LONDON (Reuters) – Sixth seed Holger Rune overcame Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-6(10-8) in a gruelling battle of attrition on Saturday to advance to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time in his career.
With absolutely nothing to separate the pair after nearly four hours out on Court Three, the match came down to a final-set tiebreak where it was the more experienced Davidovich Fokina who cracked under pressure.
With the tiebreak level at 8-8, Davidovich Fokina attempted an underhand serve which saw Rune’s eyes light up before he smashed a vicious winner past the Spaniard to set up match point.
The Dane then prevailed in the roller coaster encounter when Davidovich Fokina found the net on the final point as an exhausted but ecstatic Rune lay flat on his back on the grass, soaking in the applause.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
