London, July 3 (IANS) Roman Safiullin marked one of the most emotional victories of his career as the Russian battled back from months of injury frustration to defeat Brazil’s Joao Fonseca 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 and reach the fourth round of Wimbledon on Friday.

The 28-year-old arrived at the All England Club without a single tour-level win in 2026. He put on a strong performance against the teenage Brazilian, winning in straight sets in just two hours and nine minutes. This match matched his best result at the grass-court Grand Slam since reaching the quarter-finals in 2023.

An emotional Safiullin struggled to hold back tears after the win as he thought about his tough comeback from injury. “After the US Open, I had to stop to treat my injury. That time was super tough. Even half a year ago, I didn’t know whether I would be able to come back,” Safiullin said during his on-court interview. He was clearly moved. “I’m super happy to be back here.”

The former world No. 36 ended his 2025 season after the US Open to recover from injury. He entered Wimbledon ranked No. 132 after coming through qualifying. Since then, he has had an impressive run, saving two match points to beat Andrey Rublev in the first round before defeating Botic van de Zandschulp in five sets.

Against Fonseca, Safiullin gave what may have been his best performance of the tournament, saving all five break points he faced and dominating the match to secure a spot in the last 16. This win also led to a significant jump in the rankings, with the Russian rising 37 places to No. 95 in the live ATP rankings.

Safiullin’s best Grand Slam showing came at Wimbledon in 2023 when he reached the quarter-finals before losing to defending champion Jannik Sinner. With Friday’s victory, he improved his career record at the Championships to 9-3.

Safiullin will now face either seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic or France’s Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round, with a spot in the quarter-finals being on the line.

–IANS

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