Wimbledon Day Two Recap: Swiatek Rolls, Gauff Comes Back to Win

June 28, 2022 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo Credit: Andrew Ong/USTA

 

The second day of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships were played on Tuesday, and recent French Open finalists Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff both advanced into the second round, but did so much differently.

The top-seeded Swiatek needed just one hour and 15 minutes to defeat Croatia’s Jana Fett 6-0, 6-3.

“It’s my first match on grass this eason, so I knew it was going to be tricky,” said the French Open champion. “I’ve only played like 12 weeks in my life on grass, but the whole atmosphere, all the traditions this year, it’s really pumping me up. I’m really motivated to play well here.”

Swiatek will take on Dutch lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove in the next round.

Gauff took on Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse, and was pushed to the brink. Ruse came out firing and broke Gauff in her initial service game en route to winning the opening set 6-2.

But Gauff would rally to win the second set and force the match into a deciding third set. The two players exchanged long rallies late into the third set, with Ruse saving break points to hold for 5-4.

After Gauff held for 5-5, she broke Ruse for the 6-5 lead, and proceeded to serve out the match to escape with the victory.

“Elena played an amazing match. Both of us gave our heart,” said Gauff. “It was an electrifying match and I want to congratulate her on her tennis and her fight. I honestly like this court. It’s pretty loud but also intimate—you can hear every cheer and every grasp. First rounds are always the most nerve wracking. In the middle of the first set I was freaking out a bit, but I thought the worst that can happen is that I lose—it’s not the end of the world. And that’s when I started to play better.”

Gauff hopes to get off to a faster start in her second round match against another Romanian in Mihaela Buzarnescu, who won her opener 6-4, 6-2 against German qualifier Nastasja Schunk.

Other notable winners on the women’s side included fourth-seed Paula Badosa, 16th seed Simona Halep and 25th seed Petra Kvitova. Americans Amanda Anisimova, the 20th seed, Lauren Davis and Claire Liu also won their opening round matches on Tuesday.

The American men had a good Day Two on the London grass courts with several of them advancing into the second round. Leading the charge was 15th seed Reilly Opelka who notched a 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Carlos Taberner.

Steve Johnson was down a set but led 5-2 in the second set when Grigor Dimitrov retired with an injury resulting in Johnson’s advancement. 29th seed Jenson Brooksby, Mackenzie McDonald, Jack Sock, Christian Harrison and Marcos Giron all recorded wins as well.

Unseeded Nick Kyrgios played an up-and-down match against Paul Jubb, a native of Britain who plays collegiate tennis at South Carolina, but was able to push his way into the second round with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-5 win.

“It was incredibly tough. Obviously, you know he’s a local wild card and he had nothing to lose. He just enjoyed the moment and played some exceptional tennis at times,” said Kyrgios. “He’s going to be a good player, that’s for sure. I’m just happy to get through.”

Kyrgios will play the winner of 26th seed Filip Krajinovic and Jiri Lehecka next.

French Open champion and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal was tested in his opener on Tuesday as Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo won the third set and was up a break in the fourth set. But Nadal dug in to get the break back and ultimately win the fourth set, advancing with a 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory. 

Click Here to see the full results from Day Two at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

 

 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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