World No. 132 Roman Safiullin defeated Joao Fonseca 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the fourth round at Wimbledon. The Russian qualifier, returning from a serious hip injury, broke down in tears during his post-match interview.
Safiullin entered the tournament as a qualifier and secured his sixth win to reach the round of 16. He had missed nearly six months of action after sustaining a career-threatening hip injury following the U.S. Open.
In his post-match comments, Safiullin said, “After U.S. Open, I had to stop to treat my injury. That time was super tough. Even half a year ago I didn’t know if I’d be able to be back. I didn’t know. I’m super happy to be back here.” His wife, Liudmyla Smolanova, was visibly emotional in the stands.
The 28-year-old Russian had previously reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2023. His path to the fourth round included wins over James McCabe, Kimmer Coppejans, Jerome Kym, Andrey Rublev and Botic van de Zandschulp, several decided in five sets.
Safiullin will next face either Novak Djokovic or Arthur Rinderknech.
