Wimbledon: Zverev and Halep fall on another day of shocks
July 7, 2018
German fourth seed Alexander Zverev and women's world number one Simona Halep wilted in soaring heat and crashed out of Wimbledon in the third round on Saturday.
Zverev, playing for the third day in succession, was shocked by world number 138 Ernests Gulbis in a gruelling five-set contest 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.
Despite being widely-tipped to be a Grand Slam threat, it was another letdown for the German whose run to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last month remains his best performance at the majors.
Gulbis, a former world number 10 who famously defeated Roger Federer on his way to the French Open semi-finals in 2014, will be playing in the last 16 at Wimbledon for the first time at the 11th attempt.
The 29-year-old will take on either Australian Nick Kyrgios or Japan's Kei Nishikori for a place in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, two-time champion Rafael Nadal also reached the last 16 for the eighth time, ensuring he keeps his world number one ranking after Wimbledon. The second seed comfortably defeated Australian teenager Alex De Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
Juan Martin del Potro made the last 16 for the first time in five years, beating France's Benoît Paire 6-4, 7-6, 6-3, and Novak Djokovic is also through after a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory against Britain's Kyle Edmund.
Women seeds dropping like flies
French Open champion Halep was also knocked out, losing to Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 as the seeds' carnage continued.
Defeat for Halep means that Karolina Pliskova, at number seven, is the only women's top 10 seed to reach the fourth round.
It's the first time in the Open era that none of the top five women's seeds have made the last 16 of a Slam.
It also further boosted Serena Williams's chances of becoming an eight-time Wimbledon champion.
"I was leading the match, I was up, and I couldn't finish it," Halep said. "It was an unprofessional attitude from me today."
mds (Reuters, AFP, AP)