Wimbledon: On a perfect Thursday afternoon for the British duo, Liam Broady and Katie Boulter both advanced to the third round of Wimbledon.
Broady outlasted the world’s number four. Casper Ruud won in five sets, 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-0, to earn a match against Denis Shapovalov.
Earlier, Boulter advanced to the third round for the second year in a row with a three-set triumph and will have nothing to lose when she faces reigning champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday, most likely on Centre Court.
Broady had to dig deep to come back from two sets to one down, but he secured a brilliant 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-0 triumph in three hours and 27 minutes, supported by a lively Centre Court crowd.
“I would have preferred to play him at home, but Centre Court at Wimbledon will suffice,” Broady remarked.
“I was thinking about what I would say if I won when I went to bed last night, and now I don’t know what to say!
“It was a pretty terrifying, exhilarating experience coming out on Centre Court at Wimbledon,” she says, “but it’s been my dream since I was five years old.”
“I told my mother this morning that she doesn’t like watching, but I’ve already won £80,000 this week, so she can relax.”
Ruud had reached the finals of Roland Garros and the US Open in the previous 12 months, but he had no answer for Broady’s combination of flamboyance and resilience, with this victory advancing the world No 142 to the third round for the second year in a row.
A wristy forehand winner on the second point of the match showed his intentions, and despite going down early, the wild card came storming back, with his backhand and flat-hitting creating all sorts of difficulties for Ruud, who finished second at the French Open last month.
Four games in a row put Broady in command, and he claimed the opening in 46 minutes in front of a raucous home crowd before the three-time Grand Slam finalist equalised on his Wimbledon debut.
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