Good morning everyone and welcome to our live coverage of day five at
Wimbledon. We're in for another enthralling day of tennis in SW19, as
Novak Djokovic and
Stanislas Wawrinka both look to earn progression into the fourth round. We'll also be witnessing teenage wonder-kid
Nick Kyrgios in action against seventh seed
Milos Raonic early on, which should provide an intense encounter for spectators on Court Two.
In the women's side of the game, the legendary
Serena Williams is due to take on British number one
Heather Watson on Centre Court early this evening, while Russian
Maria Sharapova faces
Irina-Camelia Begu on Court One at around 3pm.
Those attending the showpiece today are expecting more of the same sunshine that has sometimes stolen the headlines this week, and we're looking at uninterrupted rays until around 3pm, before some cloud cover is expected just in time for Djokovic's clash with
Bernard Tomic on Centre.
We'll be able to bring you full game-by-game coverage of that contest involving Djokovic and Tomic when it gets underway a little later. This blog will also provide you with updates from major events, key decisions and results from all of the other fixtures taking place on the courts of South London today.
Don't forget that you can access our news coverage and match reports from our dedicated Wimbledon section
here. We'll be bringing you constant news updates and results from across the tournament's games.
Play is due to start a little later than usual today and we expect Kyrgios to be coming up against Raonic just after 12pm, while
Marcos Baghdatis will be taking on
David Goffin around the same time. At 1pm the promising Wawrinka will meet
Fernando Verdasco, just as
Grigor Dimitrov competes against
Richard Gasquet on Court One.
Obviously the major shock of the tournament occurred yesterday as
Rafael Nadal was sent
tumbling out of the tournament by German maverick
Dustin Brown. Following the defeat, the Spaniard suggested to reporters that he
may not be able to rediscover the same kind of form that has seen him take major titles in previous years.
Thursday proved to be an exciting day for British tennis as
Andy Murray produced a
dominant display against
Robin Haase to book a place in the third round. Perhaps the standout moment of the day, however, came as 28-year-old
James Ward defeated Jiri Vesely to ensure himself a bumper payday and improve his world ranking.
Speaking after his memorable victory over Nadal yesterday, Brown has suggested that he
somehow felt familiar with Centre Court despite never having played on the prestigious ground. The German has also said that the sense of comfort could have helped to contribute to his win.
There was no sense of fragility surrounding
Roger Federer's position in the showpiece on Thursday, as he completed a resounding straight-sets victory over American
Sam Querrey. The Swiss legend put his opponent to the sword in a fine display of tennis from both the net and the baseline. Querrey was by no means bad, but still found himself on the receiving end of a
commanding showing from Federer.
One of the standout moments of that game came when the 33-year-old legend produced an
almost-comic tweener lob back through his legs much to Querrey's dismay. Following the game, Federer did admit that he felt a little lucky that he had managed to somehow pull the shot off.
Much has been made of Kyrgios in this tournament thus far and he is due to come out onto Court Two in the next few minutes. The 20-year-old Australian became embroiled in controversy during his comfortable win over
Diego Schwartzman, as some sections of the press suggested that he had aimed unpleasant comments at the game's umpire. He'll be looking to book his place in round four against a hard-working Raonic, who Kyrgios believes to have
'the best serve in tennis'.
Coming up this evening we have a wonderful spectacle in the shape of Williams against Watson. The Brit
secured her place in the third round having produced a dominant showing against
Daniela Hantuchova, while Williams
made light work of Timea Babos in the second round. We'll be bringing you a full game-by-game commentary of that matchup early this evening.
Serena's hard-hitting sister
Venus Williams is also in action against
Aleksandra Krunic in SW19 today. Should both the sisters secure victory, they'll establish a fourth-round clash against each other over the weekend.
UPDATE! Kyrgios and Raonic are now underway on Court Two. Game one went in favour of the serving Canadian, while the Australian has also produced well off his own serve to tie things at 1-1. We'll keep you up-to-date with all of that contest's major developments as they come.
Following Nadal's shock defeat to Brown, former world number one
John McEnroe has been talking about the number 10 seed's coaching situation. McEnroe has hinted that the Spaniard may now need to
look beyond his current coach and uncle
Toni Nadal, after being beaten in four sets by Brown on Centre Court yesterday evening.
