Day 4, Part 1 Wimbledon

Welcome to day 4-mac at Wimbledon. Yesterday on Centre Court we

witnessed a much unique in so many ways. Fred Perry won the title be

tough and stayed involved in tennis and commented here for many years

and he would certainly have approved of the attitude that Marcus Willis

brought to Centre Court yesterday as he took on Roger Federer. It was a

match that reminded us all why we love sport so much. I was just a bit

of a loser, overweight. He was a lovable rogue and not as

professional as he could have been. I thought I could be better than

this. Absolute madness. Shoes off if you love Willis! It is a very cool

story. He will play the game. Roger against Marcus. David against

Goliath. To share a court with Roger Federer, what a joy. Very good from

Federer. I hope the best for him, I wish he

can jump in the rankings and enjoy himself even more now. It was a

pleasure to play against him. It sounds funny but I'm disappointed to

lose, I went out to win but I can hold my head, I have had a fantastic

few weeks and I want more experiences like this. And we

certainly want more of Marcus Willis. He has been the big story of

the opening three days at the Championships. It felt like a Davis

Cup tie yesterday, a carnival atmosphere and everybody getting

involved. The only person who did not was Roger Federer who was the

ultimate professional. Marcus Willis may have lost but he has a lot to be

proud of. This is the scene at Wimbledon today and because of the

backlog of matches there are still some first-round matches to be

completed. Play has got underway at 11am so we will be heading out to

court very soon because there are so many matches to date as the

tournament committee tries to catch up. Henman Hill is not as busy as

usual because everybody is enjoying the tennis on the outside courts but

still some people watching on the big screen. Good morning. Here at

Wimbledon people are still talking about Marcus Willis and Roger

Federer. What a match that was and what a story it was. Roger Federer

has treated overnight... -- tweeted. No Marcus Willis left in

the tournament and no Roger Federer today, he is through to the third

round. There are still some first-round matches to be played but

this is the Centre Court action which start at 1pm as usual. Kei

Nishikori is up against Julien Benneteau and then it is Yen-Hsun Lu

against Andy Murray. And then Eugenie Bouchard against the British

number one, Johanna Konta. Another tough match for the 16th seed.

Dimitrov and Simon only played one and a half games before the rain

came yesterday. And then Garbine Muguruza takes on Jana Cepelova.

Dominic Thiem and Jiri Vesely, two 22-year-old with big futures. These

are the other matches we will be following.

Dan Evans has taken the first set against Dolgopolov and is a break up

in the second. We will be keeping an eye on the

outside courts but also on the practice courts. Andy Murray is

going through the motions, getting ready for his match, he is second on

Centre Court also he is with his coach, Iban Andres -- Ivan Lendl,

and Jamie Delgado. Not an easy match for him today against Lu who put out

Andy Roddick on the second Monday of the championship some years ago so

he will be taking it very seriously. That was Andy Murray earlier today.

And he will be delighted by the progress of Dan Evans, his Davis Cup

team-mate who is now two breaks of serve up against Dolgopolov. He must

be sitting down happily at the moment. You can follow that online

come on connected TV and on the BBC sport app. It is going well for him.

And John Isner, one set up against Marcos Baghdatis. Baghdatis was 4-1

up in the second set but Isner is now serving to take it into a

tie-break. Lovely to see the sun shining here today for the I had

forgotten that was blew up there! It was not the case yesterday, there

was rain for most of the day. In fact, the club had to give a full

refund to Court Number One ticket holders and it cost them about half

?1 million. It is the first full refund since 2007 also other ticket

holders were offered partial refunds but hopefully there will be no need

for that today and the blue sky will remain but we can find out from the

person who knows, Carol. This is better. So much better! We should

have plenty of play today both up it will be a bit more cloudy yesterday

so bright rather than wall to wall blue skies. Just a risk of Peshawar.

-- of a shower. When the cloud goes across it feels a bit cooler, but

when the sun is out it is beautifully warm. Tomorrow is

similar, rain in the morning but by the time we get underway we are back

into the risk of just one or two showers. Again, some sunshine

around. Saturday looks to have a greater chance of some showers and

some of those could be heavy and thundery. But a lot of play for the

next couple of days. I thought you were going to say it would be

beautiful on Saturday! Oh well. Thank you, at least it is good at

the moment and play is underway which will please the tournament

committee. We are heading out to court number 12 to see Heather

Watson who played that amazing match against Serena Williams last year.

Her first-round opponent was Annika Beck of Germany and this was last

night just before the rain stopped play. She suffered a heavy fall, she

iced her ankle and had it bandaged but a couple points later they went

off. You could see how miserable it was. We are going to join it with

the match resuming today. Watson had taken the first set but then lost

seven games in a row. This is where we picked it up with Beck serving at

30-15 and our commentators are Jo Durie and John Inverdale.

JOHN INVERDALE: That is a high-quality first rally. JO DURIE:

it looks as though Beck is moving fine. I want some of those

painkillers! I should say as well, Beck's served

in that first point, tentative was not the word, 62 mph. That's one

crawled over the net. APPLAUSE

That was not much better, 76 mph and it puts Watson in a very good

position up the court where she can boss the point. It did not seem as

though Beck moved quite so well to that shot wide on her backhand side.

That was good scrambling by Heather which was frustrating the German but

that error on the backhand side, and you suspect actually that Beck is

quite relieved to have held serve. After all the mind games and how it

finished last night, if Heather at broken back that would have been a

very interesting change in emphasis. I think so and she squeaked out a

bit. She will try to target the Beck backhand into that corner and get

her moving. A big service game for Heather.

APPLAUSE That was positive enough. It was

nice and composed. She took her time on each shot, especially this one.

You don't need to go too much near the line on that when you have got a

nice gap. Back standing well inside the court

for the second serve. -- Beck. When you are serving, how

much are you conscious of where the receiver is standing? Very conscious

and that is what you try to stand in different places when receiving but

actually Beck did not hit the return hard at all, she has been quite

passive so far. She has let Watson get on with missing.

That is a disappointing shot. They are both quite tentative because

they know there is a lot at stake here. Very close to each other in

the rankings and before this game began, everybody said it was too

close to call and both players seem to know that.

Oh dear, two in a row off the backhand side. And these serves from

Heather, 70 odd mph, are giving the initiative to the German and

suddenly this could be a really key point in this match. Beck has two

break points for a 3-0 lead in this decisive set.

And if you were being honest, that was not Heather's best game. It

wasn't, that is Beck's coach. She is very happy. Beck is not doing very

much, she is putting the ball in court, a lot are half court and they

are there to be hit but at the moment the Watson is hitting them

out. And the pressure now is ever greater. At 3-0 there is not much

margin for error. No. When you go down 3-0, there is only one option,

you have got to play better and get the energy and motivation and focus

from yourself and take it on to court and show your opponent. There

is not that much threat from Beck, she is just getting the ball back in

court so Heather as to be proactive somehow. Can you do that

conservatively? She has got to keep the ball in court. She has but she

has the show the energy and intention to her opponent first of

all. -- she has to show. Annika Beck is just three games away from

victory over Heather Watson and a place in the second round so it is a

big game for Herbert big opportunity for as well now. -- for her. And the

crowd are desperate to get into this match and if Heather starts playing

better they will get behind her. That's better. APPLAUSE

And you can tell from the reaction of the crowd. That is one of those

great chicken and egg dilemmas. The players might say that the crowd did

not get behind me but the crowd would say you were not playing well

enough! Always an interesting dance. -- balance.

That's more like it! That was more like the first set. She was hitting

those forehands down the line all the time in the first set and they

were working beautifully because Beck was not really spotting them.

There was a little bit more pace off the ball from Beck but really a

forehand that Watson should have made. She is jogging around, trying

her best to get going. UMPIRE: Miss Watson is challenging

the call, it was called in. I know we can get obsessed by statistics,

in sport in generally, but Heather Watson, 32 unforced errors in this

match and Beck has 13. Ouch. Thank you very much. Heather will

take those all-day. That was really tentative from Beck. That look like

a serve where she had looked at the scoreboard and thought, if I win

this point I am 4-0 up. Oh no, very awkward on the shot from

Watson, or over the place with her balance. -- all over the place.

Annika Beck with a point for a 4-0 lead.

I don't know if Watson was just holding her leg. She was very low on

the ball. She comes across... Her mum was looking at her anxiously. I

think that is what mums always do! I guess! That was a good serve by

Beck. I think Heather lost her footing in that previous point. Her

left foot slipped beneath her. Great shot, Heather Watson! That's

more like it. Because Beck was hitting the ball whole lot harder in

this rally and suddenly Watson switches it and she could not catch

that. This could be a really pivotal moment in this match. If Heather can

get back into it, doubts might start creeping in for Beck. That is a wild

first serve. She played that so well. You could

tell that Beck knew how important that point was, the second serve was

69 mph. She was basically saying, go on, over to you, I'm giving you the

chance to win the point and she did just that so here is a break back

point to break a run of nine consecutive games she has lost.

