Day three is officially in the books at Wimbledon and it, like so many others at the All England Club, was filled with surprises, twists and turns and plenty of excellent tennis. Here’s a look at what you might of have missed:
Wimbledon Day Three
Today’s Upsets
Madison Keys – 17th Seed
Madison Keys illustrated once again why grass is definitely not the surface for her. The American was dismissed by Polona Hercog 6-2 6-4, wit the Slovenian capitalising on Keys’ numerous unforced errors and poor second serve. Hercog’s reward is a meeting with the star of the moment, Coco Gauff, for a place in the second week at the Championships.
Anastasija Sevastova – 12th Seed
Anastasija Sevastova looked to be well on her way to victory after taking the first set 6-4. But her opponent turned the tables to inflict a disappointing second-round loss on the Latvian. We’ve come to expect Danielle Collins to bring the fight to any match and that is precisely what the American did to secure the win. Relying on penetrating groundstrokes, easy power and her ability to change direction, Collins sprayed winners off both wings to claim a 4-6 6-4 6-3 win. She will now face the 24th seed Petra Martic in the round of 32.
Sofia Kenin – 27th Seed
The feisty American Sofia Kenin was sent packing by Dayana Yastremska as the Ukrainian delivered one of the finest performances of her fledgling career to reach the third round at Wimbledon for the first time. The 19-year-old Yastremska out-aced, out-hit and out-played the American. And, when required, Yastremska displayed delicate hands, catching Kenin out with a well-timed drop shot more than once. Yastremska will next meet Viktorija Golubic, with both looking for their first trip to the last 16 at Wimbledon.
Through to the Third Round
Martic, seeded 24th, might be in the third round, but her path to that stage proved to be anything but straightforward. Breaking early in the opening set, her opponent the Russian teen Anastasia Potapova, was quick to capitalise on the Croat’s unforced errors. But in the second set, Martic tightened up her game, playing the sort of tennis that took her to the French Open quarterfinals. After levelling the match, Martic broke Potapova at the start of the decider and never looked like surrendering her advantage.
14th seed Caroline Wozniacki was able to defend her second serve most effectively, denying Veronica Kudermetova any break point opportunities as a result, though it still took a tiebreak to decide the first set. But Wozniacki deservedly won it and the Dane steadied her play at the start of the second. Getting the early break, Wozniacki then stepped up her aggression, controlling the destiny of the second set throughout to claim a 7-6 6-3 win. Wozniacki’s bid to make a first Wimbledon quarterfinal is currently looking in good shape.
Former-world #1 Simona Halep, seeded seventh at this year’s Championships, survived a scare from compatriot Mihaela Buzarnescu in a thriller featuring 15 breaks of serve. Fortunately for Halep, she claimed nine of them. After winning the first set, Halep’s form dipped drastically in the second, allowing Buzarnescu to claim it and level the match.
Halep dug deep in the decider to secure victory, but she will need to avoid such shaky stretches against the resurgent Victoria Azarenka. A two-time semifinalist in London, Azarenka’s serve is improving and the rest of her game is close to pre-maternity form. The Belarusian thrashed Ajla Tomljanovic losing just two games and looks more than ready to put together another deep run in south-west London.
Third seed and Eastbourne champion Karolina Pliskova easily dispatched the Puerto Rican gold medallist Monica Puig in straight sets to continue her fine grass-court swing. Maria Sakkari, seeded 31st, had an easy outing against Czech Marie Bouzkova, winning in straight sets, whilst 28th seed Hseih Su-wei ousted former-semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens 7-6 6-3. The Taiwanese has a crafty game that can be devastating on grass.
Estonia’s 28th seed Anett Kontaveit quickly eliminated home hope Heather Watson without encountering too many difficulties, but eighth seed Elina Svitolina had a rather lucky escape. She was all but out after being dominated by Margarita Gasparyan, who rifled 42 winners to Svitolina’s 15. But up a set and level at 5-5, Gasparyan landed badly after serving. Despite medical attention the Russian could not continue, retiring at 5-6 in the second
Match of the Day – Cori “Coco” Gauff Is Through to the Third Round
The spectacular 15-year-old who upset Venus Williams did the same to Magdalena Rybarikova. Gauff obviously understands her opponent’s game. She was able to break down Venus’ game, offering up slower balls which caused the elder Williams sister to overhit, whilst against Rybarikova Gauff used wicked pace to blast past the Slovak.
Rybarikova’s considerable court-craft and guile, which took her to the last four at Wimbledon in 2017, proved no obstacle to the rising American star. In an exceptional display of athleticism, Gauff not only reached the Slovak’s delicate drop shots, but was able to land clean winners of her own just out of the veteran’s reach.
At no point was Gauff pressured, as she sealed a 6-3 6-3 victory to punch her ticket to the third round where, as mentioned above, she’ll meet Slovenian Polona Hercog. Just how far can this amazing teen go? The second week certainly doesn’t look out of the question.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
