LONDON (AP) — Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin wiped away tears after beating Brazilian rising star João Fonseca 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon on Friday.
Safiullin, ranked No. 132, dealt with a knee injury last year but this week has eliminated two seeded opponents at the All England Club. He surprised 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev in the first round. Fonseca was seeded No. 24.
The 28-year-old Safiullin, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2023, became emotional when he described his journey back.
“After the U.S. Open, I had to stop — for treating my injury,” he said in an on-court interview. “That time was super tough. Even let’s say half a year ago I didn’t know if I will be able to be back.”
Safiullin then paused and used his shirt to wipe away tears as fans applauded on No. 2 Court.
“I’m super happy to be back here,” he added.
Safiullin will face either Novak Djokovic or Arthur Rinderknech for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Djokovic and Rinderknech were playing on Centre Court. Later, defending champion Jannik Sinner faces Jenson Brooksby of the United States on No. 1 Court.
In the women's draw, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka plays Jelena Ostapenko later on Centre Court.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Joao Fonseca of Brazil gestures during the third round men's singles match against Roman Safiullin of Russia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 3, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Roman Safiullin of Russia returns the ball during the third round men's singles match against Joao Fonseca of Brazil at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 3, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
Roman Safiullin of Russia reacts winning the third round men's singles match against Joao Fonseca of Brazil at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 3, 2026.(AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday halted the criminal case against state Attorney General Liz Murrill a day after she was indicted on accusations that she threatened the jobs of officials in New Orleans.
The state's top court said the local court and special prosecutor in the case did not follow proper procedures in the process surrounding the indictment — including multiple local media reports that the court handcuffed and locked out a journalist attempting to report on the grand jury action.
Friday's stay puts the case on hold, at least for now. Murrill, a Republican, said she intends to ask a court to dismiss the case, which shows a deep rift between Republican state officials and the Democrats who control the state's most populous city.
“I hope this political witch hunt is not a harbinger of things to come,” she said in a statement Friday, “but I fear that it is.”
The 16-count indictment handed up Thursday by a New Orleans grand jury accused Murrill, the state's first female attorney general, with intimidation and malfeasance.
The Supreme Court says there were deep flaws with the charges.
“This indictment appears to turn the law on its head and flows from what appear to be extraordinary procedural defects and improprieties,” the court said in a filing signed by Justice Jay McCallum, a Republican.
The court says there are likely conflicts of interest involving Laurie White, the special prosecutor and former state judge who brought the charges, including that she's being defended by the attorney general's office against a sexual harassment lawsuit.
McCallum's explanation also notes that the law used in the intimidation charge against Murrill requires that threats be “unlawful or include a threat of bodily harm or death.”
The court also found the attorney general is likely to succeed in having the case dismissed and that she would suffer irreparable harm if it can move forward.
The order was issued by all four of the Republican justices and one Democrat. The court's other Democrat and an independent dissented. Justice John Guidry, a Democrat, was critical of the quick decision by his colleagues. "Due process and equal protection under the law does not allow anyone to cut the line and have their matters considered more preferentially than others,” he wrote.
The case is fallout from a major political battle in Louisiana.
The state this year abolished the job of the New Orleans criminal court clerk — merging it with another court clerk position. That action came months after Calvin Duncan, who spent decades in prison before his murder conviction was vacated, was elected to the criminal clerk office.
Murrill and other GOP officials have refused to acknowledge Duncan's innocence, though he's listed on the National Registry of Exonerations.
The court noted that Duncan was previously represented by White — which it called "a likely conflict of interest."
A letter from Murrill to New Orleans' city council members and Mayor Helena Moreno came after the city council set a special election that would have given Duncan a shot at the combined clerk role. Murrill told officials they could lose their offices for violating state laws that forbid support for an unauthorized officeholder.
Murrill has said she was doing her job.
After the indictment was issued Thursday, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, said he would pardon Murrill. The governor also said on social media that he was ordering state police to investigate “the alleged improprieties of this grand jury and those who ran it.”
On Friday, the governor thanked the Supreme Court and called the indictment “a political witch hunt” against Murrill.
FILE - Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill speaks with attendees during an election night watch party for U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., May 16, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)
