Naomi Osaka of Japan celebrates winning the third round women’s singles match against Daria Kasatkina of Australia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 3, 2026.(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

LONDON–Japan’s Naomi Osaka ended her long wait to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time with a 6-1, 6-3 win against Australian Daria Kasatkina on Friday.

Osaka has caused a stir at Wimbledon with her eye-catching outfits, but the 28-year-old is finally stealing the spotlight with her performances as well.

After advancing no further than the third round in her five previous main draw appearances at the All England Club, Osaka finally made it to the last 16 with a dominant display on Court One.

She needed just 65 minutes to dispatch Kasatkina, setting up a fourth-round clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka or former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

“I’m really happy. In my career I’d never won on this court. I’m just glad to have made a really good memory here,” Osaka said.

“I’ve played a lot of matches on grass over the last few weeks. I’m feeling really confident. I hope I’m able to get further and further.”

Osaka’s habit of wearing haute couture costumes on to court before removing them to play in her usual tennis attire has been the talk of Wimbledon.

She earned headlines with a kimono-inspired outfit prior to her first-round match and wore a long wedding-dress train for the second round.

And once again she struck a pose with her latest creation — an all-white layered Japanese ceremonial-style kimono — before facing Kasatkina.

The outfit, by Tokyo fashion designer Hana Yagi, featured cherry blossoms in another nod to her native Japan.

She also wore a jelly-fish themed dress at the Australian Open this year and an Eiffel Tower-inspired costume at the recent French Open.

Osaka’s tennis has been as memorable as her cat-walk moments.

She reached her maiden final on grass at Bad-Homburg in June but was forced to retire in the second set with an injured ankle.

Osaka has maintained that grass-court excellence in south-west London, raising the prospect of a genuine challenge for her first Wimbledon title.

The four-time Grand Slam champion cruised to straight-sets wins over Elsa Jacquemot and Anastasia Gasanova before routing Kasatkina.

Osaka, the 14th seed, had only reached the last 16 at a Grand Slam twice since winning the Australian Open in 2021.

Having lost to Sabalenka in the fourth round of the French Open in June, Osaka is rounding into form just in time for a potential revenge mission against the Belarusian.

She was far too strong for world number 65 Kasatkina, whose ranking has slumped over the past 18 months due to poor form while she battled with a nagging hip injury.

Russia’s Roman Safiullin (R) is congratulated by Brazil’s Joao Fonseca for winning their men’s singles third round tennis match on the fifth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 3, 2026. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

LONDON— Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin wiped away tears after beating Brazilian rising star João Fonseca 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon on Friday.

Safiullin, ranked No. 132, dealt with a knee injury last year but this week has eliminated two seeded opponents at the All England Club. He surprised 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev in the first round. Fonseca was seeded No. 24.

The 28-year-old Safiullin, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2023, became emotional when he described his journey back.

“After the U.S. Open, I had to stop — for treating my injury,” he said in an on-court interview. “That time was super tough. Even let’s say half a year ago I didn’t know if I will be able to be back.”

Safiullin then paused and used his shirt to wipe away tears as fans applauded on No. 2 Court.

“I’m super happy to be back here,” he added.

Safiullin will face either Novak Djokovic or Arthur Rinderknech for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Djokovic and Rinderknech were playing on Centre Court. Later, defending champion Jannik Sinner faces Jenson Brooksby of the United States on No. 1 Court.

In the women’s draw, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka plays Jelena Ostapenko later on Centre Court.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Morne Morkel (Image credit: BCCI)

NEW DELHI: India bowling coach Morne Morkel has made it clear that the team management will continue to back openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, despite growing calls for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to make his international debut.Sooryavanshi has been one of the biggest talking points since being picked for India’s T20I squads against Ireland and England following his sensational IPL season. While Abhishek has scored a half-century and a 49 in his last three innings on the ongoing UK tour, Samson has struggled, managing scores of 5, 0 and 1.Even so, Morkel said the team believes in showing faith in players who have already delivered for India.“I think we just need to respect the fact that we’ve got the number one batter, or we had our number one batter in T20 cricket, Abhishek Sharma. You know, Sanju was the player of the World Cup,” Morkel said on the eve of the second T20I against England.“He (Samson) had a great IPL. So, I think as a coaching staff, it’s only fair to show faith and back your players. Yes, there’s a young man knocking on the door and it’s exciting. But I reckon for not just those two players at the top, but for the rest of the group, it’s a good sign that we show that we back you guys,” he said.

