Daijiworld Media Network - London

London, Jul 5: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka battled their way into the Wimbledon last-16 on Friday, staying alive amid a dramatic exodus of top seeds at the All England Club.

Alcaraz, the second seed and defending champion, overcame German world No. 125 Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in an error-strewn but gritty performance. Struggling with unforced errors and under pressure in almost every service game, Alcaraz nonetheless produced flashes of brilliance to book a fourth-round clash against Russia’s Andrey Rublev.

“It was stressful. I was suffering in every service game,” said the 22-year-old Spaniard, aiming to become only the fifth man in the Open Era to win three straight Wimbledon titles.

Watched by sports icons Gary Lineker and Anthony Joshua, Alcaraz admitted he’s yet to hit top form, having also been pushed to five sets in the first round by Fabio Fognini.

In the women's draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka survived a fierce challenge from crowd favourite Emma Raducanu, winning 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in a thrilling encounter. The powerful Belarusian saved a set point in the opener and held firm in the second, sealing the win despite deafening support for Raducanu.

“What an atmosphere! My ears are still hurting. I had to fight for every point like crazy,” Sabalenka said after the match.

Her victory keeps her as the highest seed remaining in a women’s field already missing five of the top six seeds, including Madison Keys, who crashed out to Germany’s Laura Siegemund. Other major exits include Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, and Zheng Qinwen.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka also bowed out, losing to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets. Osaka, still chasing her best form, said she remains determined to fight on. “Even though I get very upset when I lose, I want to keep trying,” she said.

In other matches, Britain’s Sonay Kartal, 13th seed Amanda Anisimova, and Elise Mertens advanced, while US men's fifth seed Taylor Fritz eased past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

British hope Cameron Norrie progressed to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022, while Joao Fonseca’s run ended at the hands of Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry.

Meanwhile, 10th seed Ben Shelton took just 71 seconds to finish off his second-round win against Rinky Hijikata, completing the match that was halted due to poor light.