{"id":1975,"date":"2026-07-05T21:49:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T19:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/?p=1975"},"modified":"2026-07-05T21:49:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T19:49:31","slug":"wimbledon-round-3-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/2026\/07\/05\/wimbledon-round-3-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Wimbledon &#8211; Round 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Wimbledon 2026 Round 3 (July 3\u20134) delivered blockbuster drama: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Novak Djokovic powered through, while Alexandra Eala stunned Iga Swiatek and Elise Mertens shocked Elena Rybakina. On the men\u2019s side, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Grigor Dimitrov advanced, with Dimitrov surviving a five-set thriller against Matteo Berrettini.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s Singles Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aryna Sabalenka<\/strong> (No. 1) defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 \u2014 ruthless efficiency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coco Gauff<\/strong> (No. 7) overcame Claire Liu 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 \u2014 American grit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jessica Pegula<\/strong> (No. 4) crushed Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 6-3.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Karolina Muchova<\/strong> (No. 10) beat Sawangkaew 6-2, 7-6(1).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Barbora Krejcikova<\/strong> defeated Bartunkova 6-3, 7-5.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Iva Jovic<\/strong> (No. 16) edged Alexandrova 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alexandra Eala<\/strong> (No. 29) shocked Iga Swiatek (No. 3) 7-6(9), 6-2 \u2014 the upset of the round.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Elise Mertens<\/strong> (No. 25) stunned Elena Rybakina (No. 2) 7-6(4), 6-1.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Madison Keys<\/strong> (No. 26) beat Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Linda Noskova<\/strong> (No. 9) edged Sorana Cirstea (No. 17) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(9).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfbe Men\u2019s Singles Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Novak Djokovic<\/strong> (No. 7) beat Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jannik Sinner<\/strong> (No. 1) defeated Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Felix Auger-Aliassime<\/strong> (No. 3) dispatched Michael Zheng 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-1.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hubert Hurkacz<\/strong> beat Tommy Paul (No. 21) 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-2.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jan-Lennard Struff<\/strong> stunned Daniil Medvedev (No. 8) 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 7-5.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alexander Zverev<\/strong> (No. 2) defeated Marcos Giron 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-4.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grigor Dimitrov<\/strong> outlasted Matteo Berrettini in five sets 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Taylor Fritz<\/strong> (No. 6) beat Lorenzo Sonego 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(5).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flavio Cobolli<\/strong> (No. 9) rallied past Karen Khachanov (No. 19) 0-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alex de Minaur<\/strong> (No. 5) overcame Zachary Svajda 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jiri Lehecka<\/strong> (No. 13) beat Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfc6 Fantasy League Director\u2019s Note<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Round 3 was <strong>chaos for fantasy picks<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eala\u2019s upset of Swiatek and Mertens\u2019 win over Rybakina flipped leaderboards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dimitrov\u2019s five-set triumph was jackpot material for wildcard believers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zverev, Fritz, and Sinner remain reliable anchors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Struff\u2019s takedown of Medvedev punished risk-takers who backed the Russian.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The grass is biting hard \u2014 fantasy fortunes are swinging wildly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfbe Top of the Pops<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spinning Strings<\/strong> (Cathy Parker) is still spinning magic at No. 1 with 137 points \u2014 the queen of consistency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tournament Director<\/strong> (Jared Godfrey) is hot on her heels at 135 \u2014 plotting moves like a grandmaster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hard Hitters<\/strong> (Max Morris) stays in the mix at 122, hammering away at the leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf31 Grass Court Climbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Grass Legends<\/strong> (Don Hugo) and <strong>Tempus Fugit<\/strong> (Reils) both sit on 120 \u2014 legends and time travelers side by side.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bolt<\/strong> (Stephen) is striking at 119, just one point off the pace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>RaduCanYou?!<\/strong> (Alastair Grey) and <strong>Leftie &amp; Loving It<\/strong> (Graeme Waugh) are charging into the top 10 with 114 and 113.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfa2 Midfield Madness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wobbles<\/strong> (Don Hugo) made a giant leap into 113 \u2014 wobbling but winning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Slice is Right<\/strong> (Romain Soula) and <strong>Lazy Last Minute<\/strong> (Lorna Forbes) both sit on 112 \u2014 proving that timing and slicing can pay off.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Miss Hits<\/strong> (Nikki Godfrey) joins the 112 club \u2014 showing that even \u201cmisses\u201d can hit big.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf53 Sweet Spots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Muchas Grassias<\/strong> (Max Morris) at 109 and <strong>Quick Pick<\/strong> (Wendell Wessels) at 108 are keeping things spicy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You got to be kidding me<\/strong> (Roger Lauf) is laughing all the way to 108.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Serve with Eish<\/strong> (Kunnie Fradley) and <strong>Deuce Bags<\/strong> (Jaden Saunders) are locked at 107 \u2014 pure South African flair.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfaf Bottom Watch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Quiet Please!<\/strong> (Chris Potterton) at 64 is living up to the name \u2014 too quiet on the scoreboard.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fuzzy Green Balls<\/strong> (Paul Crafford) at 51 is rolling slowly, struggling to bounce back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfc6 Director\u2019s Take<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Round 3 was a <strong>leaderboard earthquake<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eala\u2019s upset of Swiatek and Mertens\u2019 shock win over Rybakina sent fantasy scores tumbling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dimitrov\u2019s five-set epic against Berrettini boosted risk-takers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zverev, Fritz, and Sinner kept the faithful smiling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Struff\u2019s takedown of Medvedev punished Russian backers but thrilled German fans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The leaderboard is tighter than a Centre Court tiebreak \u2014 one more upset and the whole order could flip.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"725\" src=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/image-5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1977\" srcset=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/image-5.png 660w, http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/image-5-273x300.png 273w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Top Half<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"661\" height=\"654\" src=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/image-6.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1978\" srcset=\"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/image-6.png 661w, http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/image-6-300x297.png 300w, http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/image-6-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 661px) 100vw, 661px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bottom Half<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wimbledon 2026 Round 3 (July 3\u20134) delivered blockbuster drama: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Novak Djokovic powered through, while Alexandra Eala stunned Iga Swiatek and Elise Mertens shocked Elena Rybakina. On the men\u2019s side, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Grigor Dimitrov advanced, with Dimitrov surviving a five-set thriller against Matteo Berrettini. \ud83c\udfbe Women\u2019s Singles Highlights [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wimbledon-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1975"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1979,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1975\/revisions\/1979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/eishonline.co.za\/jftl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}