We've got some reaction from the women's game now, as current champion Petra Kvitova has been talking about her
defence of her second Wimbledon crown. The Czech player first won the tournament in 2011, but was dumped out in the quarter-final stages a year later. This time around Kvitova has suggested that she is enjoying her defence a lot more than she did three years ago.
UPDATE! In the men's game, Belgian
David Goffin has raced through to take the first set against
Marcos Baghdatis on Court Three this afternoon. Goffin broke impressively in the fourth to establish a strong foothold in the game as he seeks to ensure progression into round four.
UPDATE! Youngster Kyrgios is already up against it in his match with the Canadian Raonic, who has just taken the first set 7-5 after some sloppy play from the 20-year-old Australian. The most frustrating of his errors came in game 12, as the young man produced a double fault to hand the set to Raonic having also produced two earlier double faults in the same game.
British tennis legend Tim Henman has been talking about
Andy Murray's fairly recent pairing with coach Jonas Bjorkman. Henman has stated that he believes that Bjorkman will
prove to be an excellent addition to work alongside Amelie Mauresmo.
UPDATE! Over on Centre Court Dimitrov is finding things difficult against Gasquet. The Bulgarian is currently 4-2 down having poorly thrown away game two on a double fault off his own service.
Despite yesterday's successes, Great Britain also suffered the elimination of rising prospect and number two
Aljaz Bedene who fell in four sets to the tricky
Viktor Troicki. The Slovenian-born Bedene has since stated that he plans to use the defeat to
help him learn and improve on his game ready in time for next year's tournament.
American Madison Keys made some promising headlines earlier this year when she reached the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career at the Australian Open. The 21st seed secured her place in the third round of Wimbledon yesterday when she defeated German Tatjana Maria 6-4 7-6 and has now told reporters that she played
"pretty well" in the victory.
UPDATE! Kyrgios has just played one of the games of his tournament to come back from 40-0 to put himself in a strong position for a break point. One of his best shots came from a standout forehand thump down the line to move him to advantage. However, Raonic has now managed to wriggle free off his own serve and leads 5-4 in the second set. Kyrgios has just thrown his racket so hard into the ground that it bounced up and was caught by one of the members of the crowd in the stands.
BREAK! He's done it... Kyrgios has given himself a major lifeline in the game having clinched a break point to lead the second set 6-5. He'll now be serving to take things to 1-1 in the contest.
SET! Kyrgios has levelled the match after producing three wonderful aces in a row to bring him level against Raonic. He's taken the second set 7-5. The Canadian could do little to get anything out of that final game. Is the wind now behind the Australian? We'll see...
UPDATE! Elsewhere, Wawrinka leads Verdasco having taken the first set on Court One 6-4. Goffin also looks on course to complete a straight-sets victory over Baghdatis on Court Three. The Belgian leads that contest 6-3 6-4 4-1.
French hopeful
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga managed to book a place in the third round against
Ivo Karlovic after beating
Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets last night. The 30-year-old has revealed to reporters that he believes his performance at the tournament so far has warranted a
"seven out of 10" rating.
RESULT! We've got our first major result in the bag today. Goffin has just confirmed his victory over Baghdatis in straights sets with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win. He'll now move into round four...
UPDATE! For those interested in the progress of Dimitrov, he's lost out in the first set to Gasquet who has claimed the opening gambit 6-3.
Earlier this week the women's game played host to an early shock result when world number three
Simona Halep was knocked out by
Jana Cepelova after three sets. The former Wimbledon semi-finalist has suggested that her
nerves were to blame following the surprise defeat in the first round.
UPDATE! We're slowing edging closer to a result in Wawrinka's clash with Verdasco. Stan is now two sets up against his opponent and is leading the game 6-4 6-3 with the third set underway. Meanwhile, Gasquet is in a dominant position against Dimitrov as he holds a 6-3 6-4 advantage.
Britain's Murray is due to meet
Andreas Seppi in the third round tomorrow. The Italian has been speaking to reporters ahead of the clash and has revealed that he believes that he has
"nothing to lose" against the tournament's number three seed.
UPDATE! Exciting times for Kyrgios as he has just moved a set ahead of Raonic at 2-1. The young Australian produced a memorable showing during the second-set tiebreaker by registering a mammoth six points in a row on his way to sealing the extra period 7-3.
