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Wimbledon served up its most VIP-packed day for years as the rain couldn’t stop sporting royalty and celebrities having a ball on Centre Court.
Sports stars invited to the Royal Box on Super Saturday were introduced to the crowd – with Sue Barker, who retired last year after being the voice of tennis for decades, earning the most rapturous applause.
Gary Lineker and son Toby were there with England Lionesses Jill Scott, Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby.
Tennis greats Billie Jean King, 79, and Stefan Edberg 57, sat nearby, close to Olympic rowing hero Sir Steve Redgrave. Other celebrities spotted around the court including Jon Bon Jovi, Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham and singer Sam Ryder, who she became close with after hosting Eurovision.
IN THRALL: Actress Emily Atack at day six of Wimbledon
Rocker Jon Bon Jovi watches as Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays Nicolas Jarry of Chile in the Men’s Singles third round match
LADY IN RED: Jameela Jamil looks effortlessly elegant as she watches the on-court action
GIVE ME SPACE, MAN: Eurovision singer Sam Ryder and Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham
Lionesses Beth Mead, left, and Leah Williamson at Wimbledon
Actresses Emily Atack and Helen Flanagan looked glamorous in floral dresses.
Hannah Waddingham couldn’t contain her excitement as she watched the action unfold on day six of the Wimbledon Championships on Saturday.
Joined by Eurovision star Sam Ryder, the actress, 48, put on an animated display as she witnessed a trio of tense matches unfold on Centre Court.
Ted Lasso star Hannah was perfectly dressed for summer in a gorgeous white lace dress with matching pointed-toe heels as she made her arrival.
The actress, who delighted fans with her Eurovision hosting stint in May, swept back her blonde tresses with a pretty printed headband.
TV football presenter Alex Scott sported a brown Alice & Olivia ‘Amaya’ dress and a cream By Far ‘Fran’ handbag
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour was dressed for the weather in a Dior trench coat with Manolo Blahnik boots.
Actress and activist Jameela Jamil made sure she was noticed in a striking scarlet ensemble.
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guard, who carried Queen Elizabeth’s coffin at Westminster Abbey last September, sat alongside the Royal Box.
BBC host Clare Balding told Centre Court: ‘Alongside the Royal Box we are also particularly proud this year to welcome and thank the team of 11 members of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards who so nobly acted as pallbearers at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.’
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker watches from the royal box on day six of Wimbledon
LIP SERVICE: Vogue supremo Anna Wintour keeps up appearances with a swift application of lippy
Tennis legend Billie Jean cheers on the players from her spot in the Royal Box
England’s Lionesses were well-represented in the royal box on Saturday as Jill Scott took her spot following her team’s win at the European Championships
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Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson in the royal box on day six of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships
Sue Barker, who led the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon for years, enjoys a match from the prestigious box
It come as British tennis star Katie Boulter’s Wimbledon journey came to an end after she was blown away by defending champion Elena Rybakina in the third round.
Boulter cemented her new-found status as British number one by reaching the last 32 for a second successive year, and there were high hopes she could at least give third seed Rybakina a match.
Boulter has shown many times that she loves the big stage but, having waited until nearly 9pm to walk out on Centre Court following two lengthy matches and a rain delay, she managed to detain Rybakina for only 56 minutes in a 6-1 6-1 hammering.
After some positive results earlier in the week it has been a chastening two days for British tennis, with Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady all falling on Friday.
Boulter pulled off the best win of her career in the second round here last year, defeating former finalist Karolina Pliskova, and in seven previous matches against top-10 players had only failed to win at least a set on one occasion.
She handled her status as favourite well to see off Daria Saville and Viktoriya Tomova in the first two rounds and was looking forward to having a crack at the defending champion.
Rybakina was a significant step up but the Kazakh had been shaky at times in her opening two rounds having come into the tournament under prepared because of illness.
She possesses probably the fiercest strike in the women’s game, though, as well as the best serve following Serena Williams’ retirement, and she hit her stride straight away.
Boulter has been working on adding more variety to her flat-hitting game but with options can come indecision and a couple of ill-advised drop shots cost her a break of serve for 3-1.
British tennis star Katie Boulter’s Wimbledon journey came to an end after she was blown away by defending champion Elena Rybakina in the third round
Boulter cemented her new-found status as British number one by reaching the last 32 for a second successive year
Scottish middle and long-distance runner Eilish McColgan stunned in a blue and white dress at the All England venue
Great Britain Women’s Hockey Team captain Hollie Pearne-Webb looks on in the Royal Box prior to the Men’s Singles third round match between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Nicolas Jarry of Chile
Hockey Team player Laura Unsworth looks on in the Royal Box prior to the Men’s Singles third round match
UK gymnastic stars and sisters Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova discuss the match in the royal box
Swedish former professional tennis player Stefan Edberg smiles at the Centre Court’s Royal Box on the sixth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships
First-strike tennis usually favours Boulter but the power coming from Rybakina’s racket, particularly on her serve, was on another level.
The third seed, who remarkably is the first women’s defending champion to reach the fourth round here since Williams back in 2016, broke again for 5-1 and wrapped up the first set in 26 minutes.
Boulter’s support camp, including boyfriend Alex De Minaur, tried to lift her, and she halted the run of games against her at seven by holding for 1-2 in the second set.
That was as good as it got, though, with the score the same as last year’s third round, when Boulter lost to Frenchwoman Harmony Tan.
It has nevertheless been a positive fortnight and a transformative grass-court season for Boulter, who will be ranked just outside the top 70 on Monday and now has the chance to really push on.
