It took nearly 3 1\/2 hours against a qualifier ranked No. 132 in the world, but seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic prevailed Sunday for his 106th match victory, eclipsing Roger Federer for the No. 1 spot on the men\u2019s all-time list at the All England Club.<\/p>\n
Pursuing Federer\u2019s record of eight Wimbledon titles, the Serbian legend is just three wins away after outlasting Russia\u2019s Roman Safiullin 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Martina Navratilova holds the overall Wimbledon record with 120 match wins.<\/p>\n
Djokovic, who saved two set two points in the first set while trailing 5-2, reached his 17th Wimbledon quarterfinal, one shy of Federer\u2019s record.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old former World No. 1 was also warned for a Serbian obscenity when Safiullin broke his serve in the third set, and apologized for his behavior in his post-match interview.<\/p>\n
“Survive to thrive, that’s how I feel,” Djokovic said on Center Court. “So hopefully the thriving part is coming.”<\/p>\n
The sun and wind apparently gave Djokovic problems, but he was able to rally from 5-2 in the opening set to force a tiebreaker and win on his third set point. He was warned by the umpire in the third set after going down 2-0, then was booed after hitting the ball away after dropping the set.<\/p>\n
In the fourth set, Djokovic rebounded to take a 3-0 lead, then served out the match at love.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother hard-fought win,\u201d he said. \u201cRoman started very well. Roman started very well, very aggressively. I didn\u2019t feel so comfortable from the back of the court. I knew it was going to be a challenge staying in the rallies with him. He\u2019s a very solid player\u2026 He should be proud of the performance today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Djokovic will next play third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated No. 22 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a five-set thriller 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1 that lasted nearly 4 1\/2 hours.<\/p>\n
Auger-Aliassime advanced to the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time since 2021, when the Canadian fell to eventual finalist Matteo Berrentini of Italy.<\/p>\n
“I have played a few roller coaster matches in the course of my career, but this for sure is at the top of the charts,” Auger-Aliassime said. “It was a crazy match. Great level, high intensity, high focus because you are into the Round of 16. … I feel like there were barely a few points between us in the first two sets.”<\/p>\n
Already trailing by a set, Auger-Aliassime faced three set points while serving at 5-6 in the second set, then battled back to save all three before securing the tiebreaker on his second set point.<\/p>\n
Auger-Aliassime was poised to close out the match after cruising in the third set, but his Spanish opponent broke back while trailing 4-5 in the fourth set and narrowly pulled out the tiebreaker. The decisive fifth set was all Auger-Aliassime — he finished with 27 aces and saved six of seven break points — as he converted his seventh match point to secure the hard-fought victory.<\/p>\n
Top-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy had 15 aces among 44 winners while registering a 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki of Japan.<\/p>\n
Out to defend his 2025 Wimbledon title, Sinner saved all five break points he faced. He was pushed to a tiebreaker in the second set, which he dominated, before putting away Mochizuki in their first career meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to handle the situation slightly better than him, which I\u2019ve done,\u201d Sinner said. \u201cBut he\u2019s an incredible player. Coming from qualies and playing such a high level for such a long time. It\u2019s amazing and I wish him only the best. He should be proud of himself and of course his whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sinner next faces German Jan-Lennard Struff, who advanced to his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal when fellow unseeded player Hubert Hurkacz of Poland was forced to retire in the fifth set with a left hip injury.<\/p>\n
At age 36, Struff is the oldest man in the Open Era to reach his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal. He was leading 4-2 in the decisive fifth set when Hurkacz, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, pulled out. The match finished 3-6, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2), 7-5, 4-2.<\/p>\n
\u201cA very aggressive player. A big, big server, so let\u2019s see,\u201d Sinner said of Struff. \u201cBut now most important is to rest and think about that tomorrow. I have big respect for him.”<\/p>\n
–Field Level Media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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