The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

Praggnanan­dhaa drawswithd­eac

Bucharest: Indian Grandmaste­r R Praggnanan­dhaa was held to a draw by lowest-ranked Deac Bogdan-daniel of Romania in the sixth round of the Superbet Classic tournament, a part of the grand chess tour here. Iranianfre­nch Grandmaste­r Alireza Firouzja shined with his moves against Wesley So of the United States. With the World Championsh­ip on his mind, India's D Gukesh seemed to keep in reserve his real weapons and signed for peace with Maxime Vachier-lagrave of France. Praggnanan­dhaa tried his hand against the ever-solid Nimzo Indian defense. But it was an off day for the Indian who was confidentl­y breached by the Romanian.

DEFENDING WIMBLEDON champion Carlos Alcaraz made a shaky start against unseeded Australian Aleksandar Vukic but moved through the gears to seal a 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2 victory and power into the third round on Wednesday. The result extended Alcaraz's winning run at the grasscourt Grand Slam to nine matches but the Spaniard could face a tricky test in his next match against American 29th seed Frances Tiafoe who beat Borna Coric 7-6(5) 6-1 6-3.

Third seed Alcaraz broke for a 4-2 lead as Vukic miscued an overhead smash at the net but the Spaniard handed the advantage back to his 69th-ranked opponent three games later and was broken yet again in the opening set to trail 5-6.

He recovered to force a tiebreak, where he took a healthy 5-1 lead, but allowed Vukic to win three straight points only to raise his level again and take the set as Spanish fans breathed a sigh of relief on Court One.

From there, it was a ruthless performanc­e from Alcaraz as the 21-year-old showcased his explosive power and delicate touch as he racked up 40 winners to blow Vukic away.

"I'm really happy about my performanc­e. The first set was the key for me. He served for the set, then I played a really good tiebreak. In the second set and third set, I played at a really high level. I'm really happy about it," Alcaraz said.

"It was difficult for me to close the (first) set. I knew it was going to be the same. I had to be there. I put a few returns in, a few winners. It was a good game for me on the return side. "In those situations, you have to increase your level, put the early ball in, try to be aggressive with your style. That's all I thought about in that situation and it was helpful."

The French Open champion, who is bidding for a fourth Grand Slam title, did not give Vukic any more opportunit­ies and closed out the second set quickly before easing through the third and finishing the match with a flurry of aces. Alcaraz said he was relishing his clash with Tiafoe, having beaten the American en route to his U.S. Open triumph in 2022.

"I'm going for him. We played a good match in the U.S. Open (semi-finals). I know he's a talented player, a tough one, even tougher on grass with his style," Alcaraz said.

"Good volley, good slices. It's going to be a difficult match. I'm ready to take that challenge, put on a show."

Gauff crushes Tadoni

Coco Gauff did not look at her imperious best under the roof on Wimbledon's Court

One on Wednesday but she was always in control of an error-strewn second-round 62 6-1 victory over Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni. The U.S. Open champion slipped and fell twice on the slick court and muttered to herself during the one hour six minute match against an opponent ranked 140 places below her. "I do think I could have played cleaner at some points but overall I'm happy to have got through to the third round," Gauff said in an interview on court.

Second seed Gauff, a crowd favourite at Wimbledon after announcing her arrival on the big stage with a fourth-round run as a 15year-old five years ago, produced 16 unforced errors in the short match and managed to land only 43% of her first serves.

But her nervous opponent, at 19 six months Gauff's junior, hit 23 unforced errors and could not find her range against the fleetfoote­d American, who wrapped up the match with a drop shot that Todoni could only send wide.

Gauff, who suffered a humiliatin­g firstround exit last year at the hands of compatriot Sofia Kenin, said she had learned from that disappoint­ment and from her triumph at the U.S. Open to manage expectatio­ns and emotions. "Overall, I just learned about life a lot. What I do, I'm very passionate about but it's not ever that serious," she said.

"It's a game, it's sport. Sometimes the world can make you feel like there is so much pressure and expectatio­n."

The draw has opened up for Gauff after the first-day withdrawal­s of Belarusian­s Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion, and former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka. She will next play British qualifier Sonay Kartel or France's Clara Burel.

Medvedev survives

Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev battled his way to a 6-7(3) 7-6(4) 6-4 7-5 victory over 102-ranked Alexandre Muller on Wednesday to reach the third round of Wimbledon. The Russian looked out of sorts early on Centre Court as he lost the first set on a tiebreak to the 27-year-old Frenchman in their first ever Tour-level meeting and had to save a set point to avoid going down 2-0.

However, Medvedev, runner-up at the Australian Open, found a bit more of his usual groove to level the match with a tiebreak before outlasting a strong Muller to clinch the third set and then the match over three-anda-half hours.

The 28-year-old reached the semi-finals last year at the All England Club but was made to work hard for the win by Muller who kept pace with the Russian despite needing a medical timeout for a left thigh issue before the fourth set.

The Frenchman delighted the crowd with some unconventi­onal shots, including underarm serves and tweeners. However his inexperien­ce on the surface, having won only three matches on grass in his career, showed as Medvedev stepped up his attacks at the net after losing the first set.

The move paid off, though the pair took turns in trading breaks over the second and third sets.