That is caught 12 down on the bottom right. And caught number two on the

right-hand side is where Dan Evans is playing so this is like a British

enclave! -- court. She has left it awfully late but

better late than never. That was what was happening an awful

lot in the first set. Beck knows, she had three game points in that

last game for a 4-0 lead. And she was almost Dolly Inc in the second

serve and hoping Heather would give it to her rather than take it

herself -- dollying. But better reaction now from Heather. You can

see that mentally she is in it, she has the feeling that she can still

win this. That of course is one of the great

differences of the women's game. One break of serve is not necessarily

the end of the world. That is another good forehand from

Heather. The force is with her now. It was perfect because she tries

this into the corner, and this stands up and Watson takes it right

on top of the bounce, she flattens it out.

That forehand is working well. A big shriek from Heather. Suddenly we

could be 3-2 and that is a very different ball game to 4-0 which she

might have been. Look at the footwork now, much better and more

dynamic. If she can just win this point, the

doubts might start creeping into Beck's mind. She does have a break

of serve but it is not like playing John Isner where if you are a break

of serve down you ring Uber and check out of the hotel! It's not the

same. That was... Golly. It was horrible

because Heather tried to get her first serve in by ticking the pace

off, it was only 86 mph, so that is really going to hurt. That was, I

must get this in. It was out but 108 will make her feel a lot better.

That was a potential winner until it hit the net. The net took it wide

and now, we have said this half dozen times in this match, but the

wonders of the tennis scoring system, suddenly when you thought

you were right back in the game, if Annika Beck can win this point,

Heather Watson might be out of it. UMPIRE: Miss Watson is challenging

the call. It was called out. I think it was out as well. That was a much

more positive swing at the ball. But clearly wide.

APPLAUSE A lot at stake on that point. And

they both knew it. I thought Beck might stand further up the court

because she was bossing the point but she ended up quite far behind

the baseline. Watson hanging in. And another of those unforced errors

that are bedevilling her game now. That is 37 now in this match.

Another opportunity for the German to seize the initiative.

And Heather will be bitterly disappointed by that, as you can

see, hurling her racket into the ground. And a code violation, she

does not like that racket at all. She is livid with herself because it

was not as though Beck won that game, Heather gave it to her. She

almost broke herself, unfortunately. I understand her frustration because

she was getting going, the crowd were with her and she was hitting

those shots down the line which she had done so well in the first set

but now she is playing catch-up again. Maybe the moment has gone

because Beck was definitely feeling more uptight. We

mentioned unforced errors. If you look at it in game terms, 38

unforced errors from Heather, 16 from Beck, a difference of 22 points

which is almost a set. And nine games in a row, a lot of them were

in there. Beck is playing quite defensively and waiting for the

Watson errors at the moment. There was variation in the quality of her

performance in the last game because she hit some great forehand and then

one or two shots that were simply not good enough for a player

aspiring to play at the level that she does. Here we are at 4-1 and

Beck has two breaks of serve. But you still sense that there might

be a lot of tennis in this match. Especially... There are nerves on

both sides of this court. Beck is not exactly going after her serve so

Watson has a chance. Good shot. It's a great forehand

from Watson. Loads of spin, and this was very flat. What a super angle.

It was the right one to try. The gap was there. She loves that backhand

down the line. She has to give herself a bit of a gee up.

Well played, Heather. Moving the German from one side of the court to

the other. Watson played a great return and of course she's going to

come in after that. On an overhead, she is very good. I have never seen

her miss one. And low and behold,... So who is going to take this game by

the Schruff of the neck? 4-2 in the final set and you would say that

Beck can see the finish line. And she can ease past her if she cut out

the errors. Perhaps it is positive. That is a wide server. When you can

see your opponent at the other side, you can see the tension on their

shoulders, not quite getting through their shots as much.

Let's draw a veil over that point and say that Heather won it, and she

is 30-0 up. If she can hold here, she is right back in this.

Three aces for Heather so far in this match.

A game to love, and now the pressure is all on Beck. Which coaching team

would you like to be part of now? I would fancy Watson. Coming from

behind sometimes is slightly easier because there is no option. You have

to be bold and brave. She has the fire back in her eyes. Her coaches

working part time with her. He has a young family. But Annika Beck is

feeling it out here, trying to get this win. At 4-1, you can see the

locker room, you can sense the shower of victory. And you tends to

be a bit tentative unless you really go for it. She had one or two poor

ground strokes and suddenly you glance at the scoreboard and you

think, wasn't I up? Beck needs to work her serve a little better

because Watson is returning very well. Heather's mum has moved set.

Sending positive energy to her daughter.

Don't give anything at the moment. I don't think there is any need to go

near line. That is how so many rallies in the

first set ended up. With a back forehand or backhand. -- Beck

forehand. You can sense from Heather's body position, she is

prowling. She consents she is onto something. -- she can sense. Another

one in the net from Beck. And when you get tense, you don't reveal your

whole stroke, you just hold off a bit, your muscles are getting

tighter. Were played to the German. Two

positive ground strokes. But still an opportunity for Heather to get

them back to level pegging. She's been to the nets twice in the entire

match, and lost the point on both occasions. Oh dear. Both serves in

the 60s, that tells you how nervous Annika Beck is at the moment. And

the initiative has well and truly passed to Heather Watson. Ten

minutes ago she was 4-1 down and now she is at for all. -- 4-4. The food

workers got better and better this set?

It is all Watson now. Every servers going out wide and getting good

reward. -- every server is going out wide.

That is a way to do it. The crowd on her side right now. She has such

good deal around the net area. She gets underneath the ball, wrote nice

and low. The time for composure for Heather

Watson because she could serve this out. Annika Beck is going to be

dreading the next service game. And you have to say, how positive

Heather has been. At 4-1 down it is so easy to not exactly throw the

towel in but say, how are you playing? It was like that at the

beginning, she could hardly make a ball. But it is all about managing

your emotions, working around the problems yourself. And she has got

herself going with the footwork, the way she is getting onto the ball,

showing Beck that she is willing to go it more than Beck is. She really

wanted her opponents to mess to win the match, she did not want to win

it. But Heather is out there to win it now. And a penny for those

thoughts at the moment. Her serve has got slower and slower and

slower, and more and more tentative as the set has gone on. It's not

easy to go out and say, right, I'm going to really give it a go. She

has only won three points in the last four games. She is really up

against it. Unlikely. The chance was there. The

crowd growing, they really want you to win so much.

And that is frustrating. You can see an Heather's face, the annoyance.

Two points that she has effectively given to the German. And that really

flew off the racket. I think the first one was a good one to go for.

That cannot have felt great. Off the line. The ebb and flow of tennis is

such that Heather last nine games in a row in the middle of this match

and it could very easily have been ten. And now she has won four in a

row, and that is the run that Beck is trying to break to get them back

to five apiece. Beck will feel a lot better after

that. She was helped along by Watson. Those first two points. But

then she hit through the ball very well. It is all about serve and

return at the moment. Watson needs to get a high percentage of first

serves in. She does not need to hit that hard on grass. She is hitting

the white one well. You feel that if Watson's forehands down the line had

been in, that first point, it would be game over now. Becker would have

thought, it is getting away from me. But now we back the match. -- but

now we are back into the match. New balls, of course, so it will be

interesting to see who can control them better. And the wind getting

up. Quite noticeably. Very hard to tell which way it is

blowing because the weather vane at the end is going all over the place.

I think it is left to right. From those trees, it is going from the

umpires chair across the stand. That had served her so well

throughout this match, the drop shot. She plays it well, normally.

Maybe Beck took a step towards the net and tried to play it to close.

That serves, out wide to the forehand, it has served her very

well throughout this match. Exulting herself to greater efforts there.

And the crowd with her, too. At the moment, I imagine she is trying to

target that forehand again. A great shot. That was almost

Samprasesque. That will make a great photo. Two positive points to get

back to 30-30. Come on, she says. An ace. Heather Watson on fire.

And having faced the possibility of losing her serve, here we are now

with the chance for a 6-5 lead in the set. And a big cheer from the

crowd on courts 12. -- court 12. We have been playing now for two hours

and five minutes, as you can see from the bottom of that caption.

This has been a match of three halves. The first three games played

yesterday lunchtime and we came back for an hour and a quarter yesterday

evening, during which Heather won the first set and lost the second.

Now we have been here for nearly 45 minutes, and it has been ebb and

flow again. It seemed like it was going Beck's way and then it was

Heather's weight but now the pressure once more is really on the

young German. I thought that was a fascinating game by Watson. 0-30

down, she looked like she might lose her serve but she steeled herself

and thought about it. Very composed in the end.

What a difference a day makes. This time yesterday it was grey and

dreary and very hard to get anybody is used on or off the court. But

now, a real buzz. -- anybody infused.

