IMAGES from Day 4 of the Wimbledon Championships, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, on Thursday.
IMAGE: Poland’s Iga Swiatek posted her 21st straight victory, beating Croatia’s Petra Martic in the second round at Wimbledon on Thursday. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
Iga Swiatek underlined her status as the world’s top player with an efficient 6-4, 6-3 victory over Croatian Petra Martic at Wimbledon on Thursday, her 21st match win in a row.
The 23-year-old Pole triumphed at the Madrid and Rome Opens as well as taking the Roland Garros title, before switching to the Wimbledon grass and reaching the third round.
Swiatek, who has won five Grand Slams but has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals here, looked comfortable on the Centre Court grass, though she was tested at times by Martic’s hefty serve and groundstrokes.
Martic, 10 years Swiatek’s senior and ranked 85th in the world, fell and needed treatment after the seventh game of the first set but resumed apparently unimpeded.
Swiatek clinched the first set on her first break point with an attacking forehand that Martic could only dump into the net.
She broke Martic’s serve in the eighth game of the second set, earned match point with a big forehand winner and finished the contest with a serve that Martic netted.
Kasatkina thrashes Miyazaki
IMAGE: Russia’s Daria Kasatkina after winning her second round match against Britain’s Yuriko Miyazaki. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
Britain’s big day at Wimbledon began in demoralising fashion for wildcard Lily Miyazaki as she was thrashed 6-0, 6-0 by Russia’s Daria Kasatkina in less than an hour on Court 18.
Fourteenth seed Kasatkina, winner of last week’s Eastbourne title and a dark horse at Wimbledon, was in a merciless mood as she dispatched the British number four in the second round.
It was the first so-called “double-bagel” at this year’s Championships.
Pegula sent packing by Wang
IMAGE: China’s Xinyu Wang returns a shot during her match against Jessica Pegula of the United States. Photograph: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
The US Stars and Stripes fluttered feebly for Jessica Pegula at Wimbledon on Thursday as the fifth seed was ousted in the second round by China’s Wang Xinyu 6-4, 6-7(9), 6-1 on American Independence Day.
The Chinese player blasted 38 winners which, combined with 33 unforced errors from Pegula, secured victory and a third round match-up against Harriet Dart who beat fellow Briton Katie Boulter in a tense three-set thriller.
For Wang, world number 42, the victory was her first over a top 10 player.
“Couple of days ago I was asking my coach when will this happen,” Wang said. “Jessica was really tough to play on grass. Her ball was super low and I’m just really happy I won in the end.”
For Pegula the loss was an ignominious crash back to earth on the back of some great form heading into the grasscourt Grand Slam.
In the Berlin lead-up event she saved five match-points in the final to win her first career grass title with victory over Anna Kalinskaya and had high hopes of improving on last year’s quarter-final finish here.
While Pegula’s challenge ended in feeble fashion there was better news elsewhere for her compatriots.
Following her on to Court Three was 11th seed Danielle Collins, who avoided any slip-up in what is likely to be her final Wimbledon with retirement looming.
She beat Hungarian qualifier Dalma Galfi 6-3, 6-4 to set up a third-round clash against Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.
