Best of Wimbledon Round 2: Gauff survives, Krejcikova lurks and Eala makes more history

For some, July is synonymous with fireworks, so it's only fitting that the second round at Wimbledon delivered plenty of sparks during the first two days of the month.

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Between a comeback that drew "oohs" and "aahs," a statement performance from a two-time Grand Slam champion who refused to be overlooked, and more history from one of the sport's brightest young stars, Days 3 and 4 at the All England Club lit up more than just the London sky.

Here are the best moments from Round 2 at Wimbledon.

Gauff survives by remembering who she is

Coco Gauff trailed 5-3 in the deciding set of her second-round match against Argentina's Solana Sierra and later faced a 7-4 deficit in the match tiebreak before recalling the words of her coach.

“I was just reminding myself, and my coach always tells me, ‘Remember who you are,'" Gauff said in her on-court interview.

Showing the heart of a two-time Grand Slam champion, Gauff won the final six points to pull off a miraculous 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7) victory in 2 hours and 8 minutes, her late charge highlighted by the shot of the day -- and perhaps the shot of the tournament so far -- at 7-all in the tiebreak.

It wasn't the first time this year Gauff has mounted a comeback against Sierra. She dropped the opening set of their most recent meeting in Rome before responding with a 6-0 second set and winning in three. She's now beaten the Argentine three times in 2026 alone.

With the win, the American has a chance to match her best Wimbledon result if she can get past compatriot Claire Liu in the third round.

Krejcikova lurks after upset of Andreeva

While the grass hasn't always been Coco's cup of tea, the same cannot be said for 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, who outlasted the sport's most recent Grand Slam winner to reach the third round. Krejcikova converted her seventh match point to complete her own comeback from a set down and knock out No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in 2 hours and 46 minutes.

The victory allowed the two-time Grand Slam singles champion to reflect.

"It's such a special feeling to be walking onto Centre Court at Wimbledon," Krejcikova said to press. "Every time I was able to get this opportunity, I feel very excited and very just pleased. It's a bit of an unreal moment that it's really happening, because to get so far from a little kid -- the chances that a little kid gets here are very, very little."

But while Krejcikova was thinking about the past and embracing the present, it became harder not to consider what might await her in the future.

In her previous two Grand Slam triumphs, Krejcikova arrived with little warning. She had never reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros before winning the title in 2021, and she hadn't made the last eight at Wimbledon before lifting the trophy two years ago. She reached the final in Libema at the start of June (before taking a walkover), but her form has been uneven this season -- which, in Krejcikova-speak, means she may have the rest of the field exactly where she wants them.

Eala makes more history with career-best Grand Slam result

Each time Alexandra Eala steps onto the court, the chance at history is never zero. It comes with the territory of reaching heights that players from her country once could only dream of.

On Thursday, she became the first Filipina to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open Era after coming from a set down to defeat Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 in 1 hour and 58 minutes.

"It sounds super impactful," Eala said to press on advancing to the third round. "It's an amazing thing for me to be able to do that for my country, but I guess it's also very emotional every time I'm able to pass a new step or break new ground, just because it's also personal goals and personal achievements.

"It's things that I have been working really hard for. It's things that my team has been working really hard for. I really appreciate that I'm able to share this with the nation, but I think first and foremost it makes me super proud because of the work that I've put in."

Next up for Eala is the chance to take this latest bit of history one step further. To do so, she'll have to find a way past the defending Wimbledon champion. And while it will be a tall task for Eala to get by No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek, it's not an impossible one. Remember, the 21-year-old defeated Switaek in the Miami quarterfinals last year in the tournament that first sparked her rise to stardom.

More Grand Slam third round first-timers

Eala isn't alone in reaching the third round of a Slam for the first time. Former Oklahoma State standout Mananchaya Sawangkaew advanced with a straight-sets win over Alycia Parks in 69 minutes on Wednesday. 2017 Wimbledon girls' singles champion Claire Liu also reached her first Grand Slam third round as a pro with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Zeynep Sonmez. Daria Snigur followed on Thursday, ousting Leolia Jeanjean in straight sets.

Flowers also go out to...

While four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has been to her fair share of third rounds at Majors, this is the first time she will still be competing this deep into Wimbledon. Fresh off a run to the Bad Homburg final, she has yet to drop a set in her first two matches. If she beats Daria Kasatkina next, a potential meeting with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka awaits.

Liudmila Samsonova has endured a miserable season up to this point, but the 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinalist appears to be rediscovering her form on grass. After pushing Elina Svitolina to three sets in Bad Homburg, she knocked off No. 15 seed and Roland Garros semifinalist Diana Shnaider 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in 2 hours and 16 minutes on Thursday to reach the third round.

Besides Andreeva and Shnaider, the only other seed to fall in the second round was No. 32 seed Katerina Siniakova. The defeat came at the hands of 20-year-old Nikola Bartunkova, who defeated her compatriot in two convincing sets on Wednesday to match her career-best Grand Slam result.

Superlatives

• Longest match -- No. 19 Anna Kalinskaya def. Diane Parry 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8) in 2 hours, 57 minutes
• Best match -- Barbora Krejcikova def. No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in 2 hours, 46 minutes
• Best royal plea -- "I've actually petitioned to maybe move the Eastbourne courts to Wimbledon," Madison Keys joked after beating Great Britain's Katie Swan. "I don't know if anyone here can make that happen!"

• Quote of the round -- Gauff: "I think I just have to remind myself that, yes, the girl I'm playing is tough. Regardless of who it is, it's tough. But I also have to remember that they're probably thinking the same thing about me."

Round 3 matches to watch

• No. 6 Amanda Anisimova vs. No. 26 Madison Keys (All-American showdown on Fourth of July)
• No. 3 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 29 Alexandra Eala  (See past results)
• Barbora Krejcikova vs. Nikola Bartunkova (Czech derby: Grand Slam champion vs. rising star)
• No. 16 Iva Jovic vs. No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova (Closest matchup by ranking)
• No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Jelena Ostapenko (Chance of rain: unknown; chance of fireworks: high)