Top seed Novak Djokovic overcame a dogged challenge from 81st-ranked Korean Kwon Soon-woo and his own grasscourt rustiness to reach the Wimbledon second round with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory on Monday.
The defending champion, bidding for his fourth Wimbledon title in a row, looked out-of-sorts at times against Kwon, who brought a lively mixture of tennis, from booming forehands to delicate drop-shots, onto Centre Court.
The 24-year-old Korean broke Djokovic's serve in the fourth game of the second set and went on to win it with a drop-shot and a big serve.
But the 35-year-old Serb, aiming to win a 21st Grand Slam title, recovered enough of his trademark consistency to see off the challenge.
Djokovic, who played no grasscourt warm-ups before the championships, secured victory with an ace on his first match point and will next meet either Thanasi Kokkinakis or Kamil Majchrzak.
SHOAIB BASHIR has been ruled out of the remainder of England’s Test series against India, less than an hour after taking the final wicket in the third Test at Lord’s on Monday.
The 21-year-old off-spinner sustained a fracture to the little finger on his non-bowling left hand after dropping a return catch from Ravindra Jadeja during India’s first innings. He spent much of the match off the field due to the injury.
Despite the fracture, Bashir returned to the field and dismissed Mohammed Siraj after tea on the final day. Siraj defended the ball, which rolled back onto the stumps, sealing a 22-run win for England.
The win gave England a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. With Bashir now ruled out, the team is expected to bring in a new specialist spinner for the fourth Test at Old Trafford, starting 23 July. Liam Dawson and Jack Leach are among the options being considered.
Bashir has taken 10 wickets in three Tests during this series, with an average of over 54. His place in the team has been under discussion.
England captain Ben Stokes has continued to back Bashir.
“It was great that Bash was able to get that last wicket with everything he had to deal with this week,” Stokes said.
“He’s 21-years-old and he’s got a very badly broken finger. To go out there and bat for us and to be willing to sit there on the bench, waiting for his moment to come on and bowl, I think just proves how much it means to everyone who gets the opportunity to put the shirt on.
“Not even a couple of breaks is going stop anyone getting out there. To finish that game off was written in the stars.
“It’s not good news for Bash, it’s very disappointing for us as a team and for him, but I think the courage that he showed (was outstanding).”
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed Bashir’s injury.
“England spinner Shoaib Bashir has sustained a fracture to his left finger and has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rothesay Test series against India,” the ECB said.
He is scheduled to undergo surgery later this week.
“England will name their squad for the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford in the next couple of days.”
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The match ended when Shoaib Bashir bowled Mohammed Siraj for four.
ENGLAND defeated India by 22 runs on the final day of the third test at Lord’s on Monday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The match ended when Shoaib Bashir bowled Mohammed Siraj for four. Siraj had tried to defend the ball, but it rolled off his bat and hit the stumps, leaving him looking back in disbelief. As England players celebrated, Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 61 and walked off after coming close to pulling off a remarkable win for India.
Earlier in the day, England were in control, reducing India to 112-8 at lunch while defending a target of 193. But Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah added resistance, battling for nearly two hours and taking India close.
Late fight from Jadeja and Bumrah
Jadeja was given out lbw to Chris Woakes, but the decision was overturned on review. He followed it up with a six over mid-wicket, drawing loud cheers from Indian fans. England eventually broke the stand when Bumrah, on five, top-edged a pull shot off Ben Stokes and was caught by substitute fielder Sam Cook.
The crowd reacted with a mix of joy and relief, but Jadeja kept frustrating England. He reached his half-century off 150 balls by edging Stokes over the slips for four.
Siraj stayed in for 30 balls and made four runs while Jadeja farmed the strike. He managed several singles off the fourth ball of each over to retain the strike. Siraj took a blow on the shoulder from a Jofra Archer delivery before he was dismissed.
England dominate morning session
England took four wickets in the morning after India resumed on 58-4. Rishabh Pant hit a one-handed straight drive for four off Archer to move to nine, but Archer hit back two balls later by knocking out his off stump.
Stokes trapped KL Rahul lbw for 39. The umpire initially turned down the appeal, but the decision was overturned on review, leading to loud cheers from the crowd.
Washington Sundar was out for a duck, caught by Archer off his own bowling with a one-handed dive to his right.
Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy then shared a stand of 30 runs, showing solid defence. But just before lunch, Woakes found the edge of Reddy’s bat, giving England a key breakthrough. The team left the field to warm applause from the packed crowd.
The series now stands at 2-1 in England’s favour.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Brydon Carse celebrates dismissing Karun Nair during day four of the 3rd Test between England and India at Lord's Cricket Ground on July 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA were left needing 135 more runs to win with six wickets in hand after a top-order collapse on the fourth day of the third Test against England at Lord’s on Sunday.
