowers Emma Raducanu
Defending Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the 2025 Wimbledon Round-4, but not without some obstacles. The World No. 2 faced a stern test from Germany’s serve and volley machine Jan-Lennard Struff. After cruising in the opener, Alcaraz made life difficult for himself by falling prey to Struff’s powerful serve + forehand. However, the Spaniard refocused and used some acute angles alongside deft touches to win 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Taking centre stage after ‘Carlitos’ was World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. She took on former US Open champ and home favourite Emma Raducanu in Friday’s marquee contest. The Briton raced ahead in the opener, targeting the Sabalenka forehand that was producing numerous unforced errors. As the set progressed, the Belarusian went on to struggle on the backhand wing. Yet, she dragged the set to a tiebreak and silenced the home fans.
In the second set, Raducanu adopted a more aggressive approach. Rather than playing counterpunch tennis, she took the initiative in rallies. With an increased attack rate of 27% from 23%, the 22-year-old consolidated an early break for 4-1. Despite having an opportunity for a double break, she allowed Sabalenka back into the match. The top seed also began to find her range more frequently, and paired her power with some drops to Raducanu’s backhand.
In the 10th game of the second set, Aryna Sabalenka held serve and concluded the match with a convincing 7-6(6) 6-4 victory.
Double Delight for British Fans as Cam Norrie and Sonay Kartal Progress
Days after knocking No. 20 seed Jelena Ostapenko out of All England, Britain’s very own Sonay Kartal stormed into the Wimbledon pre-quarterfinals with a straightforward thrashing of Diane Parry in two sets. The 23-year-old was ranked just within the Top-300 before last year’s event, and is now on the cusp of Top-50. She will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next – who defeated Naomi Osaka in three sets.
On the men’s side of the draw, 29-year-old Cameron Norrie showed flashes of his former Wimbledon self by beating Mattia Bellucci in straight sets. The match had plenty of cross-court exchanges and flat attacks, but the Brit held his nerve when it mattered most. Courtesy a comfortable 7-6(5) 6-4 6-3 victory, Norrie will play his fifth Grand Slam Round of 16 on Sunday.
Cameron Norrie is here to stay 👇
It's a straight set victory for the Brit as he defeats Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 to move into the fourth round 🇬🇧#Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/7gMn7c7Azr
Naomi Osaka Crashes Out, Amanda Anisimova Sneaks Through
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka bowed out in Round-3 of the Championships for the third time in her career, falling to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in three sets. The Japanese star grabbed the opener, before falling to a flurry of groundstroke attacks by the Russian. Osaka struggled with her ball toss, and made far too many errors on important points to hand Pavlyuchenkova a 3-6 6-4 6-4 win.
On Court-3, former Roland Garros semifinalist Amanda Anisimova edged past the unseeded Dalma Galfi 6-3 5-7 6-3. The 23-year-old, carrying the American title hopes on her shoulders, struck 8 double faults en route to a scrappy win. She will proceed to face Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic in the Round of 16.
Solana Sierra Shoulders South American Hopes as Joao Fonseca Tastes Defeat
One of the most unexpected names to emerge from the Ladies’ Singles draw, 21-year-old Argentine Solana Sierra beat Cristina Bucsa 7-5 1-6 6-1 to advance into the next round. In the process, she became the first female lucky loser to reach the Round of 16 at Wimbledon in the Open Era. The World No. 101 is also the first woman from Argentina to enter this stage at the Championships in over 20 years. Her next opponent will be Laura Siegemund of Germany.
Elsewhere on Court-2, Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca dropped out of the competition after failing to overhaul Chilean powerhouse Nicolas Jarry. The 18-year-old struggled to get a consistent read on the Jarry serve throughout the clash. While he did manage to hang in and eke out one set, the task was too monumental for the inexperienced talent. Jarry pulled off a 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6(4) win.
Mixed Bag for Seeded Players on Friday
While some of the seeds progressed as per expectations, there were more casualties – particularly in the women’s singles. Sixth seed and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys saw her Wimbledon dream crumbling in front of her eyes. The American had a disastrous outing on serve, winning merely 7% points on her second serve. Her backhand didn’t click either, resulting in a 3-6 3-6 defeat at the hands of Laura Siegemund.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys is OUT at #Wimbledon R3 to Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3.
An super flat performance from Madi. Never looked into this match. Another top 10 loses.
14th seed Elina Svitolina was not too far behind – the Ukrainian bowed out against fellow seed Elise Mertens. The Belgian, known for her impressive baseline game, executed her game plan with immaculate efficiency to deny her veteran opponent a Round of 16 spot. She will face World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round.
Coming to the Gentlemen’s Singles, Ben Shelton required just over a minute to close out his Round-2 encounter which was halted last night. His fellow American Taylor Fritz also overcame late hiccups to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in four sets. Meanwhile, the Russian duo of Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov also featured in their attempt to seal a position in the second week at South-West London. While the 14th seeded Rublev made light work of Adrian Mannarino, Khachanov pipped Nuno Borges in five sets.
A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.
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