Battle of the Brits: Jacob Fearnley wins third set against Novak, bringing score to 2-1 - as Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart fight it out in 1-1 nail-biter and Murray preps for final run at SW19

The Battle of the Brits became tense astatine Wimbledon contiguous - arsenic wildcard Jacob Fearnley broke Novak Djokovic to enactment successful the tourney while Katie Boulter hashed it retired against Harriet Dart successful a nail-biter.

Later today, tennis legend Andy Murray will measurement onto the double's tribunal alongside his member Jamie arsenic helium begins his farewell to SW19.

British fig 1 Boulter and Dart, who ranks second, are currently 1-1 successful what has been a nail-biting crippled truthful far. Boulter was cheered connected by her Australian tennis pro fellow Alex De Minaur. 

Their clash comes arsenic British wildcard  Jacob Fearnley, who was ranked extracurricular the world's apical 500 up of the tournament, fought his backmost successful his lucifer against seven-time satellite champion Djokovic.

The 22-year-old Scot lone qualified for the Nottingham Open astatine the commencement of past month, admitted that 'it was getting successful [his] caput a small bit' that helium was going to person instrumentality connected the Serbian legend. 

This afternoon, much British athletes volition look each different connected court, with 22-year-old Jack Draper volition instrumentality connected South African calved Brit Cameron Norrie to battle it retired to get a spot successful the 3rd round. 

Both 27 years old, Boulter and Dart person spent implicit 2 decades successful 1 another's orbit, some increasing up truthful emmeshed successful the tennis satellite that their mothers - Sue Boulter and Susie Dart - had adjacent met arsenic players during their ain aboriginal careers.  

The brace are friends - and Boulter has spoken astir however 'awful' it tin beryllium to play her Billie Jean King Cup team-mate. 

But arsenic Boulter's prima has risen to instrumentality successful back-to-back Nottingham rubric wins and a seeded berth at Wimbledon, Dart has struggled to spot the aforesaid success, making it to her archetypal WTA-level semi-final conscionable this twelvemonth astatine the Translyvania Open.

In their elder outings, the brace person met 1 different 7 times, but it has ever been a one-sided conflict, with Boulter, the existent British No1, besting Dart each but 1 of the times they've look 1 another. 

The satellite No100 volition instrumentality nary comfortableness that her 1 triumph came not connected grass, but connected a hard court, nor that writer tribunal person been a vivid greenish backdrop to 2 of their frostiest meetings. 

The archetypal came past year, astatine the Nottingham Open, connected the heels of Boulter's 6-3 7-5 triumph against her chap Briton. Boulter was successful information en way to her maiden writer tribunal title, and celebrated the quarter-final triumph expansively - overmuch to Dart's disapproval. 

Dart took contented with Boulter jabbing a digit astatine her temple successful the absorption of her subordinate box, and told her truthful erstwhile they met astatine the nett for a cursory handshake. 

Boulter denied that it had thing to bash with Dart, and Dart called her retired for being 'unprofessional' arsenic the players turned to the umpire, forcing different denial from the victor - who said that she made the motion 'after each match' and that it was 'nothing personal'.

But Dart struggles to support her emotions adjacent to her thorax erstwhile playing chap Brits, and Boulter successful particular, their astir caller gathering bubbling up arsenic the subordinate erstwhile again recovered herself incapable to support her cool. 

Back astatine Nottingham - conscionable weeks earlier their gathering connected No1 Court connected Thursday - this clip Dart boiled implicit erstwhile the seat umpire deemed Boulter's victor arsenic falling in, alternatively than out, arsenic Dart saw it. 

'No way!' Dart shouted crossed court. 'The shot was truthful acold out.'

When the seat umpire confirmed her call, Dart repeatedly protested earlier saying that it was 'embarrassing' and that she was 'embarrassing herself' earlier receiving a reprimand. 

During the alteration of ends, Dart's fury showed nary signs of subsiding. 

'I committedness you,' she continued, 'if you ticker it back, I volition stake £50,000 that shot was out. Honestly. I would shingle your manus close now. 

'It's a gag however acold that shot was out.' 

Boulter sensibly stayed acold distant from the struggle and knuckled down to spot retired the 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5 match, which lasted good implicit 3 hours. 

At this point, the British No1 stressed aft her first-round triumph against Tatjana Maria, the brace 'know each other's games inside-out, back-to-front', and Boulter is gearing up for a challenging clash arsenic a result. 

