Djokovic equals Federer's Wimbledon wins record as Sabalenka sets up Osaka showdown

Alsharq Tribune- M.Essam 

Novak Djokovic matched Roger Federer's men's record of 105 Wimbledon singles victories on Friday after overcoming France's Arthur Rinderknech in four sets to reach the fourth round, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka set up a blockbuster clash with Naomi Osaka in the women's draw.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion battled past 25th seed Rinderknech 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4) in a thrilling three-hour contest on Center Court, securing his 18th appearance in the last 16 at the All England Club and equalling Federer's record of 105 men's singles match wins at Wimbledon.

Reacting to the milestone, the 39-year-old Serbian joked: "I propose a match between me and Roger for 106! Whoever wins it, gets it. Let's just stop this here and let's call him down."

"To be able to make history in this sport is a huge honor and a huge privilege," Djokovic said in his on-court interview. "Particularly here, it's always been a dream childhood tournament of mine. I'm not thinking about whether it's going to be 105 or 106, but I'm just thinking about trying to win that match on a given day."

Djokovic, a record 24-time Grand Slam champion, will next face Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin for a place in the quarter-finals.

Defending men's champion Jannik Sinner also advanced after defeating American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. The Italian world number one extended his perfect record in third-round Grand Slam matches to 20 wins, an Open Era men's record.

"I definitely needed that today," Sinner said of the crowd support he received during the match.

In the women's draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 to keep alive her bid for a first Wimbledon title.

The Belarusian will next face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who powered past Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time in her career.

"Another aggressive player. Another very powerful match," Sabalenka said of Osaka. "I'm ready to fight and do whatever it takes to get through.