Wimbledon

Top 5 Photos, July 4: Rafa's 50th Wimbledon win; Serena battles back

Rafael Nadal roared into the third round with his four-set victory over Nick Kyrgios.

By Jordaan SanfordPublished July 04, 2019

From an electric Centre Court showdown to the start of a doubles campaign for a home hero, Day 4 at Wimbledon was full of fireworks. These are the Top 5 photos from Thursday's action.

1. Rafael Nadal soared in a tight match that lived up to its billing. Nick Kyrgios ousted the French Open champion earlier this year and made Nadal work for the second-round victory. The Spaniard kept his composure. handling the pressure to claim his 50th win at Wimbledon. 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning the third set in his Men's Singles second round match against Nick Kyrgios of Australia during Day four of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) — © Getty Images

2. Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, made a surprise appearance on Thursday to watch her good friend Serena Williams. This wasn't Markle's first time at this event: she stopped by in 2016 around the same time she was set up on a blind date with her now husband, Prince Harry, and attended the event last year with sister-in-law Kate Middleton, which marked their first joint event together.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex watches on during the ladies' Singles Second round match between Serena Williams of The United States and Kaja Juvan of Slovenia during Day four of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) — © Getty Images

3. It took an entire set for Williams to find her game, but once she did, she asserted herself to defeat qualifier Kaja Juvan, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. The 23-time Grand Slam champion will face Julia Goerges in the third round and holds a perfect 4-0 head-to-head record against the German.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Serena Williams of The United States and Kaja Juvan of Slovakia shake hands at the net after their Ladies' Singles second round match during Day four of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) — © Getty Images

4. Lucky loser Lauren Davis sprung a major surprise by ousting reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. Davis twisted her left ankle in the middle of the first set and remarkably recovered to claim arguably the biggest win of her career. She will continue her grass-court campaign against Carla Suarez Navarro for a chance to reach the second week of a major for the first time.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Lauren Davis of The United States celebrates in her Ladies' Singles second round match against Angelique Kerber of Germany during Day four of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) — © Getty Images

5. Dropping the first set wasn't enough to deter Andy Murray and Pierre-Hugues Herbert from winning their first-round encounter against Marius Copil and Ugo Humburt. After taking some time to gel, the two came together nicely to advance, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-0. Murray, who won Queen's Club with Feliciano Lopez two weeks ago, hasn't played more than five doubles tournaments in a year since 2014.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: Andy Murray of Great Britain, partner of Pierre-Hughes Herbert of France plays a backhand during their Men's Doubles first round match against Marius Copil of Romania and Ugo Humbert of France during Day four of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) — © Getty Images