Good depicting. She likes to go down the line. -- good deep pitting.

Well, that was a tremendous winning shot from Beck. But it was real cat

and mouse there. Beck has not played many of these. And Watson came back

with a short one. Becker knew she was going to do it so she was right

there. The redrop, which I think is a word that is creeping into the

tennis vocabulary. A drop shot off the drop shot.

That was a first serve of 67 mph. And that was a second serve at 63

mph. The winds to get away from Watson. It is trickier cheer. It is

hard, because you have to generate your own racket speed.

That was a terrific down the line winner from Heather.

So you can talk about forehand and backhand is an slow serves and

whatever you want to talk about but this is when it comes down to nerve.

This is all about courage and nerve and who is willing to grab the

moment. But what a better look today at Wimbledon, with a bit of sun. It

changes your outlook of life. Shadows all over the court.

That is the sum up there. Oh, Heather.

An ace. Ace number six. That really was a rabbit from a hat. That was

amazing. Talk about being courageous.

Merely. If I was Heather I would have challenged that.

Didn't get up to that bowl. Stretching for it. No control. Will

she go to her favourite wide serve on this crucial point.

Are we close to the tipping point here?

That is a loose shot, a really loose shot from Heather Watson. And her

coaching team, Jeremy Bates, as you can see, he has come down to watch

the end of the match. That was a forehand with no belief.

My goodness. She was saying it was a bad bounce but she was very far

behind the baseline. The ball did not get to her. It is all a bit

jittery at the moment. It sure is. This is the nerve centre of

Wimbledon. At the moment, Beck is hitting

through the ball better than Watson. She is committing to it.

Ace number six could not have come at a better time for Heather Watson.

She went to her trusty serve out wide, which gave her a

straightforward forehand down the line. Psychologists always talk

about treating each point in isolation, treating 15-0 in the

first game the same way you would treat 6-6 in the third. There is

more on it, but you were trying to get on with it.

That was the brain sending messages to the arm and to the shoulder and

ultimately to the racket. Seven aces, six double faults. Slide the

first serve in. She is not wide. -- she is not wired

into you, Jo. She went for it. And she gave it too

much. No wonder Watson is taking a little bit more time.

Great server. What she wouldn't give for two more of those. She composed

herself beautifully for that serve. It is so tense here, you really can

cut the atmosphere with a knife. I don't think Watson wants a forehand

at the moment. And I think Beck knows that.

Well, that was a huge point and both players played well together for the

first time in a while. And Heather took the gamble and it didn't pay

off. And Annika Beck will serve for the match in just a moment. We had

better breathe as well! It was very uptight, that long rally, they were

both trying to hit it and it wasn't quite coming off the racket sweetly.

Who was going to miss first? Beck was slightly stronger. She was

scrambling well because Heather was in the ascendancy and dictating it

but not to the point where she could put it away. You are saying it is

tense, it always amazes me at matches like this that there are not

more people taken ill from the coaching panels and parents and

friends! You play every shot and especially in a game like this that

swings one way and the other, how you remain phlegmatic and calm...

You have to, as a coach, because your player will look at you so

whatever you are feeling you had to portray calmness. The thing about

this match is that Annika Beck will not serve Heather Watson off the

court. This serve has been broken several times already and can be

broken again. Heather as to seize the moment and get back on level

terms or otherwise she is going out of Wimbledon in the first round.

Annika Beck serving for the match. APPLAUSE

Well played, Heather. I am surprised Beck did not put a lob up, it might

have induced a few jitters. I think she is very tense about finishing

off this match so all is not lost yet.

APPLAUSE Never in doubt! As it left the

racket head, you thought it was going wide and it just caught this

puff of white. It wasn't hit cleanly but it was on the line.

And that was on the line as welcome it held the ball up. -- as well, it

held the ball up. That is just the rub of the green.

Lovely. Good shot, Heather. Positive, sweetly struck. Hitting

her forehand so much better in this game.

APPLAUSE Well, who wants to win this match?

I think they both probably want to win it too badly and this is what it

comes down to. No tie-breaks here at Wimbledon so you had to play it out.

And the scheduling committee are thinking, we will put this game on

first and be done by half past 11 and then we can get on! Here we are,

another hour later and it is anybody's match.

And it is the Beck ground strokes that are breaking down now. You feel

that Heather has the armoury to win this match which Beck does not have

and that might be the key factor. She is certainly serving better than

her opponent. We said at 4-1 to Beck that there

was a lot of tennis still to play but I'm not sure we thought quite

this much. I thought that was going to go over

for a second. There is an air of resignation over Beck and three

points for a 8-7 lead for Heather Watson in the final set.

APPLAUSE I'm not sure what Beck was

complaining about because that was a sweetly struck ace, number eight of

the match. This final set has been an hour and

a quarter so far. It could easily have been won 40 minutes or so ago

but now the opportunity is there for Heather Watson to break Beck's serve

and make it through to the second round but... The momentum keeps

shifting from end to end, sometimes going ahead, you don't keep hitting

the ball and they have both been guilty of that. Even if Beck hit it,

she does not go in after it so Watson can scramble at the back of

the court and wait for a better shot to hit herself. It's exhausting! It

is. All day yesterday from beginning to end they were on and off and then

starting first today, the whole process is totally exhausting. That

was Heather's mum, Michelle, who has been going through this for the last

12 years and more. I don't suppose for a second that it gets any

easier. She was just as engaged in the under 12s 12 years ago, playing

every agonising point. On the line again. You could see how it hopped

at Watson. There doesn't seem to be an

advantage from being ahead in this set. Or serving.

That was an easy shot to play, didn't need to hit it too hard. She

is serving a bit better in this game actually.

Heather Cross with that because that game went past in the blink of an

eye and from 8-7 it is 8-8 swiftly. Should we have a final set tie-break

here at Wimbledon? It has been talked about a lot am especially for

the guys in their five set matches. You can talk about having a

tie-break in the final set here, John Isner is on the next-door

court, let's ask him! Exactly. I couldn't believe that one on the

baseline was in, that Watson didn't challenge. Neither of them wanting

to hit the ball at the moment. She came straight over the top of

that shot. You have made the point several times during this lengthy

third set which is heading towards an hour and a half, how Beck has

been targeting Heather's forehand. When it's good, it's very good but

she has also conceded a lot of points on it as well.

Watson a lot happier, she got a few backhands in a row to go for.

APPLAUSE Beck goes long.

I think a gust of wind just took that ball as well. Here is Heather

looking at a 9-8 lead. Beck a full yard inside the

baseline. But then she retreats a long way

behind it and puts the ball way over the other end.

We can't call it an epic but it's long! It's long and nervy and

extremely tiring, when you had yesterday with all the rain, coming

in and playing first today and it is dragging it out of these two at the

moment. It is very difficult at this stage of the match, the first round

of a Grand Slam, there is so much on it. Whether you can be brave enough

to hit the ball and go for it when it is there. The oldest cliche in

the world, the hardest point to win in tennis is the final point, as

Heather will tell you from what was an epic match against Serena

Williams last year when she was within two point of beating the

number one seed. She has got to the third round here in the past. Her

opponent has only got to the second round before. But they both

desperately want a chance to be in the second round against probably

Kristina Mladenovic. We are so far behind schedule, there is a second

round match waiting for one of these two tomorrow but who will it be? Who

can seize the moment? No, again, not quite getting

through. I know the serve landed on the line and it was very awkward but

there was that forehand where Watson doesn't get enough racket head

speed. Another error from Heather's racket.

And if Beck was to win this match in the end, it would be the unfortunate

errors that Heather would look back on, they currently stand at 56-26

against her. A 30 point differential in the

unforced errors. Well, she should go for that but if you are up to it a

bit further, it is a bit easier. Beck held her last service game very

easily. And she has held that even more easily.

Here we go. You forgot to try to keep your focus. It is a very long

match and taking a very long time. You have to try not to judge point

by point but try your hardest on every one. It is from here.

Beck guessed right. Good from Watson, she made herself really

rotate into that and hit it and go for it. And so important to win the

first point in the game at this stage in the contest. A tiny

cushion. APPLAUSE

That is a bigger cushion now. Great shot, Heather Watson! CHEERING

AND APPLAUSE And again!

Oh! What up point. Take a breath again. Ladies and gentlemen, as a

courtesy to both players, please remain quiet during the points.

Almost impossible for the moment to anybody to win up point against the

serve. -- win a point. I actually think the umpire can instead of

saying what she said, should be telling everybody to get more

involved! Shout and scream more like in the Davis Cup! It is great when

they get involved. They certainly did in that point. It was a great

drop shot from Heather and a great get from Beck and then she did well

to get back after the lob. And in these tricky conditions, it is quite

blustery, to judge it right. She knew her opponent would get that

very near the net but from that position it is very difficult. And

then Beck is fast. That was a good get but yet again, the Watson

overhead is brilliant. A swirling wind but she kept her eye on the

ball until the key moment. She obviously has her game face on now

because she has tied her hair up in a bun! No distractions! There is a

job to be done and do it now. And new balls. Again, who will be bold

enough to hit them? Oh yes! Beck's last two service games have

been very straightforward for the German but you sense this might be

Heather's moment. Yes, take that! 0-30, two points

from victory. She is waiting to pounce on these short serves.

