London: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka survived a spirited fightback from American McCartney Kessler to book her place in the third round of Wimbledon, recovering from 5-2 down in the second set and saving four set points before sealing a hard-fought 6-1, 7-6(9) victory on Wednesday. Sabalenka will now face former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Ostapenko delivered one of the day’s strongest performances, defeating Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic 6-2, 6-0 in just 66 minutes.
The Latvian wiped away memories of her error-filled first-round win over Harriet Dart, in which she had 13 double faults. She hit an impressive 34 winners against just 10 unforced errors.
After losing the first set, Kessler changed the match with fearless attacking play. The American, who won last year’s Nottingham grass-court title, often charged the net and won 11 of 15 net points in the second set. She aimed for her third career victory over a Top-10 player and her first against a reigning World No. 1.
Serving for the set at 5-3, Kessler had two set points, but Sabalenka responded with her usual aggression to keep herself in the match. They produced a thrilling tiebreak where neither player managed to gain a two-point lead from the third point onward. Kessler had two more set points at 7-6 and 8-7, but Sabalenka saved them with a service winner and a brilliant forehand volley, respectively. Although Kessler fought off two match points, the Belarusian finally secured victory with her 32nd winner of the afternoon.
Naomi Osaka continued her impressive run at Wimbledon 2026 with a commanding straight-sets victory over Anastasia Gasanova before once again making a statement away from the tennis as her Japanese-inspired outfit drew attention at the All England Club. The four-time Grand Slam champion defeated the qualifier 6-3, 6-2 on Court 2 on Wednesday to secure her place in the third round.
Meanwhile seventh seed Coco Gauff of the United States staged a remarkable comeback, winning six straight points in the final-set tiebreak to secure a hard-fought three-set victory over Sloana Sierra in a gripping battle in the Ladies' Singles second round on Wednesday. Argentina's Sierra pushed Gauff to the limit, nearly pulling off an upset before the 22-year-old American fought back to win the match 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in a victory after 2 hours and 8 minutes and reached the third round. Earlier Serena Williams suffered a defeat to Maya Joint in her much-anticipated Wimbledon return after a four-year absence, following an epic Centre Court battle. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who recently announced her comeback at the age of 44, showed moments of brilliance against the 20-year-old Australian and saved a match point in the second set to force a decider. However, she eventually ran out of steam, going down 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3. (IANS)
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