UPDATE! There's another men's game taking place over on Court 12 where Kevin Anderson is one set up over Argentina's Leonardo Mayer after clinching a 6-4 victory in the first period of play.
RESULT! Play has been concluded on Centre Court where Gasquet has produced a superb 6-3 6-4 6-4 straight-sets win over Dimitrov, The 11th-seeded Bulgarian looked a little off his game in the contest and the Frenchman has made him pay without really being challenged too much. Next we will be seeing Djokovic and Tomic take to Wimbledon's top surface in the next 20 minutes or so...
RESULT! The impressive Wawrinka has also secured progress into round four having made relatively light work of Spanish opponent Verdasco. The 30-year-old has wrapped things up in straight sets by claiming a 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory over on Court One.
UPDATE! Kyrgios is really going on strong now against Raonic. He has just broken his Canadian opponent and is serving for the game at 5-3 in the contest's fourth set on Court Two.
RESULT! What a comeback from Kyrgios. The youngster has just clinched a standout victory in four sets against Raonic, who led after originally impressing in the first set. Kyrgios then came back to win an impressive tiebreaker in the third and has not stopped since. The Australian has earned a 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win.
We will now be diverting your attentions firmly towards Centre Court where reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will be facing up against Australia's Bernard Tomic. This contest will be covered with a live game-by-game commentary as the Serbian seeks to map out a route in a bid to retain his SW19 crown.
Djokovic shows his power early on to crash an impressive forehand across the court to open the scoring, which is then followed up by a mistake from Tomic who cuts out the back of the court. Djokovic registers again with a wonderful ace, before sealing the game with another. Amazing tennis!
Tomic shows some class with a nice ace to bring things level at 15-15, and Novak then cuts a wide one to give his opponent the lead. The Serbian then chops into the net, but is dealt a reprieve as Tomic makes a mistake and fires into the net too. The Australian finishes the game with a forehand smash down the line.
More strong work from Djokovic sees him produce an ace to draw parity at 15-15. A wonderful forehand whip gives him the lead and another masterstroke then sets things up at 40-15. Tomic hits back to force two errors and bring about deuce. Novak eventually wins out with another impressive ace followed by a great backhand cut towards the back of the court.
BREAK! Tomic opens with an ace that Novak barely sees, but the Serbian hits back with the cheekiest of lobs. The champion moves ahead when Tomic slices into the net and that advantage is furthered after another crunching forehand whip deep into the baseline. Djokovic breaks his man when Tomic produces an error to give the game to his opponent.
Djokovic continues unmoved as he takes a 30-0 lead with another adroit winner. He then registers an ace to make it 40-0... And then another to win the game. Tomic is in dangerous water already!
Strong forehand work from Tomic early on sees him move in front, but he is then countered by Novak who forces the Australian into a forehand error. Novak does well to remain in the game and he comes up with a world-class backhand swipe across the deck. Tomic moves out in front and takes the game when Djokovic produces two forehand errors on the return.
Novak takes the game unchallenged by Tomic as the Australian is unable to prevent four forced errors in a row. If Djokovic can break this time he'll take the first set...
Tomic doesn't do himself any favours as he cuts into the net first up despite setting up the point well enough. The Aussie is soon in front when Novak skies one out of the court on the return, before making the same mistake twice. The Serb is powerless for a minute or so as two more poor returns see Tomic win the game.
SET! Djokovic keeps up the pressure off his own service and he moves to 30-0 with a volley winner and a forced forehand error. Tomic registers when his opponent cuts wide, but Novak takes the set following a mixture of forced and unforced errors on both the fore and backhand.
Djokovic storms out in front, but is soon back level when he fires needlessly into the net on the return. A poor cut is then lofted out the back of the court to see Tomic move out in front at 30-15, and then another wayward loop sees the Aussie setup for the game. He finishes things off when Novak produces a forehand forced error.
The Serbian champion pulls off a sublime cut to give himself a 30-0 lead, which is furthered when Tomic is unable to return a masterful serve. Djokovic takes the game after producing an outside cut that proves too much for Tomic to send back accurately.
Some early errors from Novak give Tomic the advantage at 30-0. The Australian then pulls off a stunning ace at 127mph to leave Djokovic stunned. He manages to pull 15 back, but the Aussie's defence ensures that his opponent eventually gets bored and splices an attacking shot beyond the baseline.
