Wimbledon 2023 results: Liam Broady beats Casper Ruud, Katie Boulter sets up Rybakina match
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Highlights as GB's Broady stuns Ruud in five-set thriller
Wimbledon 2023 on the BBC |
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Venue: All England Club Dates: 3-16 July |
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. More coverage details here. |
British number five Liam Broady caused arguably the biggest shock at this year's Wimbledon with a remarkable five-set win over Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud on a frenzied Centre Court.
Katie Boulter, Britain's top-ranked woman, also reached the last 32 as she continues to thrive in the spotlight.
Broady, 29, danced with delight after sealing a 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-0 victory.
His second-round victory came shortly after Boulter beat Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova 6-0 3-6 6-3 in her match.
Fellow Briton Jan Choinski lost 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to Polish 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz earlier on Thursday.
Later, British former world number one Andy Murray plays Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster final match on Centre Court.
Broady told mum to 'chill out' - and remains calm himself
When Broady last played on Centre Court in 2016, he was beaten by eventual champion Murray in what he described as a "slapping".
This occasion on the iconic Wimbledon show court could not have been a more different experience for the world number 142 - or a more different outcome.
In an entertaining post-match interview, Broady joked he told his mum - who he said is usually a nervous watcher - to "chill out" because he had already won £85,000 this week by reaching the second round.
But the manner in which he fought back to seal a memorable victory - staying composed and being clinical - suggested he had also heeded his own advice.
Left-hander Broady looked in trouble when he fell two-sets-to-one down against Ruud, but produced a stirring fightback - combining grit and guile - to stun an opponent who has played in three of the past five Grand Slam finals.
Broady broke at the start of the fourth set to renew his hopes - and those of the home crowd - nervelessly negotiating the rest of his service games to level the match and force a decider.
Ruud has lost in the past two French Open finals, as well as the US Open showpiece last year, but has never got to grips with the grass courts.
Last year he famously joked the surface was only suitable for golf and Broady, further growing in confidence, made him feel even more uncomfortable.
The Briton, who also reached the third round at the All England Club last year, moved a double break ahead in the fifth set as Ruud's body language became increasingly negative.
Broady rattled off 11 points in a row - holding to love and then breaking for a third time in the set - to leave him on the verge of his first career win over a top-10 opponent in front of a boisterous crowd.
A colourful character who often gets animated on court, Broady knew this was the time where he needed to maintain his focus and produced a composed hold sealed with a crisp forehand winner down the line.
Broady cupped his ears in celebration as the 15,000 home fans erupted, asking them for even more noise when he skipped back into the middle to absorb the plaudits on the greatest day of his career.
In the third round he will face Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov.
Boulter leads the British charge
Wimbledon 2023: GB's number one Katie Boulter beats Viktoriya Tomova
Boulter, 26, was the first home player through to the third round, roaring with delight and breaking out into a beaming smile when she took her third match point against 99th-ranked Tomova.
The celebration showed her delight at reaching the third round for the second successive year and relief at eventually getting over the line following a tense service game.
Boulter is the only British woman left in the singles draw and will play defending champion Elena Rybakina next.
"It definitely wasn't easy out there but I kept backing myself and telling myself to go for it. It paid off," said Boulter, who hit 37 winners against Tomova and converted five of 15 break points.
"She is a top player and I expected her to come back with an even better game. She definitely did and made me play more balls.
"I tried to be as aggressive as possible and managed to do that at the start of the third set."
In front of a buoyant crowd on court 12, Boulter enjoyed another memorable day in a British grass-court season in which she has climbed back into the world's top 100.
Now ranked 89th, she is the leading home hope in the women's singles, having replaced Emma Raducanu - who is missing the event after wrist and ankle surgeries - as British number one.
Success in Nottingham, where she won her first WTA title, meant Boulter came into Wimbledon full of confidence that she could produce another strong showing on the biggest stage of all.
Thriving under the spotlight, she has matched last year's run to the third round.
Whether Boulter can go even further remains to be seen, and Rybakina will be a considerable step up in class on the other side of the net.
"I think I'm playing really well. I've played a lot of matches on the grass. I feel very comfortable," Boulter added.
"A lot of it is my self-belief. A lot of matches recently I've really drawn from it to help me get over the line. I definitely did that again."
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