Aljaz Bedene fends off flying squad to extend Wimbledon run

Aljaz Bedene had to beat the bugs at Wimbledon to ensure he flew into round three.

The British number four’s match with Damir Dzumhur on Court Three bore the brunt of the ‘flying ant day’ invasion which hit the All England Club on Wednesday afternoon.

The insects descended just after Bedene had wrapped up the first set, and Dzumhur levelled the match as the ants swarmed around the court.

But Bedene regained his composure to swat his Bosnian opponent aside 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Buzzing after reaching the third round for the first time, Bedene said: “They did bother us. I’ve never experienced it before. It was awkward.

“It was annoying. When you are playing a point, you only see the ball. But after the point, yeah, they were just flying around.

“You have to focus on your game. If you get a few flies on your back or head, if that bothers you, the games go away.

“Hopefully that was just today and they will be gone by Friday.”

Slovenian-born Bedene, who survived 44 aces from Ivo Karlovic in a four-and-a-half-hour marathon on Monday, faces 16th seed Gilles Muller on Friday as he bids to extend his stay into the second week.

Muller, from Luxembourg, faced his own gruelling match on Wednesday as he beat Lukas Rosol 9-7 in the fifth set.

“I was lucky to play two hours today,” added Bedene.

“I feel quite happy with that, because I’ve got another day to recover, to do everything right and try to be fresher than today, because that first match wasn’t easy.

“So yeah, it’s good to win in four sets. He played five sets, so we’ll see. I’d say I’m hoping he’s going to be tired, but I’ll just try and focus on my game.”

Great Britain’s Davis Cup captain Leon Smith was in the crowd, despite Bedene being unable to represent his adopted country as things stand.

The 27-year-old’s attempt to overturn the International Tennis Federation’s ban, imposed as he has previously represented Slovenia in the competition, was rejected in March.

But Bedene revealed: “I’m speaking to Leon after Wimbledon. We’ve got some more time.

“Do I think he was impressed with my performance? I hope so.”