Tennis-Underarm serve backfires on Davidovich Fokina as Rune prevails in five-set epic

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 8, 2023 Denmark's Holger Rune and Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina speak at the net after their third round match REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

LONDON (Reuters) -Denmark's Holger Rune overcame Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-6(10-8) in a gripping battle on Saturday to advance to the Wimbledon fourth round after the Spaniard gift-wrapped match point with an underarm serve.

With absolutely nothing to separate the pair after nearly four hours out on a packed Court Three, the match came down to a final-set tiebreak in which the more experienced Davidovich Fokina cracked under pressure.