Owen Farrell called up by Lions, Daly ruled out of tour
Versatile veteran Daly, who was on his third Lions tour, suffered the injury in Wednesday's 52-12 victory over the Queensland Reds having been brought into the starting side just before kickoff when fullback Hugo Keenan fell ill.
Daly's ability to cover the centre, wing and fullback makes him especially valuable on tour and his late call-up in Brisbane was his 11th straight inclusion in a Lions matchday squad going back to the start of the 2021 tour of South Africa.
Farrell, who won the last of his 112 England caps at the 2023 World Cup and announced in early 2024 that he was stepping away from international rugby, will join the squad for his fourth Lions tour, looking to add to his six test caps.
"It is heartbreaking for the group that Elliot's tour is over. He is a Lions legend who has added so much to the group on and off the field over the past few weeks," Andy Farrell said in a team statement.
"Owen will now come in and add to our options and bring his own Lions experience to the group."
Farrell named a third captain in three matches for the clash against the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday with Irish lock Tadhg Beirne following tour skipper Maro Itoje and fellow-Irishman Dan Sheehan in leading the side out.
Keenan will start at fullback with another option for the number 15 shirt, Blair Kinghorn, named on the left wing having arrived in Australia late on Monday after helping his French club Toulouse to the Top 14 title.
Young English loose forward Henry Pollock returns to the side and will play at blindside flanker in a back row also featuring number eight Ben Earl and openside Josh van der Flier.
Fin Smith, who started at flyhalf in the loss to Argentina in Dublin two weeks ago, gets another shot at the playmaking role in a halfback partnership with his England teammate Alex Mitchell.
Lions team:
15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Mack Hansen, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Sione Tuipulotu, 11–Blair Kinghorn, 10–Fin Smith, 9–Alex Mitchell, 8–Ben Earl, 7–Josh van der Flier, 6–Henry Pollock, 5–James Ryan, 4–Tadhg Beirne (captain), 3–Finlay Bealham, 2–Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1–Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16–Dan Sheehan, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Tadhg Furlong, 19–Joe McCarthy, 20–Scott Cummings, 21–Jac Morgan, 22–Ben White, 23–Marcus Smith.
British & Irish Lions back Elliot Daly has been ruled out of the rest of the tour of Australia by a broken forearm and will be replaced in the squad by playmaker Owen Farrell, the son of head coach Andy.
Versatile veteran Daly, who was on his third Lions tour, suffered the injury in Wednesday's 52-12 victory over the Queensland Reds having been brought into the starting side just before kickoff when fullback Hugo Keenan fell ill.
Daly's ability to cover the centre, wing and fullback makes him especially valuable on tour and his late call-up in Brisbane was his 11th straight inclusion in a Lions matchday squad going back to the start of the 2021 tour of South Africa.
Farrell, who won the last of his 112 England caps at the 2023 World Cup and announced in early 2024 that he was stepping away from international rugby, will join the squad for his fourth Lions tour, looking to add to his six test caps.
"It is heartbreaking for the group that Elliot's tour is over. He is a Lions legend who has added so much to the group on and off the field over the past few weeks," Andy Farrell said in a team statement.
"Owen will now come in and add to our options and bring his own Lions experience to the group."
Farrell named a third captain in three matches for the clash against the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday with Irish lock Tadhg Beirne following tour skipper Maro Itoje and fellow-Irishman Dan Sheehan in leading the side out.
Keenan will start at fullback with another option for the number 15 shirt, Blair Kinghorn, named on the left wing having arrived in Australia late on Monday after helping his French club Toulouse to the Top 14 title.
Young English loose forward Henry Pollock returns to the side and will play at blindside flanker in a back row also featuring number eight Ben Earl and openside Josh van der Flier.
Fin Smith, who started at flyhalf in the loss to Argentina in Dublin two weeks ago, gets another shot at the playmaking role in a halfback partnership with his England teammate Alex Mitchell.
