ANKARA – A Wimbledon umpire on Sunday politely urged spectators not to uncork their champagne bottles while the players are serving at the tennis major.
"Ladies and gentlemen ... if you are opening a bottle of champagne, don't do it as the players are about to serve," John Blom said during a Wimbledon women's singles third-round match between Russian players Anastasia Potapova and Mirra Andreeva as a fan uncorked a bottle of champagne to disturb the tranquil atmosphere on the court.
Blom's polite warning has caused laughter and applause at the tennis venue.
Russian qualifier Andreeva, 16, eliminated her compatriot Potapova, who ranked 22nd in women's singles, with sets of 6-2, 7-5 to progress to the fourth round where she will take on US' Madison Keys.
In other matches on Sunday, Iga Swiatek defeated Belinda Bencic to move to the quarterfinals.
The Polish world No. 1 won the game with sets of 6-7, 7-6 and 6-3 on Center Court.
Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Marketa Vondrousova and Mirra Andreeva advanced to the next stage after beating their opponents.
The 28-year-old Svitolina qualified for the quarterfinals by edging out two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9).
In men's singles, Andrey Rublev beat Alexander Bublik to move to the next stage after securing a 3-1 win in three hours and 17 minutes.
Rublev, 25, reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
In addition to them, Jannik Sinner, Grigor Dimitrov and Roman Safiullin moved into the quarterfinals.
The 2023 Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year, will end with the men's final on July 16. (Anadolu)