Chasing 193 for victory, India ended the day on 58-4 after earlier bowling out England for 192 in their second innings. Washington Sundar was the pick of the bowlers with 4-22, dismissing Joe Root, Jamie Smith and England captain Ben Stokes on an increasingly challenging surface.
Both teams had posted 387 in their first innings.
India’s chase began poorly when Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for a duck, skying a hook off Jofra Archer to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Karun Nair was trapped lbw by Brydon Carse, before Shubman Gill – who already has a double century and two other hundreds in this series – also fell lbw.
In the final over of the day, Ben Stokes dismissed nightwatchman Akash Deep, triggering loud celebrations from the home crowd.
KL Rahul, who had scored exactly 100 in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 33, hitting a few boundaries.
Earlier, Root and Stokes put on 67 for the fifth wicket after England had resumed on 2-0 and slipped to 87-4. Root, who made a century in the first innings, was bowled behind his legs for 40 while attempting a sweep off Sundar.
Smith, who came into the match with scores of 184 not out, 88 and 51 in the series, was bowled for eight by a Sundar delivery that kept low. England were 164-6 at that stage, with Sundar having taken 2-3 in 11 balls.
Stokes showed patience through the second session but was bowled for 33 while attempting a slog off Sundar. England were 181-7 when he walked back, hitting his bat on the ground in frustration.
Jasprit Bumrah then dismissed Carse and Chris Woakes before Sundar ended the innings by bowling Shoaib Bashir.
England’s second innings began with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at the crease on 2-0. Duckett hit a four off Mohammed Siraj but was soon dismissed when he miscued a pull and was caught by Bumrah at mid-on. Siraj celebrated by shouting in Duckett’s face, and the incident, which also included shoulder contact, may draw attention from match referee Richie Richardson.
Crawley and Ollie Pope then negotiated a spell from Bumrah, who had taken 5-74 in England’s first innings after being rested for the previous Test.
Siraj got Pope lbw on review, and England quickly slipped from 42-2 to 50-3. Crawley was caught in the gully by Jaiswal off Nitish Kumar Reddy, playing a drive that edged straight to the fielder.
Reddy appeared to exchange words with Crawley as he walked off, following Saturday’s time-wasting incident.
Harry Brook came in and hit three boundaries off Akash Deep – two scoops and a six over long-off – but was bowled for 23 trying to sweep. Deep had the last word as Brook missed an over-ambitious shot.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Sinner said he was living his 'dream', receiving a loud reaction from the Centre Court crowd. (Photo: Getty Images)
Sinner becomes the first Italian man to win singles at the All England Club
Sinner avenges French Open loss, wins in four sets
Sinner and Alcaraz have now shared the last seven Grand Slam titles
Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title and take revenge for his loss to the Spaniard in the French Open final.
The 23-year-old world number one became the first Italian man to win the singles title at the All England Club and now holds four Grand Slam titles.
Sinner lost the opening set but gained momentum quickly and closed out the match in just over three hours. He had missed three championship points in his French Open final loss five weeks ago, but this time made no mistake.
Sinner said he was living his dream, receiving a loud reaction from the Centre Court crowd.
Sinner thanks Alcaraz, calls win a dream An amazing tournament, but mostly thank you for the player you are, Sinner said, addressing Alcaraz after the match. It's so difficult to play against you, but we have an amazing relationship off the court and on the court... Keep going, keep pushing and you are going to hold this (trophy) many times. You already have two!
Sinner and two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz have now shared the past seven Grand Slam titles between them, with Sinner winning four. Their rivalry is seen as a key one for the post-Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic era.
In the French Open final last month, Sinner had taken a two-set lead and held multiple championship points before Alcaraz came back to win. On Sunday, Sinner said he used that loss as motivation.
We tried to accept the loss and just kept working, he said. This is for sure one of the reasons I am holding this trophy here. I am just so grateful that I am healthy and have great people around me, and holding this trophy means a lot.
Match turns after first set Before the Wimbledon final, Sinner had lost five times in a row to Alcaraz, including the Italian Open final, which was his first tournament after returning from a doping ban. He reversed that run at Wimbledon, preventing Alcaraz, 22, from winning his sixth Grand Slam.
In the final, Alcaraz hit a forehand long to give Sinner the first break of the match. The Spaniard then broke back to level at 4-4 in the opening set. Sinner double-faulted to give Alcaraz a set point, which the world number two converted with a backhand winner.
Sinner broke early in the second set and led 3-1 before a brief stoppage due to a champagne cork on court. He closed out the set with a forehand winner to level the match.