Lions team:
15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Mack Hansen, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Sione Tuipulotu, 11–Blair Kinghorn, 10–Fin Smith, 9–Alex Mitchell, 8–Ben Earl, 7–Josh van der Flier, 6–Henry Pollock, 5–James Ryan, 4–Tadhg Beirne (captain), 3–Finlay Bealham, 2–Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1–Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16–Dan Sheehan, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Tadhg Furlong, 19–Joe McCarthy, 20–Scott Cummings, 21–Jac Morgan, 22–Ben White, 23–Marcus Smith.
British & Irish Lions back Elliot Daly has been ruled out of the rest of the tour of Australia by a broken forearm and will be replaced in the squad by playmaker Owen Farrell, the son of head coach Andy.
Versatile veteran Daly, who was on his third Lions tour, suffered the injury in Wednesday's 52-12 victory over the Queensland Reds having been brought into the starting side just before kickoff when fullback Hugo Keenan fell ill.
Daly's ability to cover the centre, wing and fullback makes him especially valuable on tour and his late call-up in Brisbane was his 11th straight inclusion in a Lions matchday squad going back to the start of the 2021 tour of South Africa.
Farrell, who won the last of his 112 England caps at the 2023 World Cup and announced in early 2024 that he was stepping away from international rugby, will join the squad for his fourth Lions tour, looking to add to his six test caps.
"It is heartbreaking for the group that Elliot's tour is over. He is a Lions legend who has added so much to the group on and off the field over the past few weeks," Andy Farrell said in a team statement.
"Owen will now come in and add to our options and bring his own Lions experience to the group."
Farrell named a third captain in three matches for the clash against the New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday with Irish lock Tadhg Beirne following tour skipper Maro Itoje and fellow-Irishman Dan Sheehan in leading the side out.
Keenan will start at fullback with another option for the number 15 shirt, Blair Kinghorn, named on the left wing having arrived in Australia late on Monday after helping his French club Toulouse to the Top 14 title.
Young English loose forward Henry Pollock returns to the side and will play at blindside flanker in a back row also featuring number eight Ben Earl and openside Josh van der Flier.
Fin Smith, who started at flyhalf in the loss to Argentina in Dublin two weeks ago, gets another shot at the playmaking role in a halfback partnership with his England teammate Alex Mitchell.
Lions team:
15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Mack Hansen, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Sione Tuipulotu, 11–Blair Kinghorn, 10–Fin Smith, 9–Alex Mitchell, 8–Ben Earl, 7–Josh van der Flier, 6–Henry Pollock, 5–James Ryan, 4–Tadhg Beirne (captain), 3–Finlay Bealham, 2–Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1–Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16–Dan Sheehan, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Tadhg Furlong, 19–Joe McCarthy, 20–Scott Cummings, 21–Jac Morgan, 22–Ben White, 23–Marcus Smith.
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7NEWS
3 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Sinner destroys Aleksandar Vukic while Alex de Minaur sinks French qualifier Arthur Cazaux at Wimbledon
It started well enough. Though Aleksandar Vukic edged Jannik Sinner's opening serve off his racquet edge as if it were one of Australia's batters nicking off in Grenada, he then won the next point and, after a service game each, it was 1-1. Then it got ugly. Making a Wimbledon Centre Court debut against the top-seeded world No.1 is something to tell the grandkids about, but 93-ranked Vukic may not want to go into too many details. It took the Sydneysider two sets to get into the groove and by then giantkilling was off the agenda. He finished stoutly, saving five match points, but was ultimately defeated by Sinner's 12th ace and succumbed 6-1 6-1 6-3 in exactly 100 minutes. There were some solid serves from Vukic, but only three aces, and a deft volley or two, but for the first hour Sinner was operating on a different plane. Vukic had hoped the top seed would not yet be moving easily on grass, but he slid around the court like a joyrider taking a corner. He had Vukic scurrying left and right with arrowed drives and every so often, quite often in fact, would unleash a forehand of such explosive power and accuracy it brought gasps from the crowd. 