CHEERING That error from Annika Beck means,

after two and three quarters hours out here on court 12, over 26 hours

since we began, it is match point. And still match point. It's nice

when you have three in a row! Whatever happens here, it will still

be match point. Heather Watson on the cusp of the second round.

That is a brilliant shot. And Watson didn't do much. The ball wasn't

going anywhere, it was ripe to be hit. Well now...

That was a really nervous first serve.

It's the line! You have to say, that was very brave from Beck. Heather

Watson had three match points. And the German, who has been so

tentative when facing opportunities to win the match, suddenly

discovered boldness when she was on the point of losing.

That is well played again from Beck. The ball was swirling around. Watson

started off the game so proactive, going after the serve, and she has

not done it since then. It is hard to make yourself do it. Now Beck has

a chance for 10-10. And she takes it. Huge frustration

for Heather Watson who had three match points in that game. And you

would have to say also, huge frustration for the German camp.

There we are, 93 minutes, this final set. I am sure they are looking at

their player going, why did you not played with that panache and

confidence when the game was sitting there, waiting for you to seize it?

I will say again, it is very easy from here.

You could see she held back on the drive volley and you just can't, you

have to have a full swing. The first set was all Watson, the second set

all Beck and this final set is all over the place. 10-10.

It is 0-30 on Heather's serve now but as this match has proven, it

does not matter who is serving and returning, every point is played in

isolation. The betting exchanges on this match must be extraordinary as

it has fluctuated one way and the other. Seven points in a road now

for Beck. -- in a row. And she will be cross about that. It

was a good serve from Heather that came in on the wind which is

blowing, as you are looking, left to right from the umpire's chair across

to the stand on the other side but she got tucked up a bit there.

And that is to make the game simple, just serve and ace and be done with

it. Nine now for Watson. And when she serves one, she usually serves

two or three in a game. Oh no. From one extreme to the

other. I was trying to be positive. I'm going to nudge you in the ribs

to say, don't do that again! Nine aces but seven double points and now

it is break point for Annika Beck for an 11-10 lead.

Well, it's not the end of the world by any means because history in this

match tells us that you cannot read anything into who is serving for the

match ought not serving and who has the ascendancy or not but you would

rather be 11-10 up than down. I think lingering still those three

match points because when you have them in a row you can be brave on

the first one and as it goes on, especially Watson got a bit passive

on them and that was a hangover into the next game. The thing is, I just

don't see Beck coming out and being as positive as she was when she was

0-40 down so it is hard to judge what will happen next in this match.

We have had so many players who have been 0-30 down who have then won the

game, that it is by no means certain what is going to happen. We're

heading close to two hours and 50 minutes on Court 12. And this,

effectively, is now a penalty shoot out. Between Germany and England.

A mess by Watson. I didn't think Beck was being particularly

proactive. That was, I think, the slowest

server of the day. And it's not what it deserved. It did. And Watson

controlled at beautifully. She did not have to hit it that hard. She

will be cross about that. And she will be even more cross

about that. As the clock ticks towards three hours out your own

Court 12, Heather Watson finds herself two match points down

against Annika Beck of Germany. But there we are. In moments of crisis,

everybody is going for the big shot and they are making them. But that

was a backhand for Watson to have a go at. I think she was quite

relieved. One match points saved by Heather Watson. Can she save the

second? She can't. That has gone long. And

Annika Beck of Germany, in a match that began more than a day ago on

Court 12, has won an extraordinary match of ebb and flow against

Heather Watson. 3-6, 6-0, 12-10, and the final set, where the initial

Nestor -- initiative switched back and forth and you were never sure

who was going to grasp the nettle in the end. Heather Watson leaves Court

12 very rapidly, very disappointed. SUE BARKER: Huge disappointment.

Annika Beck, so strong. Heather Watson fighting hard but it is so

tough and it is so disappointing, heartbreaking to lose a match here

at Wimbledon. So close, when you have had so many chances,

particularly at 0-40. Heather Watson, out of The Championships.

That was a short time ago, and we will be catching up shortly. But

plenty happening elsewhere. This was Court Number One I short while ago,

with Gregor Dimitrov, great to see him back. A semifinalist in 2014 but

how has he been doing? He has been struggling for form since then, now

ranked 37 in the world. He is up against Gilles Simon, a

quarterfinalist last year. That is starting on Court Number One and if

you want to watch that, it will be on the red button. Simon against

Dimitrov on the red button. And meanwhile over on Centre Court, here

comes Kei Nishikori, up against Julien Benneteau, who has a ranking

of 547. He has a protected ranking of 39. Kei Nishikori, he had an

injury scare and had the trainer on for his first-round match. But he

says he is fit and healthy and that matches on court. It is available

online, on the website and on the app. And this is happening

elsewhere. Venus Williams, the five-time champion out on Court 18,

and she has started well, up a break of serve already. Follow that

online. Isn't it lovely to see the sun shining around Wimbledon. Wada

change for the last three days. And that is what is happening your life.

Plenty of results to bring you. Sloane Stephens, a quarterfinalist

in 2013, seeded 18 at these championships, she is through, 7-6,

6-2. A good Grand Slam Red Ed. She was a semifinalist at the Australian

Open as well. The 18th seed, safely through against Shuai Peng. But one

seed is going out, Christine and more than a pitch of France, the

21st seed, she has lost in only her second Wimbledon.

Bacsinsky, in some form on Court number three, uncomfortably through

6-4, 6-2. Always an exciting to watch. Some men's result and Sam

Querrey, the big server from America, he has only reached the

fourth round here, but he is safe, through against Thomaz Bellucci,

6-4, 6-3, 6-2, but waiting for him in the next round, Djokavic. From

one big server to another. John Isner, the 18th seed, back here at

Wimbledon, and he has come through against Marcus Baghdatis. He came

back from 4-1 down in the second is to take it on a tie-break. Took the

third set 6-3. John Isner is through in straight sets. And he will face

Matthew Barton, who finished off his match against Olivetti, who came

through on a protected ranking. The crowd loving this match. What a

battle out on Court Number Ten. Four hours in three minutes and his

Australian fans, cheering him every inch of the way. Four hours and

three minutes, I think he will be sore tomorrow, through to face John

Isner. We are thoroughly enjoying the weather here. Plenty of ten is

underway. And we are going from one British player to another. Dan Evans

is in action as against Alexandr Dolgopolov. This match was held over

from last night. Dan Evans won the first set tie-break and then went on

to take the second set against the 30th seed. We join it at the start

of the third set with Dolgopolov to serve.

Evans having a conversation with himself. What an error from

Dolgopolov. Another chance. For Evans to take hold of the set at the

beginning. And he has. From 40-15, he has sealed the game. Dolgopolov

must be wondering what the heck is going on. From 40-15, he really did

leave the door ajar but Evans sprinted through it. And this

passing shot here, it is the result of him being in the gym, going about

his business day-to-day, like a pro. It is a shot he would not have been

able to play this time last year. It shows you the quality of his

performance so far, it is a real surprise when an error like that

comes. In control of things at the moment.

Dolgopolov trying to extricate himself.

I think a couple of serve and volley is and the last few service points

by Dolgopolov showing that he is well and truly in Plan B here.

Just clipped the outside of the line.

I hope it is not speaking too soon but it seems to me that he has his

opponent on the ropes. The words to easy come to mind.

Dolgopolov possibly does not know what to do any more. Or was that too

strong? I think that is absolutely right but I do think that most of

that is down to the quality of Evans' play. We were talking about

it last night, how good his tennis was, and he has come out today, and

in the hour or so that he has been out here, this has been a different

level altogether. It has been clinical, a clinical display of how

to play on grass. His movement has been perfect, he has been very

simple tactically. He has been focused on any time he has had a

chance to dictate points, he has done it. He has not put a foot

wrong, except for serving for the second set at 5-2 when we had two

loose points. And when you are playing as attacking game he is, it

is a very fine line between being in control and stepping over that. But

he has been absolutely superb so far.

Back to taking each game as it comes.

That is a fine piece of play. Classic grass court tennis. Well, it

used to be. And again such intelligent play. 30-30, such an

important point. Asking Dolgopolov, can you provide a pass? And the

answer is no. Well played again. The movement of

the ball there, he really had to dig one out. That kind of sides then

slice here from Dolgopolov. Normally that getting the job done, and

winning him points, but Evans has all the answers today. -- sides spin

slice. The Ukrainian has stopped a five

game run but he will need a deal of determination to get himself out of

this. The game point of his last service game, the second serve, 107

mph, you cannot execute shots and tactics like that if you do not have

an appropriate amount of relaxation in your body. His management of this

match has been faultless up till this point.