'Playing a Brit successful the UK connected the writer is ne'er an casual gully and I'm expecting an implicit battle,' Boulter said connected Monday.  

'I bash person to gully connected the past things that I person played with her and usage that to my vantage successful the adjacent round. I deliberation it's going to beryllium highly tough. I person a batch of respect for her connected this surface. It's 1 of her favourite ones.

'This is really her location club. She's been present since she was a tiny tot with her mum.'

But Boulter stressed that she was 'excited' by the challenge, adding: 'you person 2 Brits present who are playing immoderate precise bully tennis. She's idiosyncratic that's going to marque it precise hard for me. I'm going to person to bring my A-game.'

Dart - past unaware whether she would beryllium facing Maria oregon Boulter aft her aboriginal dismissal of Zhuoxuan Bai - was little casual to work connected however she felt astir different gathering with a rival that has go 1 of her toughest opponents to beat. 

'I person thing to lose, that's for sure,' Dart pondered. 'For me, a large extremity was conscionable trying to get done circular one. Last twelvemonth was I would accidental heartbreaking for me, but besides enactment maine successful a spot wherever I had to excavation heavy towards the extremity of the year.

'I ever deliberation things hap for a reason. They decidedly did. This year, I'm precise overmuch focusing overmuch much connected the process, however if I tin play immoderate bully tennis, I tin springiness myself the champion accidental to play well, to enactment myself successful a presumption to triumph matches. That's benignant of each I tin do.' 

This day Fearnley becomes the sixth British subordinate to person faced Djokovic astatine Wimbledon - with Murray being the lone Brit to person beaten him connected the writer court.

The 22-year-old Scot qualified for the Nottingham Open astatine the commencement of past period and won it, earning a Wimbledon wildcard. And helium made bully usage of his aureate summons connected Tuesday by beating Spaniard Alejandro Moro Canas 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 connected his Grand Slam debut.

Djokovic was astatine the aforesaid clip eviscerating Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva. 'I'd beryllium lying if I said I wasn't watching the scores connected Centre Court,' admitted Fearnley. 'It was getting successful my caput a small spot that I was going to person to play him.'

Fearnley played assemblage tennis astatine Texas Christian University, Cam Norrie's alma mater, and lone graduated successful May aft winning the nationalist title. His nonrecreational vocation is successful its infancy but helium has made a good start.

Asked the question that has plagued the athletics for a decennary — however does 1 bushed Djokovic? — helium replied: 'I don't deliberation galore radical person the reply to that. I person nary idea. I've watched truthful galore videos of him. It doesn't look similar there's galore flaws successful his game.

'I'm going to conscionable effort and bask it, enactment my crippled retired connected the tribunal and spot what happens. I don't deliberation determination are galore tactics going into the match!'

It was for the champion that Fearnley was lone pursuing the scores alternatively than watching live, due to the fact that Djokovic looked ominously bully for a antheral who had meniscus country little than a period ago.

In his player's container was the funny show of Ronnie O'Sullivan, watching with his daughter. 'I ticker snooker conscionable due to the fact that of him,' said Djokovic, 37. 'I watched erstwhile I was a kid. My begetter loved watching snooker but I lone watched Ronnie. We conscionable met for the archetypal time. It was great.

'It was truly bully to person him around. Hopefully we're capable to play immoderate snooker due to the fact that I'm truly bad.'

He whitethorn beryllium truly atrocious astatine snooker but helium is truly bully astatine tennis and the mode helium went astir compiling this 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory, mediocre Kopriva whitethorn arsenic good person been distant from the table, sat successful his seat sipping Highland Spring and adjusting his waistcoat.

There were surely a fewer kinks disposable successful the Djokovic cueing action. He did not look to beryllium bending his close genu arsenic heavy arsenic accustomed truthful operated successful a much upright position. It was noticeable connected the instrumentality of service and backhand, wherever we are truthful utilized to the yogi maestro playing with his knees scraping the aboveground of the court.

But helium did what helium does amended than immoderate different subordinate successful past — helium adapted. He serve-volleyed often and attacked connected return, keeping points abbreviated and sweet. He opened his shoulders connected the forehand and struck that changeable terrifically well.

Someone with a small much grass-court nous would person exploited Djokovic much but the Serb has been blessed with a dreamy gully — Fearnley is the British No13 for goodness involvement — and helium should person plentifulness of clip to easiness his mode into the fortnight.

You tin stake those knees volition dip little and little arsenic an eighth Wimbledon trophy moves person and closer.