Wimbledon 2024 day four: Draper v Norrie, Dart beats Boulter, Djokovic through – live

Better from Draper, who punches away a volley and rains down an ace in the course of holding for 1-4 in the second. In comms, they show a graphic which tells us Norrie is hitting to the forehand even though it’s his opponent’s stronger wing and Nick Kyrgios explains that it’s different when the ball comes at it at the particular angles and speeds Norrie deploys. By way of illustration, he notes that he hits most winners on his forehand side, but on the return, his backhand is the better shot.

Back to our main match, Norrie consolidates his second break for 7-6 4-0 and Draper really needs to use whatever’s left of this set to try and fathom a way get into this. So far, every question he’s asked has been answered and he’s really struggling to assert his power game against the variations coming back from the other side of the net.

Rybakina breaks Siegemund and serves out for a 6-3 set; Martic is back on her feet trailing Swiatek 3-4 on serve; Fritz leads Rinderknech 6-3 6-4 0-1; Cobolli has come back from two sets down against Tabilo to force a decider; Kokkinakis leads Pouille 6-2 2-2; Svitolina is serving for the match against Niemeier at 6-3 5-4; and Rune leads Seyboth Wild 1-1 3-1.

Goodness me, Norrie is having a day out here. He makes 0-40, then hauls an overhead from behind him and forces it to the corner, then nails a flat backhand winner down the line! He is playing fantastically here, having conjured form out of nowhere during the course of his first-round match. He leads Draper 7-6 3-0.

Nozza consolidates to love and so far, this is what, in technical terms, is known as an absolute sonning off. Meantime on Centre, Martic has the trainer out trailing Swiatek 3-4 in the first.

Draper mustn’t lose this first service-game of the second set but a double at deuce means break point – we’ve not had one prior to – and when a decent approach offers a backhand down the line, Norrie slams it past him! He’s come to play today, and for now, Draper, though he’s hanging in there, can’t find an antidote. Draper 6-7 0-1 Norrie

Rune is now having his way with Seyboth Wild, taking the second set to level the match and breaking straight away in the third. On Centre, Swiatek and Martic are 3-3 in the first and on No 2, Rybakina leads Siegemund 4-3 on serve.

The longer the rallies go, the more likely Norrie is to be fist-pumping at the end of them; in particular, he looks stronger when they go backhand to backhand. But it’s a serve out wide, from wide, that sets up a forehand clean-up for 6-1, and though Draper plays a really good point to narrow the deficit, he knows the set is almost gone. And what play it takes to secure it, Draper thundering a forehand that Nozza somehow blocks back at the net then, when the ball comes back, a simple putaway has him roaring at the crowd. He leads 7-6(3).

Draper cedes the advantage immediately, going long on the forehand, and then Norrie lasts longer in the next rally, forcing Draper to play an extra shot when it looks over. But it isn’t, he eventually elicits the error, makes 3-1, and then sticks in another terrific rally, terrifically, his backhand doing the work to set up a forehand winner. Draper’s first serves have deserted him right when he needs them most; Norrie leads 4-1 and, as I type, 5-1, Draper netting a forehand!

Norrie holds, then Draper finds himself in trouble in the rally at 15-0, but from the corner hooks a fine backhand winner cross-court and seconds later he’s securing a tiebreak with an ace. I’n those, I’ll almost always pick the player with the bigger serve, and I’m not going to change that here – I think Draper will get this done and he gets an immediate mini-break to lead 6-6 (1-0).

Draper holds again for 5-5 but Norrie might regret not taking advantage of a shot at a second serve. Elsewhere, Rune leads Seyboth Wild 5-2 having lost the first set; Khachanov leasds Hakys 4-6 6-3 0-2; Garcia leads Pera 6-3; Svitolina leads Niemeier 6-3 1-0 with a break; Fritz leads Rinderknech 6-2 2-3; Kokkinakis, who won a thriller against Auger-Aliassime last evening, leads Pouille 5-2; Collins leads Galfi 6-3 5-1; Rybakina leads Siegemund 2-1; and Swiatek and Martic are 1-1.