Warding off the sun, not the rain, in contrast of yesterday.

Dolgopolov serving to stay in the championship.

Combination of flights and the deep forehand, perfectly executed. --

slice. The crowd has responded. A little

short of two hours and match point. A truly convincing victory by the

British player. That is probably the best two hours of his tennis career.

SUE BARKER: he will certainly have been enjoying his moment on Court

Number Two. Wonderful performance from down. What he did in the US

Open in 2013. Through to the third round there. He beat Roger a

Nishikori. After the match he spoke to us. You made it look pretty

simple out there. It was tough coming out yesterday. Stopping and

starting. It was difficult to get my head round coming out this morning

just to play the rest of the match. It was a strange one but I got

through 3-0. A different start to this match compared to the finish.

The first set went to the tie-break but you had to him by the third set.

What's changed? I was used to his game a bit more. Yesterday it was

wet and so I couldn't use my strength and movement and getting

him moving today, more solid underfoot, that helped me a lot. I

could come forward and close the net down. It was good. It is the

furthest you have got in Wimbledon. You know who you are playing next?

Yes. Pretty tough. Roger Federer, for people who do not know. He is

probably sick of playing British players in front of that noisy

British crowd! The British are normally a good draw! It will be fun

and I can't wait to get out and play and it will be Anna Mayes experience

and hopefully a good atmosphere. Is it the first time you have played

him? How will you compose yourself and still enjoy every second and

still play a good game? I have got to prepare as though I have a chance

to win the match and that is what I will do. He is obviously one of the

best players ever to have played the sport. It is difficult but I have

got to put that to the back of my mind and give it a good go. Well

done today. Thank you. SUE BARKER: just play the same super tennis

today, all he can do against Roger Federer. We look forward to that

match in the third round. This is what is happening on Dave four.

Grigor Dimitrov has been struggling with form recently but he is serving

now at that point against a player who knows his way around the grass

court, Simon. Not struggling with one today, Grigor Dimitrov has taken

the opening set 6-3. You can follow that match on the red button on

Court Number One. And on Centre Court, Kei Nishikori, the fifth

seed, serving against Julien Benneteau. That one is available

online on the BBC at or on connected elevation. -- BBC or on connected

television. And Andreas Seppi is up against me last round. He is tricky

on grass, -- Raonic. John McEnroe will be watching that, as his coach.

And we have Andy Murray and Johanna Konta, the British number one,

coming up. She did well against Monica Puig at Eastbourne and he has

another finalist today, Eugenie Bouchard. A tough seed for her,

seeded at Wimbledon for the first time. Another results to bring you,

former finalist and runner-up three ago, Sabine Lisicki. She has

defeated Samantha Stosur, the 14th seed. No great surprise, but a seed

going out. Sabine Lisicki loves grass court and Samantha has never

really embraced them. 6-4, 6-2. This match was held over from yesterday.

John Isner serving out against Marcos Baghdatis, winning the first

two sets in tie-breaks, no great surprise from big John. He won the

third set 6-3, so John goes into the next round to play Matthew Barton.

When they played yesterday in the rain, there was a lot of dispute and

discussion about whether they should play on or not. John Isner and

Marcos Baghdatis did not want to go on but they were asked to carry on

playing and no doubt they were asked about that in the press conference.

What did they have to say? It felt dangerous. When you slip earlier on

in the match, it gets into your head a bit and then you are timid moving.

It is tough for me, moving on this surface, given the way the balls

bouncing and whatnot. But yesterday it was very slippery and I think

Marcos fell a bunch of times as well. It was tough to make

aggressive moves on the grass yesterday. I think most players that

were playing during the couple hour period that we were playing, we were

pretty much agreed we felt like we were on ice skates and everyone was

pretty tentative. Of course he is a very tall man as well, so movement

is really key to his game. I think we will be hearing more about that

because a lot of the players were not happy about being asked to play

on. John is the first to speak up. With more showers forecast over the

next few days, that could be a theme, players being asked to play

on when they are not happy to and the risk of injury. One more results

to bring you before we go to some tennis, and that is Madison Keys,

number nine seed and quarterfinalist last year. She was taken a distance

today against the very talented Belgian Kirsten Flipkens but he came

through 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. -- she came through. She is into the next round

and Madison Keys has broken into the top ten for the first time. She is

the big American hope at The Championships along with the

Williams sisters of course. Talking of the sisters, Venus is out on

court 18 and what a difference this is. She has won 49 career titles,

five at Wimbledon. This is the 71st Grand Slam event and she is up

against a player who is a qualifier, playing in only her third Grand Slam

event, ranked 115 and making her Wimbledon debut. It couldn't be more

different. Maria Sakkari against Venus Williams. We join it with

Venus 6-5 up, but I think she had a break earlier. Tracy Austin and

Chris will bring us up to date. Yes, and how exciting it is for this

qualifier, the number one from Greece, 115 in the world, her debut

at Wimbledon. Just a third Grand Slam main draw. She got her first

ever win on the grass in Wimbledon on Monday in straight sets to

continue this fantastic run. And she has really made it feel like this is

nowhere near the biggest match of her life. There have been plenty of

chances for breaks of serve and she has had break in everyone but one of

Williams's service game. She held comfortably the first time around to

stay in the opening set. Here is the second.

She has just thought this out so well so far.

TRACY AUSTIN: Venus was looking so spot on and she is so poised, Maria,

for somebody in this situation. She has served better as the match has

gone on. Well done. She has thought of coach

herself because initially second was getting hammered. She had to adjust.

The first couple of games, she was a bit overwhelmed, nervous, and she

didn't look it but her arm was tight. Velocity on his serve and she

is looking self-assured. -- her serve.

She probably didn't need sat nav to get to court 18, Venus, but this is

her 19th Wimbledon, and she is not normally away from Centre Court or

Court Number One. That helps the Greek, we feel. Just starting to

spit with rain. A crucial time. The first bad shot choice that we have

seen. Wondering if rookie errors would show up at some point.

Long. Set point. The five times former champion.

Nicely done. That had to be a very nervous moment for the 20-year-old.

Just playing at Wimbledon has got to be overwhelming, never mind looking

across the court to the five-time champion. She has got to keep that

out of her mind and focus on what she needs to do at this point.

First sign of a lack of composure today. Second set point. Getting to

her. UMPIRE: Game and first set, Miss

Williams. It has taken an hour, a very tight opening set, but Venus

Williams comes through. Yes, she moved to Barcelona at 18,

Sakkari, to train. She has been there a couple of years and she has

a performer player as her coach, Puentes. They produce very good

players in Spain and Venus Williams had a real tussle in that opening

set. Experience won in the end. Just a little crack from Sakkari serving

to stay in that set in the 12th game. That was really the first sign

of nerves that we saw. A little overwhelmed with power beginning the

set. Williams going to the next 24 times,

that is cumulative pressure. Trying to come up with a passing shot or

lob with precision. Six double faults is quite surprising from

Venus compared to two aces. She has struggled with the first serve ball

toss, as she did on Monday. She has caught it a third of the time, it

feels like. So experienced. Battling her syndrome, fatigue being one of

the worst elements of that. An example of what you can achieve if

you change your lifestyle to deal with the condition. She is one of

the eldest here, Venus Williams, but the appetite is so strong. The

passion to play and challenge yourself. 36 now but at 35 she broke

back into the top ten last year. Perhaps as impressive as the seven

Grand Slam titles. Five here and two at the US Open. Williams to begin

the second set. The chair umpire is from Serbia. She

gave Venus Williams a time violation in the first set for changing her

racket. Venus then served a double fault with the very next point. I

imagine the look that the chair umpire got, she has probably not

warmed up since! Venus had not broken her string that she wanted to

change the racket. She even jogged to the chair to go and get the

racket. Venus looking very surprised that she got the time warning. If

she gets one for it again, she loses her first serve. She loses the right

to hit it. Well done. She has grown into this

match. She has a mainly played on the ITFs but she looks like she has

played at this level for a while. Much more comfortable than you would

think. Sakkari has qualified four times,

and she has played in the ITF and she has got to the finals of a

couple. Her best result was the quarterfinals at Istanbul.

The good news is when you really start to dig deep in her results.

She has pushed some top players. Navarro to three sets at the

Australian. All but one of Williams's service games she has had

break points. What she has got to expect is the pattern of a great

champion. Every time bar one, Venus has raised her game.

Both of those break points with tactically placed serves. Slices out

wide to the forehand. Interesting to see how each player

will be affected by that first set. Venus played much better with that

positive scoreline. Perfect rebound for the youngster.

Breaks Williams again. Will it be Sakkari who now feels so much more

comfortable having that set under her belt against the top ten player?