'Game Sinner' said the chair umpire, again and again as Sinner reeled off eight on the spin, 1-1 had become 6-1 2-0. When Vukic finally broke the spell the applause was loud, and sympathetic. Even the AI line-judges seemed to be favouring the Italian. His close calls were just in, Vukic's just out, but you felt the frequent close calls were because Sinner was going for the paint while Vukic was going for broke. Vukic tried to vary his game, but it was as if Sinner could read his mind as he anticipated drop shots, passing shots, most shots. The second set went the way of the first but in the third Vukic stayed with the reigning US and Australian Open champion to 3-3. Then Sinner, having held for 4-3, broke him and, bar Vukic's final display of defiance, it was all over. Blinkers on for Demon after comforting fiancee Katie Alex de Minaur has revealed the difficulty of having to blank out the disappointment of his fiancee being knocked out of Wimbledon as he focused to keep his own title ambitions afloat at the grass-court grand slam. British star Katie Boulter bowed out, surprisingly beaten by Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra, on Wednesday on the eve of de Minaur's own second-round match, which, after an absent-minded start, he won in four sets against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. The exit of the high-profile Boulter was a headline tale in the British sports - and news - pages where her relationship with de Minaur as the most celebrated couple in tennis often features too. After the loss, she told reporters gloomily: 'Sometimes I just have to accept that my moment might not come.' De Minaur, who attended her match on Wednesday, was left to try to console his 28-year-old other half, to whom he got engaged just before Christmas. 'There's no real rule book that you can go on, but it's not ideal, it's not nice,' said the sympathetic 26-year-old Sydneysider. 'I felt for Katie yesterday, and I've been in those positions myself. It's not easy by any means to forget about it. It's something that kind of stays with you. 'On my side, there's obviously the part of doing my best to comfort her and try to be there for her, the same way she is there for me through the good stuff and the bad stuff. 'It definitely does have a little bit of impact on yourself, and you've got to do your best to try and have a mental reset and kind of shift your focus towards yourself, realising you do have a match the following day that you've got to prepare for. 'It's not going to be an easy one, it's going to be a battle. So, it's a lot of different aspects to deal with, which aren't easy. I think I can get better at it, but that's experience.' De Minaur has become much more of a favourite with the British crowds since the pair became an item. 'I've felt an amazing shift of support the last three or four years, and spending a lot more time here in the UK, it's been quite special,' said de Minaur, calling Wimbledon his 'second home slam' after getting a rousing reception following his 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 win. 'It feels like I'm growing roots here. All the way from spending some time together, being at home with Katie, knowing the location a lot better, it definitely gives you an overall better feeling as you go into this tournament.'
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Blinkers on for Demon after comforting fiancee Katie
Alex de Minaur has revealed the difficulty of having to blank out the disappointment of his fiancee being knocked out of Wimbledon as he focused to keep his own title ambitions afloat at the grass-court grand slam. British star Katie Boulter bowed out, surprisingly beaten by Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra, on Wednesday on the eve of de Minaur's own second-round match, which, after an absent-minded start, he won in four sets against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. The exit of the high-profile Boulter was a headline tale in the British sports - and news - pages where her relationship with de Minaur as the most celebrated couple in tennis often features too. After the loss, she told reporters gloomily: "Sometimes I just have to accept that my moment might not come." De Minaur, who attended her match on Wednesday, was left to try to console his 28-year-old other half, to whom he got engaged just before Christmas. "There's no real rule book that you can go on, but it's not ideal, it's not nice," said the sympathetic 26-year-old Sydneysider. "I felt for Katie yesterday, and I've been in those positions myself. It's not easy by any means to forget about it. It's something that kind of stays with you. "On my side, there's obviously the part of doing my best to comfort her and try to be there for her, the same way she is there for me through the good stuff and the bad stuff. "It definitely does have a little bit of impact on yourself, and you've got to do your best to try and have a mental reset and kind of shift your focus towards yourself, realising you do have a match the following day that you've got to prepare for. "It's not going to be an easy one, it's going to be a battle. So, it's a lot of different aspects to deal with, which aren't easy. I think I can get better at it, but that's experience." De Minaur has become much more of a favourite with the British crowds since the pair became an item. "I've felt an amazing shift of