We’re away on Centre, and though Martic can find a way to lose any match, if she plays well she can cause Swiatek aggravation. Rybakina and Siegmund are also away – they’re 1-1 in the first – while Draper will now serve to stay in the first set, Norrie having held easily enough. We’ve yet to have a break point.

Draper decides to come in, perhaps because the balls are new, but he soon wishes he hadn’t because Norrie sends a backhand pass down the line. For all the good it does him, Draper playing a terrific shot at the net, sweeping a backhand across the tape, the angle improbable, then clouting down an ace. But a double at 40-30 makes it interesting … though not for long, Draper quickly cleaning up for 4-4 in the first.

Serving at 15-all, Norrie shanks a forehand, then doesn’t finish the next point with a swing volley … but Draper’s response has just too much pop on it; 30-all. We wind up at deuce, and from there, Norrie cleans up; we still don’t really have a read on what might be decisive here.

There’s not loads in this match and, as I type, Draper seals a hold for 3-2 with a huge swinging serve on which Norrie can only get frame. Both players are in decent nick and I’ve not a clue how things are going to pan out.

Email! “Excellent showing from Fearnley, “ coos Simon McMahon, “and am now very much looking forward to Draper v Norrie, but let’s cut to the chase. I really hope Andy, the most single-minded of competitors in one of the most individual of sports, gets to experience that winning feeling at Wimbledon at least once more time, even if it is in doubles. Goodness knows he deserves that. And the best thing about it will be that, whatever happens, he will treat it as just another day at the office, grateful for all the support I’m sure, but determined to show, to the very last point, his competitive instincts, and not really care about what anyone else thinks. Like when he was asked about what it must feel like for his parents watching him and replied, in all seriousness, that he didn’t know and didn’t care, because it was much harder for him playing. Certainly in the top one of British sportspeople in my lifetime. Thanks, Andy, you’ll be missed.”

I remember that interview! And yup, I love Andy too – everything I want in a sportsperson, and an absolute mensch.

Norrie hammers a swing volley to lead Draper 3-2 on serve, and we’ll have a proper good look at that match now. On No 2, meanwhile, we’ll soon have Elena Rybakina (4) v Laura Siegmund.

The men’s number 30 seed is out, Etcheverry downed in five by Popyrin, who’ll face Djokovic next.

Back with our Brits, Norrie leads Draper 2-1 on serve, while Seyboth Wild has played a tremendous set (of tennis) to take the first set off Rune 6-3.

Next on Centre Court: Iga Swiatek (1) v Petra Martic

Djokovic praises Fearnley, noting windy conditions made it hard and that British players are used to grass. But he says his opponent serred well, made him work, and though he might’ve won it in three, the way Fearnley played, he was unlucky not to take it to a decider. He didn’t feel comfy in his opwn skin today, especially in the third and fourth, but sometimes you have rough days when you’re not feeling your best, but that also depends on your opponent and his forced him to earn the win because he hit a high level. So it’s a win and he’ll take it, but he hopes yo play better in the next round.

As far as he knee goes, Djokovic was feeling alright and he ought to have closed out the match when up a break in the third set. He can be playing and moving better, but as the tournament progresses he hopes to improve.

Novak Djokovic (2) beats Jacob Fearnley 6-3 6-4 5-7 7-5

Ons Jabeur (10) beats Robin Montgomery 6-1 7-5

Ach, down break point, Fearnley sends down a double, and Djokovic will now serve for what’s been a much more taxing match than anyone could’ve predicted.

So how might Draper v Norrie go? Norrie is very tricky to play with his loopy lefty forehand and heavy use of spin. Draper, though, is also a lefty, knows Norrie’s game as they’re mates, and has a serve that can get him out of trouble. I’m favouring him, but Norrie improved through his first-round match and if he keeps that going, this will be intense.