She is looking much more comfortable at the beginning of this second set,

filled with more belief than she was at the beginning of the first. The

way we have seen her think in that opening set, and she comes from

Greece and they have a good history of thinkers and philosophers. Yes,

Aristotle. They figure things out. They do. Doesn't look like she is

going anywhere in this match but up. And look at that reaction. That is

what you mentioned earlier. The second serve, first couple of

service games, Venus all over it. But the reaction said, I have got to

change that up. That is exactly what she said. I have got to go for it

more. How calculated was that? I was not

so sure when she invited Venus into the net but it ended up working just

fine because the passing shot was so powerful.

Sakkari has got to be careful that you doesn't lose length on her

ground strokes and play more passively. Anything hanging and

Venus. It to the corners. -- Venus will strike it to the corners. Two

more break points for Williams. Three from five converted so far.

Just the fact that Venus has had to save 11 is a surprise.

The top of that left leg was strapped in the match on Monday and

she looked like she couldn't put her full weight on that backhand just

then. A couple of interesting situations

in that point. The high lob that Sakkari didn't take out of the air

was a real missed opportunity and you don't get a second opportunity

in a point against Venus. That is what you do with a high,

floating lob. She has only missed one of those dry valleys. It cost

her her serve in the first set but other than that they have been rock

solid. Such great technique. Both arms up for balance. Even with her

shoulder. Another break point. Sakkari continues to use that

interesting positioning on her serve. It is like a doubles

positioning to get a good angle outright. She can also do a tea

served and a body serve. -- T serve. She half stopped. She looks at the

umpire. Probably the first time she has had Hawk-Eye and I think she has

forgotten. She can use it. I think both times she would have been

wrong. She is hoping. Three points ago and then that point, the shot

from Williams was on the line. So good. And she planned it. That

was superb timing. Taking a ball hard from across the court and

redirecting it up the line with accuracy. And people's faces. They

have been smiling for a while. Look at this young 20-year-old.

UMPIRE: Let, second serve. UMPIRE: Let, first serve.

Never paid Venus Williams before. First time at Wimbledon. She has

belied all of that. That's good look in. Do you think she will be

successful this time? You are not sure! I don't trust my eyes. There

is a magnet to that line in this game.

Made it! Williams breaks straight back.

Packed at the start from any vantage point, it magnificent, historic

court, number 18. Look how many want to get a view of this, getting up

close to Venus. Very intimate court for the crowd. It feels cosy for the

players as well. Incredible point construction. Deep

and hard, and then slices over the net, drawing Venus forward.

Very early on, it is a first meeting. She did struggle a little

bit with the pace and bounce of Venus's serve but not since. Maybe a

few extra nerves but she is dialled in now. I expect her to move up very

quickly. Anguish from Williams. And the Greek

just said vamos. Two more break points.

Again the raising of the level. Not an ace but another unreturnable, at

a critical moment. This is no break point number 16. Second serve to

look out for once. SUE BARKER: What a fascinating match

out on Court 18. We will be right back with it. Plenty happening on

this busy day at Wimbledon. On Court Number One, Gregor Dimitrov has

taken the first set from the 16th seed, Gilles Simon. 3-3 at the

second, live on BBC One. On Centre Court, die Nishikori, -- Kai

Nishikori, on against Julien Benneteau. That matches on the red

button if you want to follow it. And they are up to 15 courts, which you

can follow on the app and connected TVs. And this is one of them, Milos

Raonic against Andreas Seppi. And on Court 16, is this a big surprise?

One of the seeds, possibly going out. David Ferrer, two sets to love

down against Nicolas Mahut, who has a wonderful grass court pedigree.

But he has only reached the third round ones since 2006. He could be

going this time. This is Andy Murray's part of the draw. Nicolas

Mahut in charge on Court 16. And back we go.

Four breaks of serve in a row. Sakkari back for the break.

It is an hour and 20 minutes now. I'm sure her coach has told her that

Venus has major issues with fatigue. Newly two hours on Monday. Just

reading up about it, from one day to the next you do not know how you

were going to wake up, how fatigued you are going to feel. That looked a

little tired, footwork getting into position.

A different seat for her mum, on the back row. What a wonderful seat it

was, front row of the Royal box, watching Serena. Well deserved.

Fabulous. She never looks nervous. She is either controlling it very

well or she is phenomenal as a tennis mum.

UMPIRE: Let, first service. I love the variation she is putting into

her server. A kicker on the first. Thoughtful.

And look at Venus's results this year. She won in Taiwan, but the

highest ranked opponent she met there was number 61 in the world.

Extending the lead, the first holds for the last five games. A little

off the pace from last year, 2015. Remember, that is the year that

Venus broke back into the top ten with terrific results. Quarters in

Australia and the US Open, and the fourth round at Wimbledon. A lot

more consistent. That is what she was looking for in the first couple

of years after she let us know that she had been diagnosed with

Sjogren's syndrome. I think every match she plays is a bonus. She

still loves it and we love that she is still playing. A legend in our

game. She has just gone off the boil. I

continue to be impressed by Sakkari, just her attitude. Three qualifying

matches to get into Wimbledon. She is in trouble here, Venus.

Physically and mentally. She needed better footwork there. The

expression never changes on Venus's mother's face. And that could be the

route we see a lot more now. If you are Sakkari, you have to recognise

what is happening on the other side of the court.

What a backhand. A sharp angle. She is going backwards in that position,

and still with plenty of pace. More break points.

This impressive performance just continues.

It is so impressive. A heady seat for Venus here. It is becoming more

and more important now that she has grown into this match, Sakkari,

taking on Venus on Court 18, such a different feel to Centre Court, with

all the history. The court feels so at home for Venus. And it would be

so foreign to Sakkari. Sakkari was 12 when Venus first won here. As a

tennis prodigy in Greece, someone that was so passionate, wanted to

play on the tour, watching the final. If you play on Centre Court,

it is not only the court that is intimidating, but it is pre-match,

when you walk on from the locker room, and you see the beautiful

trophies, all the champions, and the elegance. The elegance of the room

before you walk out is overwhelming. This is much more comfortable. Cosy.

A double break cushion in the second set. Coming up to an hour and a

half. Just a few spots of rain. Venus might want it to rain at this

point. For a change in momentum. It is barely drizzle, but there is a

bit around. She will need to keep our eye on that one. Sakkari, ten

for 12 at the net. She comes in at the right moment, making the most of

it. Shall we put it down? I don't think it is raining any more.

Can Venus elevate her game here? And can Sakkari sustain this level?

Sakkari needs to not think too much now. Stay in the moment.

11th break point for Williams. She has broken four times.

It isn't. -- it is in. UMPIRE: Miss Williams is challenging the ball on

the right baseline. It took Venus are second to decide. A crucial

point and it is worth the challenge. She breaks back. Three challenges.

That was such a vital point. The importance of the double break. For

Sakkari, the rookie... That is a good try. She had a lull,

Venus, but she is getting it back together and pretty quickly.

That is a great server. Only 95 miles an hour.

So crucial for Venus to get back into the set and close it out in

two. There has been a lull, mentally and physically. Williams gets close

on the scoreboard. And it is interesting

with Venus, the results that you mentioned this year, yes, she has

won title, but in the first round of the Australian Open she lost to join

a contact and I have seen her walk off the court with a beaming smile

after losing, and that shows you that every match is a bonus. At 36,

she is surprisingly self, that she can still play at this level.

-- surprising herself. Also so happy that she was able to get back to

this level because she was outside the top 20 for a year and a half or

two. She was able to get back into the top 20, with a title in Dubai

and two other finals in Auckland and Montreal. In Montreal, she beat her

sister in the semis. And she followed that in 2015, even more

impressively. The spotlight firmly back on Sakkari's end. A double

break cushion now. It is a lot closer than that at 4-3.

Her coach in the middle, in the white shirt on the right.

A big moment here for Sakkari. One has a tendency, when you do not have

a lot of experience, to want to back off. You have to maintain that

aggression. That approach, she just backed off about 15%, an offer for

Venus to get in there in time. The margins are so small at this level.

Venus could have done more with that backhand volley.

Especially because Sakkari is so speedy.

A comment from the crowd put a smile on her face. And then that. I had on

the ace count. Who would have thought that? -- ahead on the ace

count. Not a bad idea, it looked like it

would make Venus moves at the furthest distance but she could not

execute. Such a pressure filled game. Venus

has done this a million times. It is routine for her.

Great length. Very close. Just caught the line.

It clear thought process. The kicker out wide to open up the court. Very

important. An impressive holes. -- impressive holes. And Venus has to

hold serve to stay in the second set.

She has to use your legs and be explosive up and out. -- have to use

her legs. It is notable, now that you have

pointed it out. I wonder if Sakkari has noticed it. At this point, she

does not want to give away cheap points like that.

She has done that so well in this match and that was a mighty touch.

This was so deep in the court. Look at the extension.

