American John Isner has broken the record for serving aces, setting the milestone early in his third round Wimbledon match against Italian youngster Jannik Sinner.
Most important points:
- Isner is the fifth man to reach 1,000 aces at Wimbledon and now holds the record for most aces on the ATP Tour
- He hit 24 aces against Jannik Sinner in the third round on Saturday, but failed to win
- Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in the next round, while Novak Djokovic’s easy win will see him against Dutchman Tim van Rijthoven
The 37-year-old Isner needed five aces to beat Ivo Karlovic’s leading run of 13,728, sending three past Sinner in the first game and three more in the second.
The record-breaking delivery of the infamous big-hitter was clocked at 130 miles per hour (209 kilometers per hour).
Isner, who stands six feet, served 36 aces while knocking out former champion Andy Murray twice in the previous round, before speaking of his pride in overtaking Karlovic.
“It’s actually really cool. It’s something I’m really proud of,” Isner said.
“I will be the leader of all time. I will keep playing, keep adding to my total… I don’t know if [the record] will break. I could stay there for a long time.”
Isner now holds the record for most aces on the ATP Tour and is only the fifth man to hit 1,000 at Wimbledon.
However, Isner’s 24 aces on Saturday were eventually settled by the 20-year-old Italian, who claimed the third round 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
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Sinner, now the youngest Italian to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, will face fellow youngster Carlos Alcaraz, who was equally impressive in his 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win over German Oscar Otte.
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic continued his run to a fourth Wimbledon title by storming past compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 6-3, 6-4.
The leading group was practically unplayable in the opening set of his center court match, which he cashed in just 24 minutes.
Kecmanovic, seeded 25, got the most cheers of the day when he finally won a point after 35 minutes via a long service game.
But Djokovic was ahead of his 22-year-old rival and reached the last 16 of the grand slam for the 14th time, where he will face Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven.
Britain’s number one, Cameron Norrie, also made personal history by reaching the fourth round of his home game for the first time with a comfortable 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 victory over American Steve Johnson.
Reuters/ABC