support the last three or four years, and spending a lot more time here in the UK, it's been quite special," said de Minaur, calling Wimbledon his "second home slam" after getting a rousing reception following his 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 win. "It feels like I'm growing roots here. All the way from spending some time together, being at home with Katie, knowing the location a lot better, it definitely gives you an overall better feeling as you go into this tournament." Alex de Minaur has revealed the difficulty of having to blank out the disappointment of his fiancee being knocked out of Wimbledon as he focused to keep his own title ambitions afloat at the grass-court grand slam. British star Katie Boulter bowed out, surprisingly beaten by Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra, on Wednesday on the eve of de Minaur's own second-round match, which, after an absent-minded start, he won in four sets against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. The exit of the high-profile Boulter was a headline tale in the British sports - and news - pages where her relationship with de Minaur as the most celebrated couple in tennis often features too. After the loss, she told reporters gloomily: "Sometimes I just have to accept that my moment might not come." De Minaur, who attended her match on Wednesday, was left to try to console his 28-year-old other half, to whom he got engaged just before Christmas. "There's no real rule book that you can go on, but it's not ideal, it's not nice," said the sympathetic 26-year-old Sydneysider. "I felt for Katie yesterday, and I've been in those positions myself. It's not easy by any means to forget about it. It's something that kind of stays with you. "On my side, there's obviously the part of doing my best to comfort her and try to be there for her, the same way she is there for me through the good stuff and the bad stuff. "It definitely does have a little bit of impact on yourself, and you've got to do your best to try and have a mental reset and kind of shift your focus towards yourself, realising you do have a match the following day that you've got to prepare for. "It's not going to be an easy one, it's going to be a battle. So, it's a lot of different aspects to deal with, which aren't easy. I think I can get better at it, but that's experience." De Minaur has become much more of a favourite with the British crowds since the pair became an item. "I've felt an amazing shift of support the last three or four years, and spending a lot more time here in the UK, it's been quite special," said de Minaur, calling Wimbledon his "second home slam" after getting a rousing reception following his 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 win. "It feels like I'm growing roots here. All the way from spending some time together, being at home with Katie, knowing the location a lot better, it definitely gives you an overall better feeling as you go into this tournament." Alex de Minaur has revealed the difficulty of having to blank out the disappointment of his fiancee being knocked out of Wimbledon as he focused to keep his own title ambitions afloat at the grass-court grand slam. British star Katie Boulter bowed out, surprisingly beaten by Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra, on Wednesday on the eve of de Minaur's own second-round match, which, after an absent-minded start, he won in four sets against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. The exit of the high-profile Boulter was a headline tale in the British sports - and news - pages where her relationship with de Minaur as the most celebrated couple in tennis often features too. After the loss, she told reporters gloomily: "Sometimes I just have to accept that my moment might not come." De Minaur, who attended her match on Wednesday, was left to try to console his 28-year-old other half, to whom he got engaged just before Christmas. "There's no real rule book that you can go on, but it's not ideal, it's not nice," said the sympathetic 26-year-old Sydneysider. "I felt for Katie yesterday, and I've been in those positions myself. It's not easy by any means to forget about it. It's something that kind of stays with you. "On my side, there's obviously the part of doing my best to comfort her and try to be there for her, the same way she is there for me through the good stuff and the bad stuff. "It definitely does have a little bit of impact on yourself, and you've got to do your best to try and have a mental reset and kind of shift your focus towards yourself, realising you do have a match the following day that you've got to prepare for. "It's not going to be an easy one, it's going to be a battle. So, it's a lot of different aspects to deal with, which aren't easy. I think I can get better at it, but that's experience." De Minaur has become much more of a favourite with the British crowds since the pair became an item. "I've felt an amazing shift of support the last