Iga Swiatek fights back to reach Wimbledon third round
But she responded impressively in the Centre Court sunshine to prevail 5-7 6-2 6-1 in two hours and 25 minutes.
Iga Swiatek wins R2 matches.
The No.8 seed recovers from going a set down to defeat Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 and continue her journey at SW19 👊#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/bIJct7njvn
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2025
Reigning champion Barbora Krejcikova and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina also progressed to round three on day four of the Championships.
World number four Swiatek was Wimbledon girls' champion in 2018 but has only a single quarter-final appearance at the senior level of the tournament on an otherwise-impressive CV.
With the women's draw wide open following the elimination of five of the top 10 seeds, including last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini and current French Open champion Coco Gauff, the clay-court specialist was in serious danger of becoming the latest scalp.
American McNally, who had a career-high ranking of 54 prior to recent injury issues and beat Britain's Jodie Burrage in round one, stunned her rival by winning six of seven consecutive games to snatch the first set.
Yet the 23-year-old was victorious in only three more as Pole Swiatek marched on to a meeting with former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins after finishing with an ace.
Earlier, title holder Krejcikova overcame Caroline Dolehide 6-4 3-6 6-2 to set up a clash with 10th seeded American Emma Navarro, who wasted little time in dispatching Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2.
World number 11 Rybakina defeated Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-1, while 18-year-old seventh-seed Mirra Andreeva beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-1 7-6 (7-4).
Italian world number 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto backed up her shock success against third seed Jessica Pegula with a 6-0 6-4 triumph over American Katie Volynets
Electric from Elena ⚡️
The 2022 Ladies' Singles Champion defeats Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-1 to fly through to the third round 3️⃣#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/hK8mnXBFWZ
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2025
Dayana Yastremska, who knocked out Gauff, came from behind to edge past Anastasia Zakharova 5-7 7-5 7-6 (8).
Russian pair Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsonova, seeded 18th and 19th respectively, each enjoyed straight-sets victories.
Canadian lucky loser Victoria Mboko, 18, lost to Hailey Baptiste of the United States.
World number 28 Sofia Kenin was the only female seed knocked out on Thursday, losing 6-1 7-6 (4) to Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
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South Wales Argus
38 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Emma Raducanu tipped for a top-10 return after running Aryna Sabalenka close
Raducanu reminded the tennis world what a special talent she is to push the top seed in a 7-6 (6) 6-4 defeat under the roof in a raucous atmosphere. The first set alone took 74 minutes, with Raducanu saving seven set points and creating one of her own, while she led 4-1 in the second before Sabalenka recovered to set up a fourth-round clash with Elise Mertens. Emma Raducanu produced an impressive display but could not down Aryna Sabalenka (Adam Davy/PA) Raducanu will now drop to British number three behind Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, who is the last home woman left in singles, but that will not be the case for long if she can maintain this level. The former US Open champion has made it her goal to close the gap to the world's best and, having lost twice heavily to Iga Swiatek in the other two grand slams this year, she can feel very differently after her performance here. 'She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,' said Sabalenka. 'I fight for every point like crazy. 'I'm super happy to see her healthy and back on track. I'm pretty sure that she will be back in the top 10 soon.' SABALENKA SHINES ✨ The world No.1 beats Emma Raducanu 7-6(6), 6-4 in a thrilling Centre Court battle#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025 For the second time in just over 24 hours, a leading British hope came into the press room with eyes red from tears, but, unlike Jack Draper, Raducanu will leave Wimbledon feeling she is closer to the very top rather than further away. 'It's hard to take a loss like that,' said Raducanu, who revealed she had sought solace in a locker room KitKat. 'At the same time, I'm playing Aryna, who is number one in the world, a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort today. 'It's nice of her to say that, but I think it was pretty clear the difference. In the big moments, she was able to convert, she was able to hit some incredible shots. I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more. 'It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top. Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence.' Emma Raducanu had Centre Court fired up (Adam Davy/PA) Unlike Draper, Raducanu is naturally at home on grass, with her exceptional ability to take the ball early, particularly on return, mitigating her lack of pure power. She gave Sabalenka a decent run for her money in their only previous meeting, in Indian Wells last spring, and a clean return winner off a second serve in the opening game showed the Belarusian that she very much meant business. Raducanu broke to lead 4-2 before ceding her advantage in a rush of errors – something she later blamed on problems with string tension in the indoor conditions. A remarkable 10th game saw Sabalenka fail to take seven set points, six of them through backhand errors, and the home crowd were on their feet when Raducanu broke to lead 6-5. Aryna Sabalenka overcame a battling Emma Raducanu (John Walton/PA) But Sabalenka is a much stronger mental competitor these days and she played a classy game to break back before saving a set point in the tie-break with the coolest of drop shots. Raducanu dealt with the disappointment of losing the set extremely well and hit a purple patch to move into a 4-1 lead. She played her best tennis of the match to create a chance for the double break but just missed a forehand long, giving Sabalenka the chink of light she needed to power through to the next round. 'I don't think I could have made different choices, I think I should have just executed better,' added Raducanu, who will now turn her attention to the North American hard court swing. 'I'll probably find it tough to sleep tonight, or I'll be so exhausted and crash, I don't know. It's going to take me a few days to process that. But at the same time it really motivates me.'
