Denmark's 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 Wimbledon fourth round after the Spaniard gift-wrapped match point with an underarm serve.
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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 audacious underarm serve that did not come off while Rune's eyes lit up before the 20-year-old smashed a vicious winner past the Spaniard to set up match point.
8-8 in the tiebreaker.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2023
Who expected Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to do an underarm serve? ??#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/2ki8QOqkXz
Rune, who saved two match points in the final set, then prevailed in the roller coaster encounter when Davidovich Fokina found the net on match point as the exhausted but ecstatic Dane lay flat on his back on the grass, soaking in the applause.
"I was not expecting for sure that was going to come. Actually it was nice, because he was serving unbelievable," sixth seed Rune said of the underarm serve.
"But again, I was not expecting it, so I had to be fast with my feet. But wow, what a match! It was unbelievable. It's one of the most fun matches I've ever played."
"It was nice because he was serving unbelievable!"@HolgerRune2003 was surprised by Fokina's fifth set tiebreaker underarm serve...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/67NffrJLco
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2023
Davidovich Fokina had looked solid on serve while Rune looked out of sorts on grass, often making the wrong decision to attack the net while he also slipped awkwardly at one stage and fell over while losing a point.
The Dane got up and dusted himself off before showcasing some intelligent tennis to lure the Spaniard into tough positions across the court to break him in consecutive service games.
But Davidovich Fokina, no stranger to grass having won the boys' Wimbledon title, quickly recovered, giving Rune a proper workout by sending him to all corners of the court.
An acrobatic dive at the net from Davidovich Fokina to win a point drew loud cheers to lift his spirits while he looked relaxed when he joined the fans in a Mexican wave from his seat when rain briefly stopped play.
His hustle and athleticism on court constantly drew gasps from the crowd as he chased down balls which Rune thought were sure-shot points, only to see winners whiz right past him.
But Rune consolidated an early break in the fourth and soon got the crowd rooting for him too with his own antics, levelling the match at two sets apiece to force a decider.
A heated argument with the umpire over a line call threatened to derail Davidovich Fokina's focus while Rune's serve came to his rescue when he saved two match points to level it at 5-5 before forcing a decider with his 19th ace.
Rune was 8-5 down in the tiebreak but his tenacity shone through to win five points in a row to advance to the fourth round for the first time.
What a five-set thriller!@HolgerRune2003 comes through a rollercoaster contest against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina... and look at the relief on his face!#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/XglYkkF25a
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2023