three or four years, and spending a lot more time here in the UK, it's been quite special," said de Minaur, calling Wimbledon his "second home slam" after getting a rousing reception following his 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 win. "It feels like I'm growing roots here. All the way from spending some time together, being at home with Katie, knowing the location a lot better, it definitely gives you an overall better feeling as you go into this tournament." Alex de Minaur has revealed the difficulty of having to blank out the disappointment of his fiancee being knocked out of Wimbledon as he focused to keep his own title ambitions afloat at the grass-court grand slam. British star Katie Boulter bowed out, surprisingly beaten by Argentine lucky loser Solana Sierra, on Wednesday on the eve of de Minaur's own second-round match, which, after an absent-minded start, he won in four sets against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. The exit of the high-profile Boulter was a headline tale in the British sports - and news - pages where her relationship with de Minaur as the most celebrated couple in tennis often features too. After the loss, she told reporters gloomily: "Sometimes I just have to accept that my moment might not come." De Minaur, who attended her match on Wednesday, was left to try to console his 28-year-old other half, to whom he got engaged just before Christmas. "There's no real rule book that you can go on, but it's not ideal, it's not nice," said the sympathetic 26-year-old Sydneysider. "I felt for Katie yesterday, and I've been in those positions myself. It's not easy by any means to forget about it. It's something that kind of stays with you. "On my side, there's obviously the part of doing my best to comfort her and try to be there for her, the same way she is there for me through the good stuff and the bad stuff. "It definitely does have a little bit of impact on yourself, and you've got to do your best to try and have a mental reset and kind of shift your focus towards yourself, realising you do have a match the following day that you've got to prepare for. "It's not going to be an easy one, it's going to be a battle. So, it's a lot of different aspects to deal with, which aren't easy. I think I can get better at it, but that's experience." De Minaur has become much more of a favourite with the British crowds since the pair became an item. "I've felt an amazing shift of support the last three or four years, and spending a lot more time here in the UK, it's been quite special," said de Minaur, calling Wimbledon his "second home slam" after getting a rousing reception following his 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 win. "It feels like I'm growing roots here. All the way from spending some time together, being at home with Katie, knowing the location a lot better, it definitely gives you an overall better feeling as you go into this tournament."
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Clay royalty ready to model the role on Wimbledon grass
When the body count began rising among Wimbledon women's seeds, one big name looked more vulnerable than most. Iga Swiatek, the recently dethroned Queen of Clay, has rarely looked like royalty on grass. She was a Wimbledon junior champion, so the potential is there, but as an adult in five previous attempts, the four-time French Open winner has only twice made it into the second week at Wimbledon, and never beyond the quarter-finals. So when she lost the first set to American Caty McNally on Centre Court on Thursday in their second-round clash, there were plenty of sages intimating they knew what was coming. Swiatek, however, kept her composure, cut out the errors, and ruthlessly dissected her childhood friend -- they had won the 2018 French junior girls doubles together -- 5-7 6-2 6-1. "I started the match well so I knew my game was there," she said. "I lost it for a while, made some errors that shouldn't happen and Caty used that," said Swiatek. "I knew that at the start of the second set I had to be more accurate. I just tried to improve and I'm happy it worked." Swiatek came to London off the back of finishing runner-up in the Bad Homburg tournament in Germany, but added: "The court is totally different, so it's not easy to adjust. It's not that bad I played three sets as it gave me more time on court." Another American, Danielle Collins, is next up for the Pole. In theory it is a good draw. The 2022 Australian Open runner-up has never been beyond the fourth round in six attempts at Wimbledon, and only reached the second week once. But there are few certainties in the women's draw this year. With the second, third, fourth and fifth seeds already out, Swiatek is the second highest seed left in her half of the draw with only Mirra Andreeva ahead of her. The teenage seventh seed, the youngest player left in the draw, also progressed on Thursday, cruising the first set against Lucia Bronzetti in 23 minutes but taking