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ICYMI at Wimbledon: Simona Halep sent packing, Novak Djokovic plays spoiler and World Cup fever takes over

Michael Steele/Getty Images, Useben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

WIMBLEDON -- The first week at the All England Club is officially in the books, and what a week it was. Saturday was no exception -- offering up more upsets, more heat and more hilarious moments.

Miss any of the action or need a refresher? We've got you covered before your Middle Sunday rest day.


Top-seeded Simona Halep was stunned by Hsieh Su-wei in a three-set thriller on Court 1, causing the already chaotic women's draw to somehow get even more chaotic. Halep, the world No. 1 and reigning French Open champion, was one of just two of the top-10 seeds remaining in the draw heading into Saturday, and now Karolína Plisková, the No. 7 seed, is the last one standing going into the second week.

If somehow you're not already astounded by that, please take a look at his handy graphic that shows exactly why it has been Upset City at Wimbledon this week:

While virtually all of the top seeds are now out of the tournament, Serena Williams remains and is easily now one of the favorites to take home the title. And while the seven-time Wimbledon champion is surely excited to be back playing in Round 4 in just her fourth tournament back from maternity leave, she also had a moment of sadness on Saturday morning.

She posted on Twitter that her 10-month old daughter Olympia had taken her first steps, and she missed it because she was training.

Alexis, for her part, didn't seem all that upset that her mom missed out on the milestone, and looked more ready to join her at the office than anything:

By the afternoon, Serena's mood had improved considerably, as she appeared -- based on another tweet -- to be watching England defeat Sweden 2-0 in the World Cup quarterfinals.

In perhaps the least surprising news of all time, Serena wasn't alone in her excitement over the match. Virtually everyone in the country -- even those at Wimbledon -- seemed to be watching the game. The final moments were shown on the giant screen at Henman Hill -- and the crowd seemed overjoyed by the result.

England's own Kyle Edmund was playing Novak Djokovic on Centre Court when the game ended -- and it couldn't have made for a better environment for the local favorite. He took the first set and looked to be on his way to handing his country another major victory.

Djokovic later described the atmosphere as "Davis Cup-like" but also as "slightly unfair to me." After being called for a time violation and feeling the wrath of the fans, the three-time Wimbledon champion started sarcastically blowing kisses at them.

"Of course, I don't like when I throw a racket or scream or whatever, but I have to accept that I'm a human being like anybody else, that I can feel the pressure as everybody else," he said. "My interaction with the crowd, I thought had good things and not that great things. I just reacted the way I thought it was fair, the way they reacted to me."

But in the end, Djokovic was able to channel his frustrations to rally and convincingly win the next three sets. His immediate reaction after sealing the win pretty much says it all:

Well, you can't win 'em all, England. But you knew that already.


While the men's side of the draw has been considerably more stable, it, too, has its fair share of upsets. And Saturday was no different, with Ernests Gulbis, the 138th-ranked player in the world, sending No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev packing in five sets. The former world No. 10, who has been playing mostly Challenger events this year and had won just one tour-level match all season, became the first male qualifier to advance to the second week at Wimbledon in six years.

When asked where the win ranked in his roller coaster of a career, he said simply: "As an up. Definitely an upside."


No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal refused to fall victim to an upset, and he cruised in his third-round match against Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to set up a showdown with Jiri Vesely. However, while Nadal himself is likely focused solely on that match, everyone else seems more interested in the potential championship clash against Roger Federer.

One reporter just couldn't resist asking the 17-time Grand Slam champion about that possibility on Saturday, and Nadal's response was absolutely perfect.

Question: The draw, you and Roger, scheduled to meet in the final if you go through. Is that a match you would like to happen again?

Nadal: "If I am in the final, I prefer to face an easier opponent. I am not stupid."

Have to love that honesty. If you're still looking for more Rafa, please cast your eyes below and watch this incredible tweener shot from Saturday's victory.


The dream-team, mixed-doubles pairing of Sloane Stephens and Jack Sock advanced to the quarterfinals after winning their second match in as many days on Saturday. The American duo have roared past their opponents and seem to having a great time together in the process.

While the moment below is actually from Friday's win over Sam Stosur and Dominic Inglot, it sums this duo up perfectly, so it's worth watching. In the clip, Inglot serves, Stephens impressively returns it for the point, and Sock reacts perfectly.


There were a number of famous athletes in the Royal Box on Saturday. Like, so many that I won't even be able to name them all here. But here are some of the standouts, in my humble opinion.

English soccer (er, football) legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who led the team to its last World Cup title in 1966, was fittingly in the crowd ahead of Saturday's quarterfinal win over Sweden. He left after Nadal's victory to watch the game.

Golfer Sergio Garcia just couldn't stay away and came back for the second day in a row. And this time he brought friends -- fellow PGA players Matt Kuchar and Tommy Fleetwood.

Olympic-gold-medal-winning heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill was there:

And, with apologies to the Queen, Billie Jean King and Rod Laver made it clear who the real royals are at Wimbledon, as they were given the warmest of receptions from the fans at Centre Court. That's apparently what happens when you combine for 27 titles at Wimbledon and approximately 4,000 others across tennis.