Game, Set, Match: Iga Świątek is through!

New York Times

2 days ago

Follow reaction to an entertaining second day at the 2025 Championships, with American Coco Gauff one of several big names knocked out at SW19 Getty Images Getty Images
FINAL: Świątek 7-5, 6-1 Kudermetova
That's it! Iga Świątek progresses into the second round.
The eighth seed was at 5-5 against Polina Kudermetova when I checked on her, if I remember correctly, but she broke the Russian to take the first set 7-5 and only gave up one set in the second.
She plays American Caty McNally next after she beat Brit Jodie Burrage 6-3, 6-1.
And up next on No. 2 Court... Caoimhe O'Neill/The Athletic
And here's that lovely artwork! Caoimhe O'Neill/The Athletic
Love is in the air at Wimbledon. Meet Kangwon Lee and his wife Bömi kang.
The pair got married one week ago in Seoul, South Korea and as two tennis enthusiasts they couldn't think of a more perfect place to spend their honeymoon.
Lee is an illustrator and designed the beautiful artwork on the back of their T-shirts.
Congratulations to the newlyweds. Getty Images
Everyone's upset radar was very much twitching for defending champion Barbora Krejčíková's match against Alexandra Eala, especially when the Czech dropped the first set 6-3.
Fair play to Krejčíková though as she battled back to win pretty easily in three. Having missed six months between November and May with a back injury, that's a really big win for Krejčíková/
Not least as it means she avoids becoming only the third Wimbledon women's defending champion to go out in the first round in tennis's 57-year Open Era.
She'll play America's Caroline Dolehide or Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands next.
Zheng Qinwen has become the latest top seed to fall in a frenetic opening two days at Wimbledon, as world No. 81 Kateřina Siniaková provided another upset in a wide-open women's singles draw.
The Olympic champion was the first to lose her serve, with Siniakova — unseeded in the WTA singles ladder but No. 1 in doubles — showing big-hitting power to overwhelm her opponent.
With Zheng 5-3 up and seemingly in control, a free-flowing display of winners and strong serves became a clunky show of nerves, and Siniaková took full advantage with back-to-back breaks to steal the first set.
In the decider, Siniaková dominated as she romped into a 5-0 lead, and while Zheng avoided the stain of a bagel set, Siniaková's hold to love sealed the match.
Zheng joins McCartney Kessler, Paula Badosa, Jelena Ostapenko, Karolina Muchová, Marta Kostyuk, and Jessica Pegula in exiting Wimbledon at the first hurdle.
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Zheng Qinwen latest Wimbledon seed to fall after defeat to Katerina Siniakova Getty Images
Former Lionesses captain Steph Houghton was among the celebrities heading over to No.1 Court to catch the end of Taylor Fritz's match with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Reality TV star Molly-Mae Hague was also heading in that direction, as was British comedian Roisin Conaty. Plenty of famous faces at Wimbledon so far.
Actors Blanchett, Wilson, and Russell Crowe are all guests in the Royal Box this afternoon along with English golfer Justin Rose.
Cate Blanchett and Rebel Wilson here, enjoying the sun.
Blanchett dressed as sharp as her jawline.
The speed is the thing you notice. When you attend any sort of sporting event in person, it's the speed that's most astonishing.
With tennis though, it's a little different. The speed of the ball is one thing. And yes, it is astonishingly quick. But it's more the speed of the players that is striking: how quickly they react to their opponents' shots.
On day one of Wimbledon 2025, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard produced the fastest serve in Wimbledon history. He sent down a ball at 153 miles per hour (246 kilometers per hour) — and Taylor Fritz sent it straight back.
The American then wrapped up a five-set win on Tuesday afternoon.
But when someone is rocketing a massive serve at you, you have to get to the ball, and that has nothing to do with your racket. That is all about anticipation. Discover more below...
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How Taylor Fritz returned a 153 mph serve at Wimbledon: 'They slow things down in their minds' Getty Images
He was made to wait for that win after his match was suspended overnight but Taylor Fritz finally got the job done.
Here's what he had to say in his on-court interview after that win against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard:
'It's a really crazy match. I thought it was all going to be over last night in the fourth set tiebreaker but he came back on me in the first two tiebreakers. I'm so happy to be through it.
'It's not ideal. If we weren't going to have time to finish the fifth set then fair enough (suspend the match).
'But we were having sets about as long as it's possible to have a set and they were still in the time frame that we had last night to play the fifth. I wanted to play it last night but I'm pleased to have got it done.' Getty Images