more than thrice as long to win the second, winning 6-1 7-6 (7-4). The Italian had two break points to force a third set at 6-5 but Andreeva denied her and now faces Hailey Baptiste. The exodus of leading seeds has enhanced the chances of defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded 17th after an injury-hit year. The Czech Republic beat Caroline Dolehide 6-4 3-6 6-2 to set up a tie with another American, 10th seed Emma Navarro who brushed aside Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2 . The 2022 champion, 11th seed Elena Rybakina, also moved into the last 32 after beating Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-1. "It means a lot to be back. A lot of great memories. I want to do well this year too," said the Kazakh. She added of the upsets, "Grass is very special. The season is quite short and not everyone can adapt quickly." Maybe, having only reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year, Swiatek's extra couple of days switching from clay to grass will make the difference. When the body count began rising among Wimbledon women's seeds, one big name looked more vulnerable than most. Iga Swiatek, the recently dethroned Queen of Clay, has rarely looked like royalty on grass. She was a Wimbledon junior champion, so the potential is there, but as an adult in five previous attempts, the four-time French Open winner has only twice made it into the second week at Wimbledon, and never beyond the quarter-finals. So when she lost the first set to American Caty McNally on Centre Court on Thursday in their second-round clash, there were plenty of sages intimating they knew what was coming. Swiatek, however, kept her composure, cut out the errors, and ruthlessly dissected her childhood friend -- they had won the 2018 French junior girls doubles together -- 5-7 6-2 6-1. "I started the match well so I knew my game was there," she said. "I lost it for a while, made some errors that shouldn't happen and Caty used that," said Swiatek. "I knew that at the start of the second set I had to be more accurate. I just tried to improve and I'm happy it worked." Swiatek came to London off the back of finishing runner-up in the Bad Homburg tournament in Germany, but added: "The court is totally different, so it's not easy to adjust. It's not that bad I played three sets as it gave me more time on court." Another American, Danielle Collins, is next up for the Pole. In theory it is a good draw. The 2022 Australian Open runner-up has never been beyond the fourth round in six attempts at Wimbledon, and only reached the second week once. But there are few certainties in the women's draw this year. With the second, third, fourth and fifth seeds already out, Swiatek is the second highest seed left in her half of the draw with only Mirra Andreeva ahead of her. The teenage seventh seed, the youngest player left in the draw, also progressed on Thursday, cruising the first set against Lucia Bronzetti in 23 minutes but taking more than thrice as long to win the second, winning 6-1 7-6 (7-4). The Italian had two break points to force a third set at 6-5 but Andreeva denied her and now faces Hailey Baptiste. The exodus of leading seeds has enhanced the chances of defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded 17th after an injury-hit year. The Czech Republic beat Caroline Dolehide 6-4 3-6 6-2 to set up a tie with another American, 10th seed Emma Navarro who brushed aside Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2 . The 2022 champion, 11th seed Elena Rybakina, also moved into the last 32 after beating Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-1. "It means a lot to be back. A lot of great memories. I want to do well this year too," said the Kazakh. She added of the upsets, "Grass is very special. The season is quite short and not everyone can adapt quickly." Maybe, having only reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year, Swiatek's extra couple of days switching from clay to grass will make the difference. When the body count began rising among Wimbledon women's seeds, one big name looked more vulnerable than most. Iga Swiatek, the recently dethroned Queen of Clay, has rarely looked like royalty on grass. She was a Wimbledon junior champion, so the potential is there, but as an adult in five previous attempts, the four-time French Open winner has only twice made it into the second week at Wimbledon, and never beyond the quarter-finals. So when she lost the first set to American Caty McNally on Centre Court on Thursday in their second-round clash, there were plenty of sages intimating they knew what was coming. Swiatek, however, kept her composure, cut out the errors, and ruthlessly dissected her childhood friend -- they had won the 2018 French junior girls doubles together -- 5-7 6-2 6-1. "I started the match well so I knew my game was there," she said. "I lost it for a while, made some errors that shouldn't happen and Caty used that," said Swiatek. "I knew that at the