Is that just general fatigue, is her leg saw? Or is it a mixture? -- is

her leg sore. She's just not pushing up. Venus is

saying, move. She has to keep her feet alert. An hour and 41 minutes

now. In normal circumstances you would say, this is a second round,

so what. It is Venus Williams and everything that she is carrying. You

cannot get a better wide serve than that. Sakkari was in the park! That

is called a wide serve. Sakkari is going to have to serve

out the second set. It is a big question. Your thoughts?

What must Sakkari think? Well, she struggled at the end of the first

set to hold her nerve and that is where we saw the first cracks in her

armour. A few unforced errors and we stop that she had a little break in

her demeanour as well, chastising herself. Let's see if she can learn

quickly on the fly. Let's see if she can do it, to learn to be a lot more

consistent. Did you ever try reverse psychology, thinking, I am 5-4 down,

I have to serve to stay in the set. It is much tougher when you are in

front. I never did. I don't think I was making about the score as much

as what I needed to do, just the next point, which was the only thing

I could control. Coming back from injury I was thinking about a lot

more of those things, too many of those things. Somehow as a

youngster, early in my career, I was just able to think about the next

moment a lot easier. That is why you were number one at 17. So this is a

very big moment for Maria Sakkari. Serving for the second set against a

five-time former champion here at Wimbledon. 5-4.

Takes a little pressure off to get that first point. The first serve is

imperative for her. She has used that served so well, putting

pressure on that strapped leg. A clever serve. Clear thinking. She is

learning quickly on-the-fly. Three set points. Sluggish movement from

Venus. And it is just wide! I think she had

two challenges. The referee is saying it is too late.

She was not that late. Timely manner is what we say. I have seen

challenges been allowed longer after than that. I have, too. And this is

the first time that she has ever had challenges available in her career.

Or at least something that is very new. And she was doing the fist

pump, she thought she had won it. It is on hold. And now she has to put

that behind her very quickly. Just her second double fault. Still set

point. UMPIRE: Game and second set, Mrs

Sakkari. She has done it! She has taken the

second set 6-4! SUE BARKER: that takes the prize for shock of the day

so far. We will be back in a moment. On Court Number One, up on BBC One,

Grigor Dimitrov against Simon. He has taken the first set, Grigor

Dimitrov, and he is about to take it to a second set tie-break. It is 6-6

in the tie-break and you can see that on BBC One. Some results to

bring you. Simona Halep, the fifth seed, semifinalist last year, and

reached the final of the French Open the year before, no problems coming

through against 36-year-old Francesca Schiavone of Italy. She

got just two games, Francesca Schiavone. Disappointment for her.

Simona Halep romped through. Another seed to go out the ladies, is born

finalist, Karolina Pliskova. She has gone out to her very exciting

Japanese opponent Misaki Doi. Used born finalist goes out. -- the used

born finalist goes out. And David Goffin is another straight sets win

today against Roger-Vasselin of France. 6-4, 6-0, 6-3. The talented

Belgian, seeded 11, goes through. Nicolas Mahut is always dangerous on

this surface and it has proved so today. He has put at the 13th seed

David Ferrer in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. And back we go to court 18

and the start of the third set. First serve from Williams into the

net. Tracy, your thoughts going into the

final set? So much of it depends on the energy levels of Venus. They

really seemed to deflate in the middle of the second set. Not moving

as well. Not pushing up as easily on her serve. She needs that to remain

powerful on that shot. That was too good. It takes a number

of shots. And on the Venus ground strokes, if she is sluggish with her

movement, just half a step slow, Sakkari is penetrating enough to get

Venus on the defence. Venus is walking so slowly between

points. Speedy during the point. Aggressive with the court

positioning, hitting the ball early, also important.

Not much on that server. 81 mph first serve.

Williams is only one behind on the winning hits and half the unforced

errors. Solid start for Williams in this

final set. Both taking their time. Nobody has

moved from their seats, understandably. Just thinking about

the mindset of Sakkari, compared to the beginning of the match when she

must have had a lot of doubts. First Wimbledon and against a five-time

champion. Does she hit the ball Western Mark can my game match up to

it? She has answered a lot of those questions.

Again a clever serve. She is way away from that put it in second

serve at the beginning of the match. The body serve is so purposeful. And

the slice to curve into the body even more.

That took a lot from her. Super point.

Great return. Venus walking very slowly. She is going to be looking

for quick points. Well done! Both women established in

this final set. The perfect wrong footing. We

continue to see high tennis IQ from Sakkari. Vic Akers she has used

extremely well and the wrong foot is always successful on grass to get

that traction. -- the kicker she has used well. Last game with these

balls. We talked about the resurgent year

of 2014. Last year she was back in the top ten.

This year has been quite patchy. 57 in the world this year from January

the 1st. If I am Sakkari coat, I would point

that out to my charge. Venus has had two Venus like results, winning in

Taiwan, and the French event. This is just the ninth event for

Venus this year. She has pared down her schedule as well. All of the

ITFs that Sakkari has played, she has won 34 matches compared to 13

for Venus. I know they are at a different level but they are wins,

habit. Venus has really slowed down the

pace of this match. Taking just about all of the 20 seconds between

each point. Sakkari would like to play everything much quicker. She

does everything quick. It brings back the question about the

courtside clock. She has been given time violation for changing the

racket but she has no idea what 20 seconds it's. Nobody has.

Seeing the power and domination of Williams, is that when Sakkari has

been given a chance to play, boy, has she? Looking a little tired on

the last point. Just looking at the 3-set matches

that Venus has played this year, she has played five and just won one.

You wonder with this Sjogren's syndrome and just turning 36, if

that is starting to catch up. She has been beaten but not by huge

names. We have got to couch that with tremendous respect and credit

for Venus for even playing at this level and dealing with Sjogren's

syndrome, which saps your energy. Absolutely. She needs plenty more

winners and less unforced errors to get the win. Look at the thought

process here. There is so much for her to think about now, other than

the simple task of winning a tennis match. Policing her entire life.

Everything she eats, the humidity, the diet has got to change to deal

with the problem. Needs more sleep. Elbow room only. The top of the

broadcast centre as well. Is this going to be a major upset? Everybody

wants to be there to see it if it is. Or will the great champion come

through? This is why we love sports. It is

like the Marcus Willis story. Sakkari, first Wimbledon, moves from

Greece to Spain, trying to get better at her craft.

Venus was already playing the US Open when Sakkari was born. People

dream of success. The Williams sisters stayed wide awake to achieve

it and I think Sakkari is in that vein as well. That serve looked

wide. It has been called out. Very much delayed, the lines person put

the left arm out to indicate it was wide. Made no call. Such a clever

serve. Even though Venus knows it is coming, she struggles to deal with

it. It is a love hold. A great serve, but the downside to the

return is how long it was from Venus. She was much closer with the

returns. Not looking quite as sharp. She is going to have to dig very

deep to come through in this third. Venus and Serena didn't invent the

drive volley but they have mastered it! How easy did she make that look?

Again, short points are the order of the day now. Real urgency from

Williams in this game. Burst of energy. Snap the historic win, the

champion coming through? Where to point the lens? The camera men and

women know the players so well. It is sometimes valuable to talk to

them. An eight double. Beautiful timing. That puts pressure

on Sakkari to do a little more with her return.

So strong. We haven't had a break of serve now for a long time. Plenty of

breaks were so much of this match but it is going with serve

frequently now. They both have different hurdles to get over. Venus

has got the fatigue. The higher it gets, the more she feels tired, but

for the youngster, the hurdle of getting a great win. The biggest win

of her career. This is all so new to Sakkari. She lost in the second

round of the Australian Open. To Carla Suarez Navarro. She has played

so few Grand Slams. Her third Grand Slam. She qualified for the US Open

last year. She has given players like Suarez-Navarro a 3-set run this

year which has helped for this huge task. She has been knocking on the

door, but can she go through the door? These are the matches that you

dream of as a little kid. Playing against that backboard for hours.

Two hours and five minutes they have been hitting.

One have to fight the nerves, the other has got to fight fatigue.

Sakkari when asked who her idol was said Serena Williams, who she has

not met yet. The bad news is that if Venus knows that she might have

taken it personally! A fraction late. The first forehand

in the point that Sakkari got was kind of short and mid-court. She has

got to go bigger. If she doesn't go big, Venus will in the next shot or

two. Again, the wrong foot paying

dividends. Putting pressure on the left leg.

Great returning from Venus. Applying the pressure. 12 break points for

Venus. She has broken five times. Sakkari quick first step, terrific

racket work. Core positioning critical. Venus on

the baseline for the entire point, pushing Sakkari further and further

back. Sakkari has got to try to hold her

ground. Huge. A smile from mum. She is

getting excited. That was a monster backhand. Monster first serve from!

. Going kicker. -- monster first serve from Sakkari.

It is long. The first break in the final set goes to Williams.