The third set went with serve until 4-4, when Sinner broke as Alcaraz slipped on the baseline. Sinner then took a two-sets-to-one lead. He broke again in the fourth set and served out the match on his second championship point.
Strong campaign, historic result Sinner had a strong start to his Wimbledon campaign, losing just 17 games in his first three rounds — matching an Open era record set in 1972. He advanced through the fourth round after Grigor Dimitrov retired with an injury while leading by two sets. Sinner then beat 10th seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals and defeated seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz was aiming to become only the fifth man in the Open era to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
It is a really well-deserved trophy after an unbelievable two weeks here in London for you, playing great tennis, Alcaraz said to Sinner.
Sinner said the French Open loss helped him prepare emotionally for Sunday’s final.
I would say mostly emotionally because I had a very tough loss in Paris. But it doesn't matter how you win or lose, you just have to understand what you did wrong and try to work on it, Sinner said. This is what we did. This is one of the reasons I'm here holding this trophy.
Trying to become a better tennis player, but mostly a better person ♥️
Reflecting on his career, Sinner added: It’s so special. We were talking before the match. We would never have thought of being in this position back in the days when I was young. It was just a dream. This was so far away from where I am from.
Alcaraz, who had won 24 matches in a row coming into the final, said he had no regrets.
It's difficult to lose but first of all I have to congratulate Jannik. It is a really well-deserved trophy. He was playing great tennis, Alcaraz said.
Really happy to be able to build a really good relationship with him off the court and a great rivalry on the court.
Alcaraz added: Really proud of everything I'm doing. At the beginning of the season I struggled a bit and then suddenly I started to bring joy to the court again. Wimbledon is one of the most beautiful tournaments that we have on tour. I feel at home every time that I come here. It is such a beautiful court. The atmosphere is insane. It's a great journey so far. I just want to keep it going.
A GRIPPING third day of the third Test at Lord’s ended in controversy on Saturday (12) as England opener Zak Crawley was accused of time-wasting, with tempers flaring between players from both sides.
What began as a tense cricketing contest turned into a verbal battle, as England and India pointed fingers at each other over questionable delays late in the day.
With just six minutes left on the clock, India were expecting to bowl two overs after matching England's first-innings total of 387 all out, thanks to a century from KL Rahul and fifties from Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant.
Instead, only one over was bowled as Crawley twice pulled away from his stance and then summoned the physio after a short ball from Jasprit Bumrah brushed his glove. The move, seen by many as deliberate stalling, sparked fury from India’s captain Shubman Gill.
Broadcast microphones picked up Gill swearing in frustration, prompting an apology from Sky Sports. The on-field tension escalated as Crawley and Gill exchanged heated words, with England’s Ben Duckett also stepping in.
The players jabbed fingers and shared angry glances, turning the cricket field into a scene more reminiscent of a football sideline spat.
India struck early on Sunday (13), with Mohammed Siraj removing both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, before Zak Crawley was caught in the gully off Nitish Kumar Reddy. England slipped to 56 for 3.
England bowling coach Tim Southee attempted to deflect the criticism, pointing out India’s own delays earlier in the match. “I’m not sure what they were complaining about when Gill was lying down getting a massage yesterday,” he remarked. “Both sides showed a lot of energy, which made for great drama.”
Crawley’s fitness will be assessed overnight, with Southee offering only a dry, “Hopefully he’ll be alright to carry on tomorrow.”
India’s KL Rahul, who scored his 10th Test century and second at Lord’s, was less than surprised. “Two overs is a no-brainer with six minutes to go,” he said. “But it was a bit of theatrics. Everyone knows what was going on.”
Former England skipper and BBC pundit Michael Vaughan described Crawley's tactics as “as good a piece of time-wasting as I’ve ever seen.” He added, “India can’t complain—Gill was down with a hamstring strain yesterday. But what great drama and what a great day.”
Earlier, Rahul and Pant had built a solid 141-run stand before Pant was run out for 74, undone by a sharp direct hit from Ben Stokes. Rahul followed soon after, caught at slip for exactly 100 off Shoaib Bashir. Bashir, however, left the field with a suspected finger injury shortly after dismissing the centurion.
Jadeja steadied India’s innings with another crucial knock of 72, his third consecutive fifty, while new batter Nitish Kumar Reddy added 30 before being caught behind. A late 50-run partnership with Washington Sundar helped India pull level with England, before Sundar fell for 23.
England’s reply before stumps was brief but eventful. Crawley and Duckett finished the day unbeaten at 2-0, but not before reigniting tensions with Indian players. Shubman Gill mockingly applauded Crawley’s call for a physio, clearly unimpressed by what he saw as gamesmanship.