Aryna Sabalenka fights back to avoid Wimbledon upset

LONDON – Second seed Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a poor first set to beat Varvara Gracheva 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Friday and reach the third round at Wimbledon.

The 2021 semi-finalist at the All England Club is behind only world No. 1 Iga Swiatek (40) for match wins on the Tour in 2023 with 35. However, her status as one of the favourites to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish was severely tested.

The Australian Open champion struggled badly in the opening set, with Gracheva, representing France for the first time since switching nationality from Russia in June, moving around with ease in the sunshine on Court One.

“It was just crazy, it was super tough and I couldn’t find my rhythm. I was just telling myself to keep fighting, keep trying and just do your best and probably you’re going to win this one,” the Belarusian said in an on-court interview.

Sabalenka, 25, sent a forehand wide of the tramlines in the sixth game, one of 16 unforced errors in the set, to hand an early break to the 22-year-old, who saved three break points to extend her lead before breaking again to take the set.

A huge upset looked on the cards before Sabalenka found her rhythm midway through the second set, executing a cute drop shot to seal a hold to love. A huge roar after a hold at 5-5 powered her through to breaking Gracheva and serving out the set to level the match.

An early break in the decider swung the momentum in favour of Sabalenka, who had sharpened her returns and was finding the corners of the court with her powerful backhand.

The 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist secured another break after a double fault from Gracheva and smashed an ace down the middle to complete her comeback and set up a third-round clash with Russian Anna Blinkova.

It was smooth sailing for two-time former champion Petra Kvitova, who brushed aside Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-2 to set up a third-round meeting with Serbia’s Natalija Kostic.

Reaching the Wimbledon third round for the first time was Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, after her Spanish opponent Paula Badosa retired with an injury during their match on Friday. The 21-year-old was leading 6-2, 1-0 when Badosa pulled out with a back problem.

In the men’s draw, sixth seed Holger Rune dazzled a packed crowd on Court Three with his full repertoire of silky shot-making to beat Spain’s Roberto Carlos Baena 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 and become only the fourth Dane to reach the men’s third round at Wimbledon and the first for nearly 20 years.

“He made it very difficult and didn’t give me anything for free, but I managed to raise my level and close to the end I got unbelievable support from the crowd,” said the charismatic 20-year-old, who twice had to recover service breaks in the opening set.

“I love getting the fans involved. It was unbelievable, really cool and I hope we can bring it all the way.”

Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev also progressed to the third round with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino on Friday, after their match was suspended due to bad light the previous day.

The third seed was on the brink of victory on Thursday evening before his opponent staged a late fightback to level the third set at 4-4 and take the match into a second day.

The world No. 35 continued to keep pace with the Russian, who has never advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Club. Medvedev will next face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz also swept into the third round on Friday, beating Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 to set up a clash against Chile’s Nicolas Jarry, who eliminated Australian Jason Kubler. REUTERS, AFP