Experience coming through. Just elevating ten or 15% when needed.

She has that extra gear to go to. I wonder if Sakkari can rebound.

31 of 46 at the net, for Venus. I thought it was long gone for anybody

in women's tennis to be at the net so frequently.

Just every now and then her footwork lets her down. Will this be

expensive? Sakkari moves over. Venus has chosen

to hit that T serve with slice. Crucial moments. Great length.

Deceptive in flight. Really went after those forehands.

Demanding to boss this from here on in and doing so. Slowly but surely.

You have to feel like this is almost match point. Such a huge deficit in

the scoreline for Sakkari. The net cord helping. I think it was

going wide. I think you are right. She loses her first serve. She has

been warned again. To the letter. As a result, look at this. More

pace. She is angry. I don't blame her. I really don't understand what

the umpire is doing. I have never seen Venus talk to an umpire. This

happens rarely. I am on Venus's side, both times here. Maybe this is

what Venus needed. One game away from the third round.

The first time she got the time penalty was when there was something

wrong with the racket. She hadn't broken a string, but she ran to the

chair, got the new racket and got a time violation, over 20 seconds. For

that to happen a second time, it is difficult to understand what the

umpire is trying to achieve. And it was a deuce point. Sakkari, just

taking a time out here, a change of scenery. She has done so well. It is

the biggest match of her life. How much does she have left? She has

been forced back, as you have been saying, Tracy, she has given up

ground. Venus hasn't missed. She has the winner- on for Sarah ratio in

her favour. -- unenforced error ratio. She has learned a lot. If she

does not win this match, she has checked off a lot of boxes about how

her game matches up against the best. Serving to stay in the match.

Super. Hugging the baseline. And that is the difference. Sakkari lost

that element. She pushed back to far and lost the velocity of her ground

strokes as well. Venus had elevated them both.

She is serving without question. Credit for that.

Sakkari is letting us know that she just pulled up a little on that

forehand. It happens when there is tension.

What a servant! -- what a serve! She still has the energy. She sets up

three match points. UMPIRE: Game, set and match, Miss

Williams. Two hours and 24 minutes it took against the 20-year-old. The

biggest match of her life. It will be enriching her life, this

experience, but Venus Williams, Forte champion. Five times here. She

is through. She was pushed today, and somehow she found an extra gear.

She was looking tired at the beginning of the third set, but as

champions do, they know how to dig deep when they need it most.

Prolonged applause, and rightly so. A wonderful match. For both women.

We will be seeing plenty more of Maria Sakkari from Greece.

SUE BARKER: Venus Williams, what a match player. She has proved it year

after year, and she is through to the next round. We're taking you to

Court One. Gilles Simon is two sets down against Grigor Dimitrov.

UMPIRE: Mr Simon is challenging the call. It looked like Gilles Simon

was in big trouble here. But he has got a bit busier in this third set

and he is on the brink. There have still been patches of

brilliance like that from Grigor Dimitrov. He has used the unorthodox

crop shot today. -- drop shot. Every chance that Gilles Simon might

need that 2-page insurance document. He does have a double break, two

more points to save here. Not any more.

If we are looking for clues as to why Grigor Dimitrov has suffered the

slump that has taken him out of the top ten, it is encapsulated in this

contest, because the consistency has veered wildly. Absolutely.

He was a consistent player in the first two sets, serving a high

centage, patient from the baseline and aggressive when he got the

opportunity. That has gone out the window in the third set. It has been

erratic - unforced errors, poor shot selection.

This third set has been about expecting the unexpected.

The ball died on both players. I don't know if it was that or they

were in the wrong position to begin with. It is a moot point. Three game

points. The Bulgarian is still in there

swinging. He is a former Queen's champion. He was brilliant in 2014,

a few weeks before he made his way to the last four here. We have been

talking about the win against Andy Murray, catapulting himself into the

wild's top ten. And it looked as though he was catapulting himself

then, but it has not worked out that way. ATP, -- ATP's marketing people

are calling the newer players the next-geners. He is one of them. It

is one of the beauties of sport that nothing is for certain. You can

certainly testify to that right now. He has given himself a chance of

extending this third set. However, it is the Frenchman, Gilles Simon,

who has the opportunity to serve for it.

UMPIRE: Mr Dimitrov is challenging the call. Hawkeye will tell us. The

ball was in. He slipped and he still got away a

sizzler. He hopefully hasn't hurt himself. He almost overextended,

hyper extended the left knee. You can do that a little easier on a

clay court. Two set points for a Gilles Simon.

-- for Gilles Simon. And the 16th seed, much to the

delight of his coach, makes sure that there is much more life in this

contest. Dimitrov still leading 2-1. ARCO mac so, Simon, right back in

it. We can update you with what is happening elsewhere. On Centre

Court, Kei Nishikori is in charge, 5-2, against Julien Benneteau in the

third set. The number five seed very much in control of that match on

Centre Court. That is on BBC One. Milos Raonic, the number six seed,

is safely through, coming through against the tricky Italian Andreas

Seppi. 7-4, 6-4, 6-2. His coach John McEnroe will know plenty about that.

But huge disappointment this morning for Britain's Heather Watson. She

fought hard and had match points against Annika Beck. In the end,

these long, testing rallies that went right through the match finally

took their toll, and she lost 12-10 in the third and final set. This

match was held over after rain yesterday, but ended in

disappointment for Heather Watson, who did so well last year, coming

within two points of beating Serena Williams. Heather Watson has been

quite vocal in the past about Twitter trowels, and she spoke about

it and got quite emotional in the press conference after the match

today. You have had recent trouble with trolling and nasty stuff on

Twitter. Do you think that today's result will lead to more of that?

Absolutely. It is funny you say that, because I was just in the

changing room talking about it. After a loss like this I am so angry

with myself that I feel I need to punish myself. I don't know... It

wasn't a good day. I just went on Twitter, and there was plenty. Did

it, in some perverse way, cheer you up? Definitely not. Why would that

cheer me up, people saying nasty things? But you deliberately looked

it up. Yes, because I was in a bad mood. When you are in a bad mood and

you bang your racket, it is because it is a bad thing. SUE BARKER: A bad

day all round for Britain's Heather Watson. That is the news from

elsewhere, but we are heading back to Court Number One. 2-1 dinner

trough leads, and he opens in the fourth set. -- Dimitrov.

Can he change the momentum here? It certainly seemed to be French aid

while ago. -- a certainly, after a pretty erratic

set, lost 6-4, he will be looking to reclaim his composure, Dimitrov.

Regain his composure in the fourth set.

A grimace on the face of the Frenchman. He knew that wasn't

far-away. He has a face that tells lots of stories. A couple of hours

reading it. That one, not quite so close. There

was a fantastic moment in his press conference after the opening round

match, where he assured everyone listening that he feared nobody. As

he was saying that, Novak Djokovic walked in, who was next up on the

podium. And he said, I don't fear anybody -- you don't fear anybody?

And he answered, no. He is certainly trying to exude confidence. He has

put himself in a winning position here. Gilles Simon has fight it his

way back into the contest, however. -- has fought his way back into the

contest. He has hit some good shots. It was a

good, early move. Not the cleanest it, but certainly 100% commitment.

-- not the cleanest strike. Remember the days when the average

length of a grass court rally was about three shots? I think it was

shorter than that, wasn't it? Simon has only hit 16 winners in the whole

match. Some of those has been passing shot, so when the meter gets

into a rally, there is no need to panic. -- when Dimitrov. He just

needs to wait for the opportunity to go for an aggressive shot.

It isn't as if she'll see mum, good a player as he is, playing with

tennis's equivalent of a chainsaw in his right hand. There is not a lot

of bite, but what he does is accurate. He will not chop you up

the way that Dimitrov will at his best.

22 unforced errors for the Bulgarian. Not time for a crisis

meeting yet, but it is a concern. They have been playing for the best

part of two and a half hours, a contest that spilled into a second

day. We had just a few minutes last night before the rain came in the

early evening. Grigor Dimitrov that much happier to carry on playing in

the rain and Simon was. He goes fishing for a new racket. A little

bit of drizzle at the start of this second day as well, but not enough

to take them off the court. A couple of minutes of delay while they sat

on their seats waiting for the shower to pass. Watery sunshine

above Court Number One right now. Is it a little early to start

looking at 5- set records? No. Simon has come from two sets down on two

occasions. 19-11 in five set matches.

The speed gun on server has gone for lunch! -- on serve.

We don't need any statistics to enjoy that shot. A great point. Was

that the right shots to come in behind? Be right shot to come

forward, but it was a poorly executed approach shot. He didn't do

enough with it. And again, this time on the

backhand, and a break of serve at the start of this fourth set.

Likewise, it is the right shot to move forward on. That approach shot

probably only landed three feet over the service line and it wasn't

particularly close to the sideline. With the way that Simon is able to

pass, this is the approach shot from inside the court, foot over the