The fourth round of the women’s singles at Wimbledon delivered excellent entertainment. There were dramatic three-set matches and the continuation of an incredible story on the seventh day. What was the best match on an incredible day?
What Was The Best Women’s Match on Sunday at Wimbledon?
The other three matches
#1 seed Iga Swiatek survived an almighty scare in a titanic battle that could easily have been picked as match of the day. The four-time Grand Slam champion saved two match points in the second set before edging Belinda Bencic 6-7 7-6 6-3. Bencic put in a performance she should be really proud of, redirecting the pace of Swiatek’s groundstrokes superbly, and successfully drawing many forced errors as a result. The Swiss player did nothing wrong on either match point, Swiatek produced two excellent points at the most crucial moments. Showing such a champion’s mentality to reach the fourth round for the first time will give Swiatek much confidence.
Jessica Pegula was the most comfortable winner of the day, defeating Lesia Tsurenko 6-1 6-3. The American #1 never looked in danger throughout the match despite a small blip for a period of the third set, playing solidly for the rest of the match. She was particularly impressive on her second serve, winning 77% behind her second delivery.
Czech players Marie Bouzkova and Marketa Vondrousova clashed on Court 2, and it was Vondrousova who was victorious, knocking out the 32nd seed from a set down to win 2-6 6-4 6-3. It took Vondrousova into her first ever Wimbledon quarterfinal, a phenomenal achievement for a woman who only had one match win in her previous four visits to Wimbledon. Her crafty style is particularly suited to grass, making her previous struggles at SW19 a surprise. Vondrousova plays Jessica Pegula next in the quarterfinals.
Match of the day
Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka’s roller coaster encounter is the match of the day. Both women are former semifinalists, hence it was already a match that promised much on paper. It exceeded already high expectations as Svitolina won 2-6 6-4 7-6 in front of a raucous Court 1, who were firmly supportive of the Ukrainian. Azarenka was outstanding in the first set, but it was not enough to break the spirit of her opponent. In the end Svitolina won the championship tiebreak 11-9 despite previously trailing 7-4. It was a herculean effort from a woman who entered Wimbledon after receiving a wildcard, and only returned from maternity leave a few months ago. She will need to somehow find a way to raise her level again, as she takes on Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