Love this snap of Iga Świątek.
The Pole, eighth seed at Wimbledon, is 5-5 on serve against Polina Kudermetova on No. 2 Court at the moment.
📸 credit to Dan Istitene of Getty Images for this one. Getty Images
FINAL: Fritz 6-7(6), 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-4 Mpetshi Perricard
A horrible final game from the Frenchman, unforced errors galore, and Fritz didn't have to do too much in that game to secure the match.
Fritz is through. A day later than he would have hoped though! Getty Images
Fritz 6-7(6), 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-6(6), 5-4* Mpetshi Perricard
No breaks in the fifth and final set between American Taylor Fritz (5) and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Fritz moves to 5-4 up, still on serve.
That means Mpetshi Perricard needs to hold to progress.
But he sleepwalks to 0-30, and it's three match points to Fritz at 0-40 as Mpetshi Perricard smacks it long... Getty Images
FINAL: Krejčíková 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 Eala
Well played, Barbora.
The champion fights back from a set down against Alexandra Eala to blow her opponent away.
She moves into the second round. Getty Images
Speaking to the media after his defeat today, Lorenzo Musetti was critical of his own performance.
He said: 'I was struggling to feel like comfortable on the court from the beginning.
'Going and going with the match, I was really losing focus and was not reactive on the ball when I was coming out from the serve.
'Even in the lateral movements, which normally I know how to move, today seems like I never played on this surface. As I said before, not really much to say. Really bad performance I would say.' Getty Images
FINAL: Siniaková 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 Zheng
What a turn-up. ANOTHER seed falls on what I'm now calling Turbulent Tuesday at Wimbledon.
This team, it's fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, who was blasted away 6-1 in the final set by Czech Kateřina Siniaková.
Siniaková will play Naomi Osaka in an eye-catching second-round match. Getty Images
While in the women's singles, there's plenty happening.
Defending champion Barbora Krejčíková lost the first set against unseeded Filipino Alexandra Eala 3-6 but fought back to win the second 6-2 and is up 4-1 in the decider.
Elsewhere: Iga Świątek (8) is 2-2 on serve in the first set against Polina Kudermetova
American Danielle Collins is 1-0 up on serve against Camila Osorio, while Hailey Baptiste is 1-0 down on serve in the first against Sorana Cîrstea.
In a U.S.-UK tie, Caty McNally is serving for the first set at 5-3 against Jodie Burrage
On the men's side, American Chris Eubanks leads Jesper De Jong, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(7), a break down at 0-2 in the fourth, while Dan Evans leads Jay Clarke 6-1, 2-3 (on serve) in an all-British tie on Court 12,
Taylor Fritz's first-round tie, resumed from last night's suspension, against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is 2-2 on serve in the deciding set.
Another Brit in George Loffhagen won the first set 6-2 against Pedro Martinez 6-2 but has lost the next two 2-6, 4-6 and is just beginning the fourth. Getty Images
Let's take a look. American Alex Michelsen (30) lost out against Miomir Kecmanović
lost out against Miomir Kecmanović The aforementioned Aleksandar Vukic beat Tseng Chun-hsin 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) to set up that clash with Jannik Sinner (1)
Fellow Australian Alex de Minaur (11) beat Roberto Carballés Baena 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(2)
beat Roberto Carballés Baena 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(2) Mariano Navone beat favorite Denis Shapovalov (27) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 Lorenzo Sonego beat Jaime Faria 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Fábián Marozsán beat James Mccabe 6-1, 6-4, 6-3
In a five-set thriller, Frenchman Arthur Cazaux beat Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-1
And there was a walkover as Sebastian Ofner was up 7-6(8), 3-1 when Hamad Medjedovic pulled out Getty Images
In the women's singles, American Iva Jović was thrashed 6-1, 6-1 by Suzan Lamens, but compatriot Katie Volynets won 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 against Tatjana Maria of Germany.
Daria Kasatkina (16) beat Emiliana Arango, pictured, 7-5, 6-3, while Liudmila Samsonova (19) got past Maya Joint 6-3, 6-2.
Marta Kostyuk (26), though, was beaten by unseeded Veronika Erjavec 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, with Ekaterina Alexandrova (18) defeating Priscilla Hon 6-2, 7-5.
Elsewhere: Irina-Camelia Begu beat Kaja Juvan 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3
Anna Kalinskaya beat Nina Stojanović 6-3, 7-6(4)
And Zeynep Sönmez beat Jaqueline Cristian 7-6(3), 6-3
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