Cracking work from Novak sees him rush the net and then cut a lovely dink short on the other side to make it 15-0. That stunner is then followed by another well-timed cut at the net, which wrong-foots Tomic. The server comes up good with an ace to make it 40-0. Djokovic wraps it up by forcing an untamed return that hits the net.
Novak establishes the perfect point only to fumble his potential winner close to the net, but then follows up with a great volley that just misses the baseline to give Tomic the lead. The Australian wins out with an impressive service that sees a forced error from the current Wimbledon champ.
Djokovic grabs a mammoth lead as Tomic commits three errors in a row on the return. Novak forces yet another mistake and then takes the game with a splendid forehand on the attack towards the net. Punishing shot from the Serbian there!
BREAK! Tomic has Novak sliding all over the shop before wrapping up the first point, but a long hop brings the scores level at 15-15. Tomic can't quite keep a rally in the lines and Djokovic goes out in front. The champ is then wrong-footed by Tomic, who draws level. Novak works his opponent across the court and then punishes him with a crack down the line. He wraps up the break with an enticing cut that sees Tomic return into the net.
Hmm, a little dodgy from Novak on his own service game as Tomic moves 30-0 ahead following two poor, unforced mistakes from the Serbian legend. Djokovic hits back with a forehand winner, before Tomic makes a silly mistake to level proceedings. Great cutting from Novak gives Tomic little chance to return and he soon takes a 40-30 lead. He rushes the net only to then be lobbed by his opponent who takes things to deuce. Djokovic is given advantage when Tomic cuts wide down the line and the game is soon finished when Novak throws his man a serve that cannot be matched.
SET! Tomic makes too many errors and Novak doesn't let him get away with it when he comes up trumps with some superb defensive play to seal his final point required to take the set. Djokovic is looking untouchable in this encounter.
Djokovic disappoints on his serve as he double faults twice in a row to make it 30-0 in favour of the Australian. He doesn't quite have the answer to Tomic's approach play at the net and Tomic is on course for a break at 40-0. Tomic gifts Novak when he fires into the net, and the Serb comes on so strong with a delightful crunch across the court leaving Tomic shaking his head. Novak wins a huge challenge to prevent the break and deuce is reached when Tomic sends one out the back. Djokovic takes an advantage with an unplayable ace, before winning the game with the truest of forehands.
Smiles all round as Tomic fails with a call on an incredible backhand from Novak. The Australian replies well with a forehand volley followed by a service winner at 30-15. Tomic continues smartly and makes it 40-15 with a forehand, only for Djokovic to reply adroitly by forcing a backhand error. Novak is next to rush the net and it forces Tomic long and the ball flies out of the court to induce deuce on Centre. Advantage Djokovic when the Aussie fires into the net, but we're back at deuce after an unstoppable ace from the youngster. Tomic comes up with the goods to take it to his own advantage, but fails with a scoop to drop off the pace. He eventually comes good with two aces that win the game for the Australian.
Tomic takes two early points at 30-0 with a winner and forced error, but Novak comes back level after an error and a superb forehand. The Serb seems in great shape again by winning out a big point by crushing a backhand across the face of the court. Novak takes the game with an ace at over 120mph.
Silly in the opener from Tomic who splices wide on the return to give Novak the edge. The current champ takes 30-0 when the Australian fails to deliver on his backhand. He tries to rush the net, but Djokovic throws a wonderful lob to establish a break point. Tomic comes up good to make it 40-30 with a nice dink at the net, before booming a thunderous backhand past an on-rushing Djokovic to claim deuce. Djokovic then produces two straight errors to allow his opponent to hold his serve and hang on for dear life.
Djokovic comes up good with an opening winner, but then fails with his forehand. It doesn't matter too much, though, as a ruthless ace makes it 30-15 in the Serbian's favour. He then produces another ace at 122mph to make 40-15. Wow, three in a row for Novak whose next ace kills the game off.
Tomic still shows some class to register what is perhaps his best shot of the game with a crunching forehand to draw the scores level at 15-15. Tomic's forehand comes up short, but then delivers at the next time of asking to make it 30-30. Djokovic plays the bully with some clever strength that forces his opponent to cut long and wide of the white line. The game goes in favour of Novak after a tasty-looking ace.
