Olympics Day 4 wrap: Serena out, Murray & Nadal march on

In terms of shocks, this one rivals Delpo’s win over Djokovic: Serena Williams is out of the Olympics. The World No.1 and defending champion was the highest profile casualty on a busy day at the Games, with Garbine Muguruza also going down in straight sets.

The women’s action
Elina Svitolina was always going to be a dangerous opponent for Serena Williams, but few would have expected the Ukrainian to take down the defending champion in straight sets. That’s exactly what the 21-year-old did, capitalising on Serena’s error-strewn performance to seal a 6-4 6-3 win in one hour and twelve minutes. Read the full report here.

Serena isn’t the only major seed in the top half of the draw who will be packing her bags tonight. Garbine Muguruza was unceremoniously bundled out of the event, losing 6-1 6-1 to Monica Puig.

“When I am playing on the regular tour I’m playing more for myself, it’s my job,” Puig said. “Here it’s not really my job, it’s for my country and nothing in the world can compare to that.”

If Puig provided the shock of the tournament, Angelique Kerber did what she could to steady the ship. The Australian Open champion swept aside Aussie favourite Sam Stosur 6-0 7-5 to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

“The atmosphere here is so special and I am going out there to win every single match, doesn’t matter who I am playing so I am not looking ahead,” Kerber opined. “It is still a long way so that’s why I am just focusing on my next opponent. Step by step like always.”

Kerber will face off against Britain’s Jo Konta, who came through an epic three-hour tussle with Sveta Kuznetsova 3-6 7-5 7-5.

Elsewhere, Petra Kvitova continued to find a way to win, downing Ekaterina Makarova 4-6 6-4 6-4; Laura Siegemund ousted Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-3; and Madison Keys battled past Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3 3-6 6-3.

The men’s action
Andy Murray just keeps marching on. The Brit may have been denied entry to the Mixed Doubles competition (his combined doubles ranking with Heather Watson meant that he didn’t make the cut), but he’s looking very strong in the singles. The defending champion – and highest seed remaining in the draw – swept aside Argentina’s Juan Monaco 6-3 6-1 in little over an hour.

“It was good today,” Murray mused after the match. “I hit the ball well from the back of the court, not many unforced errors so it was a good match.”

Some might argue that there are two defending champions in the men’s draw. After injury forced Rafa Nadal out of the London 2012 Olympics, the Beijing champion looks to be firing on all cylinders in Rio. Rafa cruised to a 6-3 6-3 win over Andreas Seppi, and will go on to face Gilles Simon in the third round.

“I am enjoying on court at the same time not too much pressure from me,” Rafa enthused. “After two months not competing I not expect much. I just expect to enjoy the Olympic experience again and that’s what I am doing.”

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the seeds. David Ferrer was uncharacteristically out-hustled in a 3-6 7-6(1) 7-5 loss to Evgeny Donskoy.

Elsewhere, Fabio Fognini came through a tight, tempestuous encounter with Benoit Paire 4-6 6-4 7-6(5); David Goffin continued to march quietly and confidently on, dismantling Dudi Sela 6-3 6-3; and Steve Johnson kept the American flag waving with a 6-3 6-4 win over Gastao Elias.