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Wimbledon Women’s Day 1
Top seed Iga Swiatek did not let a brief rain interruption dull her confidence as the four-time Grand Slam winner began her title quest 6-1, 6-3 over China’s Zhu Liu.
Play was halted briefly after only 50 minutes on court late in the second set before the roof over Court No. 1 was closed to allow the contest to finish.
“It was a really solid performance from me. I’m happy that I could just play my game and be in the rhythm, even though it was the first round,” Swiatek said.
“I actually haven’t got the experience of a match suspended, then coming back after just 15 minutes.
“I wanted to see how it’s going to go. I’m happy it went well and I could close it.”
She added: “After winning Roland Garros (for a third time a month ago) I took time to appreciate what had happened.
“I was then able to get back to work with more peace in my head.
“I’m open-minded for the grass season.”
Fourth seed Jessica Pegula wasted three match points in the second set but managed to claw back victory in the third, defeating American compatriot Lauren Davis 6-2, 6-7 (8), 6-3.
The winner is playing her tenth consecutive Grand Slam as a seed but has never escaped the third round here in three previous appearances.
“I felt good going into the third [set], even though I had match points in the second,” Pegula said.
“She’s a really tough player, she played some incredible points. She’s a really good grass-court player as well.
“When she gets hot, it’s really tough. Her ball skids really low through the court.”
She added: “I kept my focus, didn’t get too frustrated, and was able to just pull it out,”
French fifth seed Caroline Garcia started off her 10th Wimbledon appearance 6-4, 6-3 over American Katie Volynels, her 58th match win at a major.
Elina Svitolina, a 2019 semi-finalist who reached third in the world, brought an end to the wild card appearance of five-time winner Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3.
The Ukrainian who had a child last October with husband Gael Monfils held her nerve against the legend.
Williams took a sliding fall in the third game of the match and was taped after losing the first set.
The 43-year-old who claimed her last title here 15 years ago, was playing Wimbledon for the 24th time after making her debut as a teenager more than a quarter of a century ago.
Williams broke Svitolina in the penultimate game but lost serve and the match moments later on a successful Svitolina challenge of a return on the Williams baseline.
Photo Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
The veteran exited to a standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd.
“It’s always a pleasure to play Venus,” the winner said of their fifth meeting. :
“It was a special moment today, playing against a big legend.
Grass takes a lot out of the legs and Venus plays quickly. I had to work hard for today’s win.”
Host Britain suffered a first loss of the Championships as wild card Harriet Dart went down 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-4 to France’s Diane Parry after two and a quarter hours.
Jody Burrage got a welcome home revenge 6-1, 6-3 over American Caty McNally.
2021 Roland Garros winner Barbora Stycova got back into the Grand Slam mix after pregnancy as she played her first major in three years, posting a 6-1, 7-5 defeat of Belgian Maryna Zanevska.
Double Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka still feels the nerves as she enters her 15th Wimbledon, but managed to keep them in check for a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue.
“In Grand Slams, no doubt, there is another level of expectation, motivation, and desire,” the 33-year-old said.
“I’ve struggled the last few months. To be able to step by step try to find my rhythm, that’s why I’m happy with the win today.
“It wasn’t pretty. It was tough. It was a battle out there… I’ve been missing that a little bit throughout the last couple months, so I’m glad that I went through that today.”
Main photo:- Wimbledon Championships 2023 Day 1 Iga Swiatek wins first round match by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
Alexander Zverev on Thursday made a long-sought after return to the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, booking his first final four at the event since 2019, defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4.
The 2027 year-end No. 1 last got this far as the Covid pandemic began to surface in China in 2019. The event was not played 2020-2022, with the German making modest progress here over the past three editions since resumption.
After winning his 62nd match of the season, the 29-year-old was pleased with his performance.
“I think it was a huge step up. From just being on the court I felt both of us were playing really well.
“I was, a lot of the time, outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here.
“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the past couple of matches.”
Zverev advanced in 78 minutes, sending over 10 aces as he defeated the Australian for the ninth time in their 13 matches.
Added the reigning Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows Grand Slam champion: “I’ve been handling pressure quite okay this year. In a way you play a bit more relaxed.
“Once Jannik (SInner) unfortunately announced he won’t play for the rest of the year, I’m 4,000 points ahead of everyone else, so I trust myself enough that I’m going to win [enough matches].
Zverev will play for the final to wrap up the Asian swing as he takes on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced when Arthur Gea quit their quarter-final with injury.
American outsider Ann Li produced the upset of her life on Wednesday, taking 10 match points to defeat world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a quarter-final shock at the WTA Wuhan 1000.
The No. 31’s success kept top seed Sabalenka from a place in the final four at the event for the first time in her career.
The two-and-a-half-hour victory was the third for Li this season over a top 10 opponent. The loss was a huge blow to Sabalenka, who won the tournament on three occasions 2018, 2019 and 2024.
The run counts as a hat-trick, with the tournament played in the epicentre city for the Covid outbreak not staged from 2020 through 2023.
Li rallied from a set down to complete her biggest day in tennis.
“On some of those match points I was about to lose my mind. I was about to crash out,” the winner said.
“I didn’t even play that bad, she just played really well.
“You have to play point by point. And I knew that if I stayed there, I could get into that situation again, which is all you can ask for.”
Li was operating from a deficit after Sabalenka swept the opening set with an eight-point surge and put the American into a second-set hole down a break of serve, 2-4.
But Li gathered her resources and claimed nine of 11 games, levelling at a set each and leading 5-2 lead in the third.
Sabalenka called for the physio for her right leg, then saved five match points before continuing the heroics for four additional recoveries from defeat.
Li finally got the job done on her 10th chance in the final-set tiebreaker, finishing it off with a forehand winner.
Alexander Zverev marked his new status as sure-thing year-end No. 1 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday by posting a fighting 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (1) victory over Alexander Bublik..
The 29-year-old German whose two Grand Slam titles this season and the absence of injured Jannik Sinner helped him into the top spot for the first time, needed to save four early set points and deal with an ank;e issue on his journey into the last eight.
Zverev moved through in just under two and three-quarter hours to set up a match with last week’s Beijing finalist Alex de Minaur, The Australian booked his spot over Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4.
Zverev will be playing in his 40th quarter-final in a Masters 1000 and is on the hunt for an eighth trophy this season.
He said his ankle was giving problems – but not enough to affect the match outcome.”It was kind of understandable because I have been playing a lot of tennis, which is kind of a good sign because I have been playing well.
“I’m starting to feel my body more and more but happy to get through. It was a difficult match because he has been playing amazing tennis,” he said after coming from a break down in the deciding set.
De Minaur has bounced back nicely in Shanghai after quitting the Tokyo final against Carlos Alcaraz with an adductor muscle injury.
Zverev scratches 7-year itch with return to Shanghai SF
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