GAME, SET & MATCH! Business as usual from the ice-cool Serbian. Strong service from Djokovic sees three forced errors in a row for Tomic as the score stands at 40-0. Tomic grabs one effort as his opponent fails on the backhand, but Wimbledon's current champion closes out proceedings with the most perfect of aces.
Fantastic showing there from Novak Djokovic who defeats Australia's Bernard Tomic in straight sets with a 6-3 6-3 6-3 victory. The Serbian now moves into the fourth round of the tournament. His service game looked fantastic as he totalled up 15 aces across that match.
That's it from me today, I'll be leaving you in the capable hands of Simon Sinclair who will guide you through the evening session...
Cheers Chris, afternoon everyone. I'm Simon Sinclair and I'll be taking you through the final games of day five, starting with a blow-by-blow account of number one seed Serena Williams's match against British number one Heather Watson on centre court.
UPDATE! Quick round-up of action from elsewhere in the women's draw and
Maria Sharapova has booked her place in round four of the competition with a
straight-sets victory over
Irina-Camelia Begu. Meanwhile, number six seed Lucie Safarova has advanced to the next round with a win over American Sloane Stephens.
Right, we're ready for the off on centre court and Williams will serve first.
Solid start to the match for Williams as she nails his first serve to race into a 30-0 lead and then takes advantage of an error from Watson to move 40-0 ahead. The Brit gets her first point of the match as the American goes long with a forehand, but the number one seed clinches the game with an ace.
Williams goes for power on her backhand return but clips the net and the ball bounces out. The American hits back with a powerful cross-court forehand to level the game, but Watson nails an ace down the 'T' to push ahead. A mistake by Williams earns the Briton a game point, but the American rallies with two powerful strikes to bring deuce. Watson regains her composure as Serena goes wide with a forehand and then long with another to level the set.
Watson starts the game with an forehand into the net, and Williams compounds her advantage as she moves the Briton across the court before volleying to secure the point. Two further long forehands follow from Watson as Williams secures a love service game.
BREAK! Wiliams puts the pressure on Watson immediately by earning the first point of the game, but a wide forehand from the 33-year-old levels the game. A deep return by Williams puts Watson on the backfoot and the number one seed works her across the court to fire a winner. The Briton fires wide with a forehand to present Williams with two break points, but she delivers a forehand down the line to cut it back to one. However, Serena dominates with her power again to bring up the break with a forehand down the line.
Williams starts with a good first serve to maintain the momentum of her break, but Watson rallies with a series of good shots to hit a backhand winner. The 33-year-old takes control of the game with an excellent serve down the 'T' and then puts Watson on the backfoot as the Briton is unable to loft the ball over her opponent at the net. Serena completes the hold as the 23-year-old goes long with her forehand.
A good first serve from Watson yields the first point of the game, while Serena finds the net on the second to hand her a 30-0 lead. Another error from the American hands the 23-year-old three game points, and she secures the love service game as Williams fires the ball into the net. A confidence-builder for the Briton.
Serena races into a 30-0 lead as her serve is accurate from the off, but Watson rallies with a strong forehand down the line to get herself in the game. However, the American gets back to form with a pinpoint deep backhand which beats the Briton and then fires another powerful cross-court backhand after shifting the 23-year-old around the court to secure the game.
SET! Williams takes the first set as she earns her second break. Watson earns the first point of her service game as Williams drills her forehand wide, but the American responds with a volleyed forehand into the corner to level. The American then displays her accuracy with a powerful forehand across the court which clips the line, and then an error from Watson brings up two break points. The Briton is off with her forehand down the sideline, which hands Serena the first set.
Watson takes the first point of the game from Serena's serve, but the American responds with a serve down the 'T' which the 23-year-old gets her racquet to, but cannot return the ball into the court. Watson struggles with her forehand again as she goes long, while two further mistakes from the Briton allows Williams to take the first game with relative ease.
A good start for Watson as she earns the first point of the game following a strong serve, and Williams gives her further initiative by going long with her forehand. The Briton then plays her best point of the game as she battles at the baseline with the American before Williams drops the ball at the net, which forces the Briton to scramble and hit a deft volley winner, which earns the plaudits of earn opponent. An forehand error from Williams closes out the game for the 23-year-old.
