Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina have made winning starts to their Wimbledon runs, while defending champion Marketa Vondrousova shockingly exited The Championships in the first round.
Swiatek, the top-seeded player, was handed a tricky opener at Wimbledon but she routinely handled the business in her first grass match of the year, beating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-4. In her next match, Swiatek plays the winner of the match between Petra Martic and Francesca Jones.
Iga Swiatek © Getty Images Sport – Mike Hewitt
Meanwhile, 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina earned a statement win in her opening match as she demolished Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3 6-1 to set up a second-round meeting against Laura Siegemund.
But Tuesday wasn’t a good day for world No. 6 Vondrousova, whose Wimbledon title defense came to an end very earlier after 83rd-ranked Maria Bouzas Maneiro upset the Czech 6-4 6-2.
How Swiatek beat Kenin?
Very early in the first set, Swiatek blew an early break but it didn’t take long before she again went up by a break after breaking Kenin in the fourth game. With Swiatek leading 5-3 and Kenin serving to stay in the first set, the Pole didn’t realize her first set point but the set came to an end in the following game after the world No. 1 converted her second set point.
After winning the first set, Swiatek struggled a bit to break through Kenin’s game in the second set but ultimately managed to open a 5-3 lead after breaking the American in the seventh game and then saving a break point eighth game. In the ninth game, Kenin held to her serve to survive for another game – but not for too long – since Swiatek closed out the match on her serve in the 10th game.
How Rybakina dismantled Ruse?
Playing against world No. 152 Ruse, No. 4 seed Rybakina actually struggled a bit at the beginning and the Romanian used that to open a 3-1 lead.
Elena Rybakina © Getty Images Sport – Mike Hewitt
But Rybakina made those early issues disappear quickly after impressively winning the next eight games to go from being down to having a very comfortable 6-3 4-0 lead.
In the fifth game, Ruse finally held on to one of her service games but it didn’t change much because the Kazakh sealed the twin two games later after clinching her fifth break of the match.
How Vondrousova exited Wimbledon?
No. 6 seed Vondrousova was never in control against Bouzas Maneiro and it can safely be said that the Spaniard dictated everything from the start until the end.
Marketa Vondrousova © Getty Images Sport – Sean M. Haffey
In the first set, Bouzas Maneiro blew an early break but still won the first set after breaking Vondrousova again in the seventh game and then holding to her serve for the remainder of the set.
The second set was basically the same but this time Bouzas Maneiro lost an early break but then responded by breaking Vondrousova twice in the rest of the set to complete her two-set win.
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