Montgomery has made a much better fist of her second set against Jabeur, but she’s just been broken for 6-5 and in a few moments, the two-time losing finalist will serve for the match.

A good return from Fearnley sets up a forehand winner for 0-15, and another decent effort sees Djokovic net for 15-30; an ace follows, of course, and from there Djokovic closes out for 2-1 5-5.

Across the way on No 1 Court, Draper and Norrie are knocking up.

Seyboth Wild, who came back fro two sets down to beat Paul Jubb in round one, has made a better start here; he breaks Rune immediately and quickly consolidates for 2-0. Fearnley, meanwhile, has lost only seven points on serve this set and a fine forehand clinches a hold for 5-4; Djokovic will shortly serve to stay in it.

So I’m watching Djokovic v Fearnley and Norrie v Draper, obviously, and I’m also on Jabeur v Montgomery and rune v Seyboth Wild.

Denis Shapovalov beats Daniel Altmaier 7-6(3) 6-3 1-6 (3)6-7 6-4

I liked what I saw of Jacob Fearnley in round one, and I also liked what I read about him: he’s had to overcome plenty to get to here, and he’s a very solid citizen. I didn’t expect him to crumble against Djokovic, but I did expect him to subside slowly; not so. He trails 2-1 but leads 4-3 on serve in set four.

Thanks Katy and hi everyone. As per the below, there’s an absolutely indecent amount of ridiculously good tennis going on and coming up so let’s get right on with it.

And with that, I’m going to lie down in a dark room. Daniel will take you through the rest of the day’s play, including the conclusion of Fearnley v Djokovic, plus all of Jack Draper v Cameron Norrie. And we’ve still got Iga Swiatek, Alex Zverev, Elena Rybakina and Stefanos Tsitsipas to come too, along with Andy Murray in the doubles. And a mention for Ons Jabeur: the finalist the past two years is a set up against the American Robin Montgomery. I’ll leave you with some food for thought. Bye!

The results keep on coming: Ben Shelton has celebrated the fourth of July with a five-set win over the qualifier Lloyd Harris, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, and Dimitrov has come back from the brink, grafting from two sets down to defeat Shang Juncheng 5-7, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

Dart, somehow, is able to speak:

I knew it was going to be a really tough battle, we played a few weeks ago and it didn’t go my way. I wear my emotions on my sleeve so you see how I’m thinking, unfortunately, but I’m so happy to be able to get through.

My head-to-head is woeful against Katie Boulter so I wasn’t expecting too much but I just tried my best out there and even though I was down in that tie-break I just thought no regrets, give it everything.

It’s massive, I haven’t played on Court No 1 for a few years, so it’s nice to get my first big win on a big court in front of a home crowd. It’s surreal.

Dart beats Boulter 4-6, 6-1, 7-6

Dart scrambles back to 7-7 – and finally goes ahead in this tie-break when Boulter biffs another stray forehand long! Dart leads 8-7 … and the longest of rallies ends when Dart eventually makes the mistake after huge pressure in a superb exchange! 8-8 …

And Boulter, from 6-2, is now pegged back to 6-5. She still has one mini-break, mind, but then she concedes that as well with a forehand error! 6-6. Boulter steadies her nerves with an assured drive volley for 7-6 …

After a tortuous few hours, Boulter’s form and ranking have told so far in this tie-break, can she finish the job? Dart appears to be fighting back tears, but stays in the mix by manoeuvring Boulter around. 6-3. And Boulter prods long! 6-4. This isn’t over yet. Remember it’s the first to 10, not seven …

So caught up in the drama, Boulter almost forgets to change ends. Meanwhile Dart has got her face in her towel, before slowly walking to the baseline to serve. She doesn’t look in any hurry. Perhaps she knows what’s coming; because Boulter eats up another short ball. It’s 5-2 … and 6-2 as Dart drills her backhand into the net …