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Emma Raducanu tipped for a top-10 return after running Aryna Sabalenka close
Raducanu reminded the tennis world what a special talent she is to push the top seed in a 7-6 (6) 6-4 defeat under the roof in a raucous atmosphere. The first set alone took 74 minutes, with Raducanu saving seven set points and creating one of her own, while she led 4-1 in the second before Sabalenka recovered to set up a fourth-round clash with Elise Mertens. Raducanu will now drop to British number three behind Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, who is the last home woman left in singles, but that will not be the case for long if she can maintain this level. The former US Open champion has made it her goal to close the gap to the world's best and, having lost twice heavily to Iga Swiatek in the other two grand slams this year, she can feel very differently after her performance here. 'She played such incredible tennis and she pushed me really hard to get this win,' said Sabalenka. 'I fight for every point like crazy. 'I'm super happy to see her healthy and back on track. I'm pretty sure that she will be back in the top 10 soon.' SABALENKA SHINES ✨ The world No.1 beats Emma Raducanu 7-6(6), 6-4 in a thrilling Centre Court battle#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025 For the second time in just over 24 hours, a leading British hope came into the press room with eyes red from tears, but, unlike Jack Draper, Raducanu will leave Wimbledon feeling she is closer to the very top rather than further away. 'It's hard to take a loss like that,' said Raducanu, who revealed she had sought solace in a locker room KitKat. 'At the same time, I'm playing Aryna, who is number one in the world, a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort today. 'It's nice of her to say that, but I think it was pretty clear the difference. In the big moments, she was able to convert, she was able to hit some incredible shots. I just need to keep working and get back to the drawing board and improve a lot more. 'It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top. Having a match like that where I had chances in both sets, it does give me confidence.' Unlike Draper, Raducanu is naturally at home on grass, with her exceptional ability to take the ball early, particularly on return, mitigating her lack of pure power. She gave Sabalenka a decent run for her money in their only previous meeting, in Indian Wells last spring, and a clean return winner off a second serve in the opening game showed the Belarusian that she very much meant business. Raducanu broke to lead 4-2 before ceding her advantage in a rush of errors – something she later blamed on problems with string tension in the indoor conditions. A remarkable 10th game saw Sabalenka fail to take seven set points, six of them through backhand errors, and the home crowd were on their feet when Raducanu broke to lead 6-5. But Sabalenka is a much stronger mental competitor these days and she played a classy game to break back before saving a set point in the tie-break with the coolest of drop shots. Raducanu dealt with the disappointment of losing the set extremely well and hit a purple patch to move into a 4-1 lead. She played her best tennis of the match to create a chance for the double break but just missed a forehand long, giving Sabalenka the chink of light she needed to power through to the next round. 'I don't think I could have made different choices, I think I should have just executed better,' added Raducanu, who will now turn her attention to the North American hard court swing. 'I'll probably find it tough to sleep tonight, or I'll be so exhausted and crash, I don't know. It's going to take me a few days to process that. But at the same time it really motivates me.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Emma Raducanu shows that she CAN scale tennis' giddy heights once again... for the first time since her US Open triumph, she looked the player we all thought she could be, writes OLIVER HOLT
The strange and magical alchemy that transformed an 18-year-old qualifier into a US Open champion four years ago, and then was lost, danced and flickered again on the hallowed lawn of Centre Court on Friday night. For two hours dead of a captivating, intoxicating, magnificently enthralling game of tennis against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Raducanu was everything we once thought she might be when she won at Flushing Meadows in 2021 without dropping a single set. More importantly, perhaps, Raducanu, the world No 40, played a quality of tennis against the dominant player in the women's game that hinted, for the first time since those surreal three weeks in New York City, at everything she might yet be again. Over two fantastic, roller-coaster, nail-biting sets of the most dramatic and highly-charged match this tournament has seen so far, Raducanu pushed Sabalenka to the limits of her formidable ability in a 7-6, 6-4 defeat. The first set, a 74-minute epic, was one of the best passages of sport anyone will see all year. At its heart was a remarkable game, with Raducanu 5-4 down in the first set, where she saved seven set points and then won the game. In those moments, it felt as if she was reaching down and picking up all the broken dreams that have littered her path since that triumph in New York and casting them away at last. 