admin
LONDON. — World number one Iga Swiatek racked up the first five games on her way to sweeping past China’s Zhu Lin to reach the Wimbledon second round yesterday.
Reigning US Open and French Open champion Swiatek came through 6-1, 6-3 against her 34th-ranked opponent.
Top seed Swiatek, who has yet to progress beyond the fourth round at the All England Club, will face either Martina Trevisan of Italy or Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo for a place in the last 32.
“I feel confident and did a good job of adjusting to grass,” said the 22-year-old after an 81-minute win that was completed under the roof of Court One as heavy rain disrupted play on the outside courts.
“After winning Roland Garros last year, I felt overwhelmed but this year I took the time to appreciate it and then went back to work.”
PEGULA WINS BATTLE OF THE AMERICANS TO ADVANCE
American fourth seed Jessica Pegula moved into the second round with a hard-fought 6-2 6-7(8) 6-3 win over compatriot Lauren Davis.
Davis struggled to find her range from the start and was broken in the first game. That set the tone for the next few games as she racked up the unforced errors and Pegula raced into a 4-0 lead in less than 15 minutes.
Davis finally found her forehand power to get on the scoreboard but Pegula’s pinpoint backhand meant she never got close to breaking back. The Australian Open quarter-finalist wrapped up the first set comfortably.
It was a different story in the second set, Davis making sure she held serve in the opening game with a couple of drop shots, forcing Pegula to go long, and held again to lead 2-1.
Both players struggled with a gusty wind at times, but Davis began spraying the ball across the court with power and precision. A close second set lasting over an hour went to a tiebreak, with Davis winning to level the match.
Neither player looked entirely comfortable on the Court Two lawn, each making more than 30 un-forced errors in total. But Pegula got the crucial break in the decider to lead 5-3 when Davis hit a backhand into the net.
The world No 4 closed out the match with a high backhand volley to advance to the second round where she will face either Spain’s Cristina Bucsa or Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.
GARCIA TAKES FRENCH HOPES INTO SECOND ROUND
France’s top Wimbledon hope Caroline Garcia overcame the elements and a lively opponent to reach the second round on Monday beating American Katie Volynets 6-4 6-3 in a match interrupted by drizzle.
Garcia, seeded five, has a game suited to grass and used her speed and agility at the net as well as powerful returns to grind down her 21-year-old opponent. She won 18 points at the net to four for Volynets.
A swirling wind disturbed both women’s serving and it was Garcia’s fearsome forehands that earned her the upper hand.
She brought up set point with a backhand that Volynets, ranked 125 in the world, could not get hold of and won the set with an unplayable forehand return.
Garcia, 29, who has twice reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, suffered a brief wobble at the start of the second set, spraying unforced errors around the court and Volynets took advantage, breaking serve twice for a 3-0 lead. But those were the last games she won.
The Californian, whose only previous Wimbledon main draw appearance in 2021 ended in first-round defeat, could not cope when Garcia put her game back together. — AFP
Online Reporter