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.
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Daily Mail
32 minutes 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.
BBC News
36 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Hard to take' but Raducanu draws confidence from defeat
The sense of disappointment on Emma Raducanu's face as she exited Centre Court stemmed only from the knowledge that she had gone so British number one was under no illusion about her task as she stepped out under the roof to a raucous reception before facing the world's best women's player, Aryna Sabalenka, on Friday producing one of her best displays in recent times to sweep aside 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the previous round, Raducanu hit the heights she knew she must was not enough on this the two hours which unfolded proved beyond doubt that Raducanu is ready to take the next step on her road back to the top, and begin challenging the biggest names for the biggest prizes."It's hard to take a loss like that. At the same time, I'm playing Aryna, who is a great champion. I have to be proud of my effort today," reflected a tearful Raducanu."It does give me confidence because I think the problem before was that I felt like I was gulfs away from the very top."The former US Open champion went toe-to-toe with - and frequently outplayed - a three-time major winner who has held the number one ranking for the past nine months, and reached five finals in the past six Grand Slams she has a captivating contest, Raducanu had the best part of 15,000 spectators gripped as she ensured the potential for a major shock never quite disappeared until the very said it herself before the match: she needs to bridge the gap to the very was a huge step towards achieving that in her on-court interview, Sabalenka said she expects Raducanu to return to the top 10 "soon".The Belarusian later added: "She's fighting. She's playing much better. She's more consistent. "I can see that mentally she's healthy. I think that's really important. Yeah, I'm pretty sure she's getting there." The sense that Raducanu could push Sabalenka was not founded solely in her impressive start at the All England Club, but also in her increasingly positive demeanour on the joy has returned to the 22-year-old's game, and it is all the more complete for was evident at the Miami Open in March, where former British number one Mark Petchey first joined her coaching team on an informal basis, as she showed immense fight against Emma Navarro to record only her third win over a top-10 has praised Petchey's influence - this week giving him an "11 out of 10" for his work - and said a conversation about their future relationship will take place once "the dust settles" before the start of the hard court recently, in her own words, a "free and expressive" Raducanu competed with a near-permanent smile on her face as she joined forces with Katie Boulter in the doubles at Queen' was another reminder of her new outlook when she raised the microphone to the crowd during her post-match interview on Wednesday, as they serenaded her with encouragement as she discussed the prospect of taking on was clear in the intensity and determination with which she continued to compete despite the setbacks that came against the top again when, teary-eyed in her news conference, she joked that her way of dealing with the defeat was to eat a chocolate bar in the locker room."It's going to take me a few days to process. But at the same time it really motivates me," Raducanu said."It could be a good thing that I want to get straight back to work because [my game is] not far [off]. There's still a lot of things that I want to do better, a lot of things I want to improve to really solidify my game so that in the big moments I can back myself a little bit more." It is the positive manner of her defeat that sets Raducanu up for what comes next in her qualifier who stunned the world with her triumph in New York four years ago has proven that she thrives on the biggest was not overawed by this occasion, carrying the weight of the British number one tag at Wimbledon amid an electric atmosphere, with the crowd eager to celebrate her every did not shrink when the tough moments inevitably arrived, withstanding seven set points in the first set and showing the resolve to go again in the second, each further proof that she is moving in the right the years since her fairytale US Open triumph, she has had wrist and ankle operations, endured injury setbacks, contended with increased expectations and tried to compete despite consistent changes to her coaching set time last year, she was ranked 135th as she continued to rebuild her career, climbing back from outside the top 300 to return to the top the next step on her road back to the top of the sport is competing with, and overcoming, opponents like fell to former world number one Iga Swiatek at both the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year - winning just four games across as many sets - to highlight the gulf that this was the acid test of Raducanu 2.0's progress - and the results were encouraging."I think when I look back at my career, I'm really going to remember that match because you play for those moments, to really be competing toe-to-toe with anyone, but especially with the very best," Raducanu said."I think I did make good progress in the last few months, 100%, with the consistency and the work I've been doing. "I need to still keep doing more of the same."
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Emma Raducanu goes down swinging in thrilling loss to Aryna Sabalenka
The 22-year-old played some electrifying tennis under the roof on Centre Court but was unable to apply the finishing touches, eventually going down 7-6 (6) 6-4 after exactly two hours. 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. 'What an atmosphere, my ears are still hurting. I was telling myself, just pretend they're cheering for you, and I was having goosebumps.' 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 Unlike Jack 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 played an almost flawless match to beat former champion Marketa Vondrousova in the second round and, although this was a very different prospect, the 22-year-old once more appeared calm and clear-minded. She had the top seed under pressure again in the fifth game, bringing up three more break points and taking the third when Sabalenka netted a backhand. That was greeted by a huge roar from the packed stands, but Raducanu then made her first missteps serving at 4-3 to hand the advantage back amid a run of eight points in a row for Sabalenka. A forehand winner played from virtually sitting down by Raducanu earned a clap from Sabalenka but too many errors had crept into the home favourite's game and a netted forehand gave her opponent a first set point. She saved that with an ace, and Sabalenka remarkably missed backhands on every one of six more opportunities before Raducanu finally held in one of Centre Court's more memorable games. It seemed impossible for it not to be a key moment, and Sabalenka had a face of thunder after watching two Raducanu passing shots fly beyond her reach. Concern replaced cheers when Raducanu suffered a nasty slip in retrieving a short ball, briefly staying down clutching her left hip before gingerly getting to her feet. It did not stop her creating two break points, though, and Sabalenka overhit a backhand to leave her opponent serving for the set. This time Sabalenka did not let Raducanu off the hook, forcing a tie-break, where a drive volley hooked wide of an open court at 5-4 looked like it might have cost the world number one when she then netted a return to give Raducanu a first set point. But Sabalenka saved it in style with a drop shot before finally taking her eighth opportunity, this time making no mistake at the net. It was important for Raducanu to recover from the disappointment quickly, and she did, producing two strong holds of serve and taking advantage of a dip from Sabalenka to move 4-1 ahead in the second set. Sabalenka has been far and away the best player in the world over the last year but suddenly she was struggling to live with Raducanu, who played a series of sublime points to create a chance to win a fourth game in a row only to just miss with a forehand. Had she taken it, a deciding set was most certainly on the cards, but Sabalenka, who is the only top-six seed left in the tournament, barged the door wide open and charged through it, reeling off five games in a row.