'I had to fight for every point like crazy,' Sabalenka said after the match. 'I am happy to see her healthy. I'm pretty sure she can reach the top 10 again. My ears are still hurting.' Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam winner, had come into the match as an overwhelming favourite after reaching the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open and cementing her status as the dominant player in the women's game. Most expected that she would overwhelm Raducanu with the sheer power of her hitting, which has helped to establish her ahead of Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek as the woman best placed to be the heir to her heroine, Serena Williams. Any optimism about Raducanu's prospects was tempered by the fact that she has failed to win a set in eight matches against Sabalenka, Gauff and Swiatek, although, if there was a straw to clutch, it was that none of those matches were played on grass. Twilight had fallen when the players walked on to the court just before 8pm and the Centre Court roof had been closed. There was a trill of excitement when the floodlights were switched on and another exaggerated murmur when Raducanu won the first point. There was more encouragement for the crowd when Raducanu pounced on a Sabalenka second serve in that opening game and crunched a forehand winner down the line to earn break point. Sabalenka saved it but it felt like a dent in her aura of invincibility. Raducanu had started well. She served a double fault in her opening service game but she served an ace, too, slicing the serve out wide and leaving the Belarusian flat-footed. She held serve comfortably enough. At 2-2, Raducanu put Sabalenka's serve under pressure again. Another superb forehand winner down the line gave her a second break point. Sabalenka saved it with an ace. An unforced error from the No 1 seed gave Raducanu another break point. Sabalenka saved that, too. Sabalenka showed the first signs of becoming irritated by the crowd's partisan support for her opponent and she gifted Raducanu a third break point. When she hit a shot into the net, the roar from Centre Court was so loud it almost lifted the roof off. Raducanu was alive with confidence. The crowd willed her on. A Sabalenka return landed just out and when the big screen showed its trajectory, there was a huge collective yell of triumph and relief. 'Let's go Emma,' they sang, 'let's go.' Raducanu had a 4-2 lead. Sabalenka's body language was fretful and exasperated. She seemed surprised by the level of Raducanu's resistance. Actually, she seemed more than surprised. She looked bewildered. As if she did not know where this performance had come from. But then the spell wore off. Raducanu seemed irritated by a line call and let her irritation linger. She served and Sabalenka slammed a backhand winner down the line, Raducanu floated a weak backhand long and then hit a forehand wildly long. Her metronomic, nerveless hitting deserted her. Sabalenka broke her serve to love. In the blink of an eye, Raducanu was 5-4 down. Her ground strokes became erratic. One in a series of unforced errors gave Sabalenka set point. Raducanu saved it with an ace. She saved a second set point, too. And a third. And a fourth. And a fifth. And a sixth. And a seventh. And then she held for 5-5. And when Sabalenka's backhand hurtled long, another roar to rent the roof in two rang around the famous old arena. It was compelling theatre. Raducanu started the next game with two brilliant backhand winners down the line. Then, more drama. Chasing a drop shot from Sabalenka, Raducanu fell heavily. She has such a wretched injury history, it was impossible not to worry. But she got up. And then she broke Sabalenka's serve. Raducanu saved a number of set points in the first set before succumbing in a tie break Raducanu served for the set but Sabalenka played a stunning game of crushing winners and top-spin lobs and broke back to force the set into a tie-break. For the first time, it felt as if Raducanu was wilting a little in the face of her opponent's power. The tie-break was a nail-biter. Sabalenka thought she had gone to set-point with a drive-volley winner. She clenched her fist. The replay showed it was out. Raducanu moved to set-point instead. Sabalenka saved it with a beautifully, nervelessly executed drop-shot. Soon, Sabalenka had an eighth set point. And this time, finally, Raducanu's resistance was broken. The first set had lasted 74 minutes. The drama abated for a while but then Sabalenka made a string of unforced errors and handed Raducanu a break and a 3-1 lead in the second set. Raducanu found inspiration again now. She had points for 5-1 and 5-2 but could take neither and Sabalenka cut her lead to 4-3. Sabalenka sensed Raducanu was tiring now and moved up a gear. Raducanu sensed it, too. Sabalenka rattled off five games in a row to seal the match but it did not feel as if Raducanu had lost. She had got up off the floor. She looks as if she is a player reborn. She looks, at last, as if that world of possibility that stretched out before her four years ago may one day be hers to conquer again.
