Day 3 of the women’s singles at Wimbledon provided more entertainment for fans. US Open champion Coco Gauff and four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka were among the players in action. Two big names in the sport were knocked out. This article overviews who looked good, which players struggled, and then picks the best match of the day.
Wimbledon Day 3 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good
Coco Gauff won comfortably for the second match in a row at Wimbledon. She beat qualifier Anca Todoni 6-2 6-1. Although Todoni did not deal with the occasion as well as she would have hoped, Gauff was very solid from start to finish and did not give her lower-ranked opponent much of a chance.
Emma Navarro produced an outstanding performance to triumph 6-4 6-1 against Naomi Osaka. The American hit 16 winners and leaked just five unforced errors during an incredible debut match on Centre Court. Osaka was not at her best, but the vast majority of players would have found Navarro’s level very tough to deal with.
Maria Sakkari also played well on Day 3 of Wimbledon. The Greek No. 1 defeated Arantxa Rus 7-5 6-3. Rus, who is not as natural on grass as on other surfaces, fought bravely and can be proud of her performance. But Sakkari, who was not broken throughout the match, kept her composure well to triumph.
This year’s French Open runner-up, Jasmine Paolini, was another player to progress in two sets. The first set of her 7-6 6-2 victory against Greet Minnen was of exceptional quality. Minnen outperformed her ranking with a string of stunning shots in the opening set. However, Paolini stayed tough to take the tiebreak before running away with the contest after that.
Former Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina’s win against Magda Linette was a contender for match of the day. After a sole break of serve saw the Ukrainian claim the opening set 7-5, the pair played an incredible second set tiebreak. Linette saved a match point on her way to taking it 11-9. But Svitolian regained her composure admirably to eventually progress 7-5 6-7 6-3.
Who Looked Bad
Elise Mertens did not do herself justice on Centre Court against Emma Raducanu. The Belgian made more unforced errors than usual during her 1-6 2-6 loss. Raducanu got a lot of joy slicing into Mertens’ forehand, which clearly unsettled her. She never recovered and fell away quickly.
2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens suffered an even heavier defeat to Diana Shnaider, being dismantled 1-6 1-6. Shnaider won the title in Bad Homburg heading into Wimbledon before knocking out 2021 runner-up at SW19 Karolina Pliskova in the opening round. That meant this was always going to be a tough matchup, but Stephens had no chance regardless of the number of unforced errors she made.
Match of the Day
2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova’s lengthy battle against Veronika Kudermetova was the best match on Day 3 of Wimbledon. The opening set was decided on a tiebreak after both players broke twice each. Krejcikova took it 7-4 to go a set to the good. Kudermetova broke first in the following set, but that was retrieved by the Czech immediately. After no further breaks, a tiebreak decided the set once again. This time, Krejcikova made a series of unforced errors to lose it 1-7, meaning a deciding set was needed.
The two players exchanged breaks in the third set before Krejcikova had a chance to serve for the match after Kudermetova lost her serve once again. But the nerves seemed to get to the former champion at Roland-Garros, leading to her being broken to love. However, Krejcikova showed impressive mental strength to break a third time in the set to go 6-5 up. This time, Krejcikova did serve it out to claim a 7-6 6-7 6-5 victory.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