Williams shows her class to secure the hold as Watson tries to be more aggressive, but the American still takes the first point, although the 23-year-old quickly levels. However, Serena demonstrates her power by moving Watson across the court before smashing two forehand winners to secure the game.
Good play by Watson at the start of the game as she powers a bachand down the line, but Williams just destroys her second servee with a dismissive cross-court backhand. However, the Briton rallies once more to earn herself two game points with a couple of strong forehands and she clinches the game with a good serve which Williams cannot return.
BREAK! A huge moment in the match as the British number breaks the American's serve. Watson secures the first point of the game as Serena goes wide with her forehand, and the Briton produces a fine bit of play to take a 30-lead with a deft volley just over the net. However, Williams comes roaring back into the match with a powerful serve and then rifles Watson's short reply past the Briton before following it up with an ace. Watson keeps coming at the American with a solid forehand which is smashed into the net by the American, but another ace brings the match back to deuce. Williams goes wide with another forehand to hand the Briton a break point and she is able to take it when Williams double faults. Game on!
BREAK! Williams hits straight back at Watson to level the set! Serena comes out with intensity and hits back at Watson with a series of powerful forehands to earn the first point of the match. For once, Watson's slice lets her down as the ball hits the net with the American lagging at the back of the court. The best rally of the match comes on the next point as the women trade lusty blows, but Williams loses the battle as she goes wide with her forehand. However, Williams earns two break points as Watson goes long with a forehand. The Briton gets away with the first one as the back judge calls the ball out even though it hit the racquet of Watson, but a strong point from Williams secures the break anyway.
Williams is strong on her first serve to earn the first point of the match, but Watson plays an excellent cross-court forehand to put the American out of the court to hit a backhand winner. The Briton comes at the number one seed again to earn a 15-30 lead, although Williams produces her best tennis with a serve and volley to level the game. Williams forges ahead, but Watson manages to make deuce with a strong backhand, although a strong point from the American secures an advantage and a mistake from Watson presents the game to Serena.
Williams plays a sublime point as she eases Watson around the court before dropping the ball short and Watson's attempted lob is not good enough and is played into the open court by the American. Watson rallies with a better lob this time as she loops the ball over the American at the net and then produces an ace to take the lead in the game. Destructive tennis is the response from Williams as she bludgeons the ball across the court with a fierce backhand to level. Two errors from both players level the scores at deuce, but Watson earns an advantage as Williams goes long with her forehand and then the American goes wide to level the set again.
BREAK! Watson breaks again! Williams reads the return from Watson well as the Briton tried to drop the ball over the net, but the American was on to it in a flash to fire a winner past the 23-year-old. Watson levels following a good rally, but Williams edges ahead once more with her powerful play around the court. Two errors in a row from Williams hand Watson a break point as she goes long with her forehand and then wide with her backhand. The 23-year-old keeps herself in the point off Williams's second serve and watches the ball drop out off the American's forehand to earn her second break of the set.
SET! Williams goes long with her forehand and nearly slams her racquet into the grass as her frustration builds on centre court. The response from the world number one is emphatic as she slams Watson's second serve past her with ease. Watson plays the point of the match as she is forced to scramble from the baseline to intercept Serena's drop shot and is then able to volley into the open court from the American's return. However, another fine forehand from Williams keeps her in the game and a double fault from Watson hands the number one a break point. Watson is not down yet though as she keeps her nerve in the rally of the match before firing a backhand winner beyond the reach of the number one seed. The battle continues as Watson spurns a set point, but another error from Williams gives her another chance. On the British number one's second serve Williams slams the ball into the net to hand Watson the game and tie the match at one set all.
BREAK! Incredible scenes as Watson breaks again to take the first game of the deciding set. Williams hits the net with a forehand to earn the first point and a wide forehand follows. Two aces bring her back into the game, but Watson holds her nerve to stay in the game and waits for the error from Williams to take the break.
Watson holds! A crucial hold for Watson as she stems off the advances of the world number one. Williams comes at her straight away with a powerful forehand across the the court, but the Briton battles back with a series of volleys and awaits the mistake from the American to close out the win as Williams goes wide with her forehand.