‘We don’t want to bat players out of position’

Morkel said selecting the playing XI is not simply about bringing in a new player. He stressed that the coaching staff also wants to avoid changing players’ batting positions.“In a day, it’s about putting performances on the board. That is the key. But we also don’t want to think too much and bat other players out of positions. So, I reckon it’s not straightforward, Ok, let’s play (Sooryavanshi).“It’s a matter of backing some of the guys who’ve won World Cups, who’ve done really well for you in tough situations, and then also from there, build and see how we can structure and make our top order as good as possible in these conditions,” he explained.

‘When he gets an opportunity, he’ll be ready’

Although Morkel did not reveal when Sooryavanshi could make his India debut, he praised the teenager for settling into the dressing room quickly.He also said the youngster has impressed everyone during training despite being only 15 years old.“I think he’s filled in very, very well. You know, I think if you follow the boys on Instagram, there’s already a lot of photos being posted, with him especially. At the nets as a 15-year-old at the international stage, it can be intimidating.“But, I think just the couple of nets we’ve had, it’s been very impressive. And, you know, we’re all excited to see how he goes. When he gets an opportunity, I’m pretty sure he’ll be ready. But in terms of coming into the squad and fitting in, it’s been very smooth,” he said.

Morkel praises Prince Yadav

The former South Africa fast bowler also had words of praise for young pacer Prince Yadav, who has taken six wickets in his first three international matches.Morkel revealed that he had worked with Prince during his time with the Lucknow Super Giants and had noticed his talent even then.“I was quite lucky to work with Prince while I was with Lucknow Super Giants. Prince at the time was a net bowler and there he was already marked as somebody who was highly skilled. I’m just blown away by how calm he keeps things.“I think he’s also a guy who is always looking for ways to improve his game. But at the end of the day, it’s about execution. If we talk about death bowling and that middle phase, how he reads the play, what decisions he makes under pressure and then executing that, for me, it’s great to see,” he noted.

Harshit Rana impresses after injury

Morkel also praised fast bowler Harshit Rana, saying it was encouraging to see him bowl with intensity after returning from an injury layoff.With the second T20I against England set to be played at Old Trafford, the India team management appears ready to continue backing its experienced players, while keeping a close eye on exciting youngsters like Sooryavanshi for future opportunities.

Matteo Berrettini’s former girlfriend, Vanessa Bellini, shared an emotional message about her struggles and the support she received from her loved ones amid the rumors of the Italian tennis player dating South Korean DJ Peggy Gou. Vanessa and Berrettini first met at a concert in Turin, Italy, where the Italian dancer was performing for rapper Marracash.

They both quickly connected and began dating before going public in October 2025. The Italian tennis player and dancer were seen enjoying a romantic beach getaway on a yacht in April 2026. Bellini also shared a warm message for Berrettini when he celebrated his 30th birthday on April 12, 2026. She was also seen cheering for him during his 2026 French Open appearance in May.

They reportedly broke up in late June. Soon after their breakup, rumors of Berrettini dating Gou started making rounds on social media after a few fans noticed Berrettini liking several of Peggy Gou’s recent Instagram posts. As the speculations about the tennis player and the DJ continued to grow, Bellini admitted that she had been struggling lately.

She shared a picture of herself crying, stating that although she usually posts happy moments, they don’t reflect her real feelings. She strongly wrote that while some people may enjoy seeing her struggle, she is focusing on who truly cares about her.

Peggy Gou is a South Korean DJ based in Berlin. She learned to DJ in London while studying fashion. She rose to fame following the release of her “It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)” song in 2018.

Matteo Berrettini opens up about his approach to injuries and fitness

In a press conference at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, Matteo Berrettini opened up about the transition in his approach towards injuries and fitness, stating that earlier he used to be concerned about staying healthy and worrying about injuries. However, now he focuses on giving his body rest when it needs to so as to make a strong comeback.

““For a long time I was just thinking about I want to be healthy, I want to feel free to serve, I don’t want to think about my body. Happiness goes through that, the fact that I don’t have to think about my body,” he said.

“Even if something is coming, I know it’s part of the journey. Before I was looking at it something that shouldn’t happen or couldn’t happen. I learned how to accept the fact that sometimes I have to stop, sometimes I have to say no, I can’t do it. This is my body, this is my career. I also know that I can get up. Instead of doing too many ups and downs, I’m a little bit more stable and balanced. I think this is really important.”

Matteo Berrettini reached the third round at the Wimbledon Championships, where he will face Grigor Dimitrov.