The big news of the day at Wimbledon was the debut of the Serena Williams and Andy Murray mixed doubles partnership. And surprise, surprise, the two multiple-time Wimbledon champions got off to a winning start.
Speaking of winning, Roger Federer reached a remarkable career milestone with his victory over Lucas Pouille to reach the fourth round.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff is getting a taste of her newfound fame as her Cinderella run continues.
Serena Williams, Andy Murray off to winning start
Score one to “SerAndy!”
Serena Williams and Andy Murray won their first match as mixed doubles partners as they beat Andreas Mies and Alexa Guarachi 6-4, 6-1 on Centre Court.
The two stressed post-match that they are serious about adding more wins in the coming days.
“It worked out well. We’ve never played together, so it’s always a learning curve,” Williams said. “We take it very serious, so that’s why we’re in it.”
“I think toward the end of the match, when you’re kind of in control on the scoreboard, it’s easier to sort of relax and enjoy it,” Murray said. Whereas the first set, we were obviously taking it seriously to win. Had a bunch of chances, didn’t get them.”
The win caps off a busy day for both players. Williams beat Julia Goerges in the third round of the singles tournament, while Murray and partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert lost in men’s doubles.
After struggling against Kaja Juvan in the second round, Williams had easily her most impressive win thus far against Goerges as she didn’t even allow a single break point opportunity. That’s a promising sign ahead of her round-of-16 matchup against Carla Suarez Navarro.
As for SerAndy, they will look to make more Wimbledon 2019 highlights when they play 14th-seeded Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo in the second round.
Federer rolls to record Grand Slam win No. 350
Roger Federer continues to rewrite the record books.
The soon-to-be 38-year-old grabbed a couple of new records following his dominant 7-5 6-2 7-6(4) win over Lucas Pouille to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon.
First of all, he became the first player – man or woman – to win 350 Grand Slam singles matches. He also reached the last 16 of Wimbledon for a record 17th time, breaking his tie with American Jimmy Connors.
Federer understandably got a bit sentimental upon reflecting on his remarkable accomplishment.
“It’s a nice number to achieve and I have enjoyed my time at the slams. They’ve given me some of the most memorable and special moments on a tennis court, so of course it’s nice winning that much.
“I don’t know how many years I have got left but at the moment I am really enjoying myself. I love to move on the grass, it comes very naturally to me so for me to win today was great … it’s been wonderful.”
You can bet Federer won’t be resting on his laurels, though, as he’ll be gunning for win no. 351 against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round.
SBOBET odds currently have Federer as the second favourite behind Novak Djokovic to win the title, and based on his current form, it isn’t a stretch to see him go all the way.
Coco Gauff gets shout-outs from Michelle Obama, Beyonce’s mom
Arguably the biggest story of this year’s Wimbledon thus far has been the amazing Cinderella run of 15-year-old Coco Gauff. The American teenager is through to the fourth round after coming from behind to beat Polona Hercog, 3-6, 7-6(9), 7-5.
She has now reached the point where former First Lady Michelle Obama and Tina Knowles, mother of Beyonce, are posting about her on social media. Unsurprisingly, Gauff was taken aback by those two famous women knowing who she is.
“The most unexpected message I received — well, it wasn’t really a message — Miss Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mom, posted [about] me on Instagram,” the 15-year-old told reporters at Wimbledon on Friday night. “I was, like, screaming.
“I don’t know, I hope Beyonce saw that. I hope she told her daughter about me because I would love to go to a concert.”
And on Obama: “I was super excited. She’s one of my role models, so it was just cool to see that she knows I exist. We don’t talk personally. I don’t have her number or anything. I would like that.”
It’s been quite a ride for the 15-year-old, who went from unknown to the next big thing in a matter of days. But she will need to put aside her newfound fame as she takes on her toughest test to date in No. 7 seed Simona Halep in the fourth round.
The Wimbledon 2019 odds will be decidedly against Gauff, but as she showed in her win over Venus Williams, she is capable of more than capable of springing a surprise.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE TENNIS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