BREAK! Another break by Watson! Williams tries to wrestle back the initiative as she powers an ace to win the first point of the game and a second powerful forehand earns a 30-0 lead. However, Watson rallies to bring up deuce as the American continues to make mistakes. Williams spurns the chance to take the game as Watson somehow keeps the chance to a break alive. The American then goes long with her shot and then double faults at the worst possible time to hand Watson a second break and a 3-0 lead int the deciding set.
BREAK! Early mistakes by Watson hand Serena a 30-0 lead, but she rallies back to 30-15, although a fine shot on the forehand of Williams hands her two break points. Williams spurns the chance to take advantage of the second serve of the Briton as she blasts her backhand into the net. However, the American earns two further chances to break back as she produces a fine backhand down the line, but again her forehand proves to be her downfall as she overhits going for the baseline. Watson then has a chance to take the game, but Serena fends her off and with a firm forehand to keep her hopes alive. Watson double faults to hand the American an advantage, but then picks the perfect time to find her first serve with a beauty down the 'T' before finding a forehand winner. However, Williams keeps herself in the game and capitalises on a rare forehand error from Watson to take an advantage before clinching the break.
A momentum swing in the favour of Williams perhaps as the number one seed secures the hold with relative ease. Watson is loose with her forehand and backhand and gifts points to the American as she closes within a point of the 23-year-old.
BREAK! A forehand error from Serena as she tries to go for the line down the right and misses. She then follows that up with a loose shot into the net to hand Watson a 30-0 lead, and it doesn't get any better from the number one seed as she smacks a tame second serve from the Briton into the net with her backhand. However, a better response on the second serve yields her first point of the game as she fires a forehand down the line. Williams turns up the heat and wins the next three points to earn an advantage, and then slams the ball down the line before tapping the winner across the court. We're all square now!
Williams earns the hold to take the lead for the first time in the deciding set. She races into an early lead in the game by powering her forehand past the Briton, but Watson keeps herself in the game with a variety of top-quality groundstrokes, including one excellent lob to earn a break point. Serena fends off the break and then produces her best to secure the game.
Watson has the hold as she battles past the world number one with a series of excellent shots despite an onslaught from the world number one to keep herself in the set. An important hold for the 23-year-old.
BREAK! Watson secures a crucial break as Williams picks the worst time in the match to fail to register a point on serve. The American hits a couple of unforced errors to hand Watson the initiative and then tries to slice the ball with her backhand down the line as the ball bounces the wrong side of the line to hand the British number one the break.
BREAK! Watson misses the chance to secure her victory on serve as Williams produces her best tennis to keep herself in the match. The world number one produces several solid returns to yield mistakes from the 23-year-old and she eventually overcomes the Briton to take the game to level the set at 5-5.
Serena nails three serves in a row to race into a 40-0 lead as she rediscovers her form at the perfect moment. The 33-year-old sees out the game as Watson goes long with a forehand return to take the lead once again in the deciding set. ALl the pressure is on Watson now!
GAME, SET, MATCH! Williams comes through as she takes the third match point on offer to slam a forehand at the feet of Watson to clinch the match. The British number one battled valiantly to keep herself in the match, but the quality of the world number one shone through when it mattered the most and she has now booked her place in the fourth round of the competition where she will face her sister Venus.
Well.. Heather Watson's journey at Wimbledon comes to an end in the third round, but she battled extremely well against the world number one, who was forced to produce her best tennis to claim the victory. The 23-year-old should be very pleased with her efforts, although it might be hard to console her this evening as she led 3-0 in the final set.
Williams has been speaking about the match, and has admitted that the encounter was one of her toughest on centre court, she told
BBC Sport: "I have had some tough losses but that was the toughest match. She played unbelievable and should have won the match. She gave her all and showed what a great player she is.
"She could get beyond the top 20, she is playing really well. She should set her sights higher. She was playing so good there was nothing I could do."
UPDATE! Serena will face her sister Venus in the next round of the tournament after the 35-year-old defeated
Aleksandra Krunic in straight sets 6-2 6-2 to advance. Take a look at our report of the match
here.
UPDATE! Victoria Azarenka has also booked her place in the last 16 at SW19 following her victory over Kristina Mladenovic in
straight sets 6-4 6-4. The 25-year-old will take on Belinda Benic in the next round of the competition.
