Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic grinds his way into third round

One dive too many costs Hurkacz as pole is forced to retire against Fils
LONDON: As if one reckless dive wasn't bad enough, given that it forced Hubert Hurkacz to take a medical timeout and return with a knee sleeve on his right leg, the seventh-seeded Pole was airborne and horizontal again on the very next point. Not surprisingly, Hurkacz was forced to retire (at match-point down) against the young Frenchman Arthur Fils in the Wimbledon second round.
It was a bizarre end to what looked like a promising encounter with the 20-year-old Fils taking a two-sets-to-love lead. Fils then advanced 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 2-6, 6-6 (9-8) and will face Russian Roman Safiullin in the third round on Saturday.
Hurkacz, who was serving to level set scores in the 10th game of the fourth set, saved a breakpoint, but couldn't serve it out. A forehand error of a bad bounce then pushed the set along to tie-break, slippery ground in challenging conditions where the sun was out, but the westerly was stiff.
Hurkacz, who fell to the ground clutching his right knee when trying to stand up after the dive, received help from Fils, who crossed over and stretched out his hand to the Pole. He helped his opponent get back on his feet before the trainer arrived and commenced treatment.
Fils, from Bondoule, a commune in northern France, made light of his action. "It's completely normal for me," he said. "I saw a friend. He was in pain, and he couldn't move. I didn't care about the score. I was just hoping that the guy is well, and he can still walk and everything. He told me that he felt something in his knee. I forgot the score at this point."
Even though Fils took the first two sets and eventually the match, it was Hurkacz who won more points (148 to 140). The Frenchman, ranked 34, struck on the big points to become the youngest player to beat a top-10 men's player at Wimbledon in 10 years since Nick Kyrgios took down Rafael Nadal in 2014.
The 20-year-old is in the third round of a major for the first time. "When I got on the court, I was trying my best to at least try to win one set, and to get him in one tie-break. I was feeling great. I was playing quite okay. I won the first set. Then I broke early in the second one, won the second set. Then you think, like, "Okay, I can win this match."
Meanwhile, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic was far from his best on the day, but still found a way of coming through. The second seed overcame a free-hitting display from British wild card Jacob Fearnley to earn a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win.
IMPORTANT RESULTS (DAY 4, ROUND 2)
Men: Denis Shapovalov (CAN) bt Daniel Altmaier (GER) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 1-6, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4; Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x10) bt Shang Juncheng (CHN) 5-7, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2, 6-4; Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3); Arthur Fils (FRA) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL x7) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 2-6, 6-6 retired; Alex De Minaur (AUS x9) bt Jaume Munar (ESP) 6-2, 6-2, 7-5; Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Jacob Fearnley (GBR) 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5
Women: Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Katerina Siniakova (CZE x27) 6-0, 4-6, 6-2; Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x13) bt Daria Snigur (UKR) 6-3, 6-0; Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA x20) bt María Camila Osorio (COL) 3-0 retired; Ons Jabeur (TUN x10) bt Robin Montgomery (USA) 6-1, 7-5; Wang Xinyu (CHN) bt Jessica Pegula (USA x5) 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-1; Madison Keys (USA x12) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 6-2, 6-2