Garcia edges Fernandez in Wimbledon thriller; Svitolina marches on
WIMBLEDON, England-- In a sport that almost always guarantees a loss by the end of a tournament, the ability to reset and refocus is critical. The clichés, of course -- anything can happen, one match at a time, on any given day -- are all true.
This year, Leylah Fernandez View Profile had lost all three matches against Top 5 players, but you would never have known it Thursday when she met No.5 seed Caroline Garcia View Profile . What would have been the biggest upset so far on the women’s side, came down to a super-tiebreaker and Garcia was thrilled to escape with a stellar 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-6) victory.
Wimbledon: Scores | Draws | Order of play
“I would not say I found my rhythm,” Garcia said later, correcting a reporter. “I mean, I just won 7-6 in the third. I could be crying probably under the shower right now. That [was] how close it was."
Flying High ✈️
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2023
The No.5 seed @CaroGarcia survives against Leylah Fernandez View Profile 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) to book her ticket to the third round 🎟️#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Wd1dA1NEQU
With several hours of daylight left on a (surprisingly) sunny day, all of the second-round matches from the top half of the draw were well on their way to being completed, putting that bracket back on schedule if the third round is finished Friday. With another dry day -- the forecast is encouraging -- the bottom-half could be back on schedule by Saturday.
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Fernandez lost to Garcia at this year’s Australian Open and Indian Wells, but came out and won the first set with some intricate shot-making. Garcia evened things, then overpowered Fernandez to dominate the deciding tiebreak.
This is a slick surface that rewards Garcia’s aggression, and she has the statistics to prove it. Among active players, only Petra Kvitova (6) and Venus Williams (5) have won more WTA Tour grass court titles than Garcia’s three. She and Jelena Ostapenko View Profile are the only two WTA players with 15 or more grass wins over the past two years.
“Obviously, I play an aggressive game, so it may look like grass court should suit more that kind of player," Garcia said. "When you come on grass court, you have one month of a new chapter, a new season. Doesn’t really matter how you played before.”
Next up: Marie Bouzkova View Profile , a swift 6-1, 6-2 winner over Anett Kontaveit, who played the last singles match of her career. Bouzkova has won both previous matches against Garcia, including a 7-5, 6-2 fourth-round affair here last year.
"Maybe it's her nap time"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2023
We hope your daughter was able to catch some of your win, @ElinaSvitolina 😅#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/0ufH76P9Om
Elina Svitolina View Profile continued her resurgent form on Thursday, defeating 28th-seed Elise Mertens View Profile 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 to set a third-round showdown with Sofia Kenin View Profile . This is Svitolina’s third trip to the third round and first since making the semifinals in 2019.
Svitolina holds a 3-2 head-to-head advantage over Kenin but all five of those matches came in 2019.
“She’s an aggressive baseliner,” Svitolina observed. “She loves to strike the ball, dictate on the baseline. I’ll have to react quick. I’ll have to move my legs really, really well and expect a quick ball.”
In other notable second-round results, former No.1 Victoria Azarenka View Profile eased past Nadia Podoroska View Profile to set a third-round match against No.11 seed Daria Kasatkina View Profile .
No.30 Petra Martic View Profile came back to defeat Diane Parry View Profile 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Her reward is a Friday date with World No.1 Iga Swiatek View Profile on Centre Court.
No.13 Beatriz Haddad Maia View Profile came back to defeat Jaqueline Cristian 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours, 29 minutes. The Roland Garros semifinalist will face Sorana Cirstea View Profile next. The Romanian came back to beat No.17 Ostapenko 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in 2 hours and 36 minutes.
Cirstea holds a commanding 4-1 edge over the Brazilian, but they’ve split their two this year. Haddad Maia won in Adelaide and Cirstea returned the favor in Dubai.
In the last match of the day, No.22 Anastasia Potapova View Profile defeated Kaja Juvan View Profile 6-3, 7-5 to make her second consecutive third round at a Slam and first at Wimbledon. Potapove will face 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva View Profile for a spot in the Round of 16.