start of the second set I had to be more accurate. I just tried to improve and I'm happy it worked." Swiatek came to London off the back of finishing runner-up in the Bad Homburg tournament in Germany, but added: "The court is totally different, so it's not easy to adjust. It's not that bad I played three sets as it gave me more time on court." Another American, Danielle Collins, is next up for the Pole. In theory it is a good draw. The 2022 Australian Open runner-up has never been beyond the fourth round in six attempts at Wimbledon, and only reached the second week once. But there are few certainties in the women's draw this year. With the second, third, fourth and fifth seeds already out, Swiatek is the second highest seed left in her half of the draw with only Mirra Andreeva ahead of her. The teenage seventh seed, the youngest player left in the draw, also progressed on Thursday, cruising the first set against Lucia Bronzetti in 23 minutes but taking more than thrice as long to win the second, winning 6-1 7-6 (7-4). The Italian had two break points to force a third set at 6-5 but Andreeva denied her and now faces Hailey Baptiste. The exodus of leading seeds has enhanced the chances of defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded 17th after an injury-hit year. The Czech Republic beat Caroline Dolehide 6-4 3-6 6-2 to set up a tie with another American, 10th seed Emma Navarro who brushed aside Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2 . The 2022 champion, 11th seed Elena Rybakina, also moved into the last 32 after beating Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-1. "It means a lot to be back. A lot of great memories. I want to do well this year too," said the Kazakh. She added of the upsets, "Grass is very special. The season is quite short and not everyone can adapt quickly." Maybe, having only reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year, Swiatek's extra couple of days switching from clay to grass will make the difference. When the body count began rising among Wimbledon women's seeds, one big name looked more vulnerable than most. Iga Swiatek, the recently dethroned Queen of Clay, has rarely looked like royalty on grass. She was a Wimbledon junior champion, so the potential is there, but as an adult in five previous attempts, the four-time French Open winner has only twice made it into the second week at Wimbledon, and never beyond the quarter-finals. So when she lost the first set to American Caty McNally on Centre Court on Thursday in their second-round clash, there were plenty of sages intimating they knew what was coming. Swiatek, however, kept her composure, cut out the errors, and ruthlessly dissected her childhood friend -- they had won the 2018 French junior girls doubles together -- 5-7 6-2 6-1. "I started the match well so I knew my game was there," she said. "I lost it for a while, made some errors that shouldn't happen and Caty used that," said Swiatek. "I knew that at the start of the second set I had to be more accurate. I just tried to improve and I'm happy it worked." Swiatek came to London off the back of finishing runner-up in the Bad Homburg tournament in Germany, but added: "The court is totally different, so it's not easy to adjust. It's not that bad I played three sets as it gave me more time on court." Another American, Danielle Collins, is next up for the Pole. In theory it is a good draw. The 2022 Australian Open runner-up has never been beyond the fourth round in six attempts at Wimbledon, and only reached the second week once. But there are few certainties in the women's draw this year. With the second, third, fourth and fifth seeds already out, Swiatek is the second highest seed left in her half of the draw with only Mirra Andreeva ahead of her. The teenage seventh seed, the youngest player left in the draw, also progressed on Thursday, cruising the first set against Lucia Bronzetti in 23 minutes but taking more than thrice as long to win the second, winning 6-1 7-6 (7-4). The Italian had two break points to force a third set at 6-5 but Andreeva denied her and now faces Hailey Baptiste. The exodus of leading seeds has enhanced the chances of defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded 17th after an injury-hit year. The Czech Republic beat Caroline Dolehide 6-4 3-6 6-2 to set up a tie with another American, 10th seed Emma Navarro who brushed aside Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2 . The 2022 champion, 11th seed Elena Rybakina, also moved into the last 32 after beating Greece's Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-1. "It means a lot to be back. A lot of great memories. I want to do well this year too," said the Kazakh. She added of the upsets, "Grass is very special. The season is quite short and not everyone can adapt quickly." Maybe, having only reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros this year, Swiatek's extra couple of days switching from clay to grass will make the difference.