© Getty Images
Great Britain's Fed Cup captain Judy Murray has conceded that Heather Watson will be bitterly disappointed by the manner of her defeat to Serena Williams, although she has admitted that she was very encouraged by her display against the world number one.
She told BBC Sport: "It was an amazing match. Heather was blown away in the first set and Serena was serving big and hitting big off the ground. But Heather dug in, there were a lot of drop shots and short balls and she disrupted Serena's rhythm.
"To be 3-0 up in the third and serving for the match, I think Heather will be devastated to not come away with a victory as she was so, so close. But it's such an encouraging performance as she never gave up."
UPDATE! We're keeping you posted until the match between John Isner and Marin Cilic comes to an end. At the moment Cilic holds a 2-1 lead in sets, and in the fourth it is currently 5-5 with the American on serve.
Richard Gasquet has been
revelling in his victory over
Grigor Dimitrov as he dumped the 11th seed out of the competition in straight sets.
"It's important to win a match on the biggest court in the world so I'm really happy with the way I played," he told BBC Sport.
The Frenchman will now face Australian Nick Kyrgios in the round of 16.
John Isner has forced a deciding set in his clash against Marin Cilic as he has claimed victory in the tie-breaker 7-4 to keep the battle alive on court one. It's all to play for now!
Heather Watson has spoken about her narrow defeat to world number one Serena Williams on centre court. The British number one had chances to secure the match, but she fell just short and has revealed her disappointment she could not hold out for a famous win.
Watson told reporters: "I was two points away from winning that match so I am pretty disappointed. The atmosphere was fantastic and pushed me on, but I just wished I could have closed it out.
"I wouldn't call losing the greatest day of my career. I am pleased that I gave myself the chance to play the best in the world and gave myself the opportunity to beat her. I didn't take it, but I hope the experience will help me next time."
UPDATE! Marin Cillic has take control of the deciding set in his clash against John Isner as he is a break up and has just taken a 3-0 lead. The American has a lot of work to do to get back into the match, and the 26-year-old will be eyeing to wrap up his victory this evening.
More from Heather Watson as she has suggested that her performance against Serena Williams proves that she can mix it with the best players in the world.
She told reporters: "I had chances and it was so close with points that could have gone either way but when she needs to hit a winner she does it.
"But I've learned I can compete with the best in the world."
© Getty Images
Heather Watson's coach Diego Varonelli has declared that he is "proud" of the 23-year-old's display in her defeat to Serena Williams.
Watson held leads of 3-0 and 5-4 in the final set, but she couldn't close out the victory as the world number one rallied to claim her place in the round of 16.
Veronelli told BBC Sport: "I'm so proud. There are a lot of positives to take but it is hard to talk. I felt she deserved to win but you have to win the last point.
"That game at 3-0, if she had taken it and gone 4-0 then that would've been crucial, but once it was 3-1 Serena got back into the match.
"We both said before the match that we don't just want a decent match, we want to win. Heather has been dreaming of this day since she was 11 or 12 years old - to play the world number one on Centre Court and she was right there, but right now it's hard to speak."
The battle between John Isner and Marin Cilic is still raging as the American managed to find a break back and the score is now locked in at 6-5 with the 30-year-old on serve. A reminder that Isner played out the longest match in history at Wimbledon five years ago against Nicholas Mahut. Could we be in for a repeat of that epic?
A quick preview of what is coming up tomorrow on centre court, which includes British number one Andy Murray. The action begins at 1pm BST.
Samuel Groth (Aus) vs Roger Federer (Sui) [2]
Jelena Jankovic (Ser) [28] vs Petra Kvitova (Cze) [2]
Andreas Seppi (Ita) [25] vs Andy Murray (GBR) [3]
Incredible scenes on court one as we are still going in the match between Isner and Cilic. It's 8-8 in the deciding set and despite immense pressure from the Croat, Isner is holding firm to keep his hopes of reaching the last 16 alive.
A referee has just been out to have a chat with Isner and Cilic about the light. It's beginning to close in on court number one, but both players are quite happy to remain out there. It's 10-9 in favour of the Croat in the final set.
PLAY IS SUSPENSDED! Isner rallied from 30-0 down to take tie the final set at 10-10 and the officials finally call time on the day as play is suspended due to the light. The match will begin once again tomorrow.
Thanks for joining our commentary today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for all the action from day six. Goodbye!