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Swiatek and Pegula advance as Venus and Gauff exit

tennis03 July 2023 21:07| © AFP
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Iga Swiatek © Getty Images

World No 1 Iga Swiatek racked up the first five games on her way to sweeping past China's Zhu Lin to reach the Wimbledon second round on Monday.

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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 quarterfinalist 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 unforced 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, 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.

"I had to have a reaction and I was able to come back quickly," Garcia said in an on-court interview.

The Frenchwoman surged back with aggressive volleying to win the next four games and take command of the set before drizzle stopped play for nearly an hour and a half.

When play resumed Garcia did not hang about, winning the fifth game in a row when Volynets served a double fault then serving for the match. She reached match point with a driving backhand and finished with another forehand winner.

"On grass there are no easy matches," Garcia said. "I am glad I was able to finish early."

SVITOLINA BEATS INJURED VENUS WILLIAMS

Elina Svitolina recovered from a shaky start to beat injured five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.

The Ukrainian, who reached the semifinals in 2019, lost her first service game to the veteran American but broke back immediately.

Williams, 43, slipped on the Centre Court grass and fell to the ground in agony, clutching her strapped right knee as Svitolina pulled the score back to 2-1.

She limped back to her chair and the trainer was called but she was able to continue.

Williams came out aggressively, seeking to fire off winners, but was broken again in the fifth game and Svitolina went on to take the opening set 6-4.

The American had a mountain to climb after she was broken in the first game of the second set and she squandered a break point of her own in the next game.

Former world number three Svitolina, who gave birth to a baby girl in October and is currently ranked 76th, broke again for a 4-1 lead.

The 28-year-old served for the match in the eighth game but Williams, moving remarkably freely, broke back to make the score 5-3.

However, she failed to build on her momentum as Svitolina broke again, wrapping up the set 6-3, with the match decided on a video referral.

Williams, apparently upset with the umpire, was given a standing ovation as she walked off Centre Court, turning and waving to the crowd.

The American, who made her Wimbledon debut in 1997, was playing at the All England Club for the 24th time -- the most appearances for any player in the Open era.

At the time of that first appearance, 53 of the players in the 2023 draw were not yet born. Svitolina was just two years old.

GAUFF SHOCKED BY QUALIFIER KENIN

Coco Gauff was dumped out of Wimbledon on the first day of the tournament, losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

The 19-year-old seventh seed was broken four times in the match by her fellow American, making 33 unforced errors in the biggest shock of the day at the All England Club.

Gauff, who reached the quarterfinals at the recent French Open, lost the first set and squandered a 3-0 lead in the second set before coming out on top to level the match.

But qualifier Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020, broke her opponent in the opening game of the third set and went on to win the decider 6-2.

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