Neither the wind, nor the rain, nor the unforced errors could get the Roland Garros champions out of Wimbledon. The Spanish Rafael Nadal and the Polish Iga Swiatek suffered this Thursday to continue advancing in a tournament also marked by the covid, which saw the runner-up Karolina Pliskova and the Argentine Diego Schwartzman eliminated in the second round.
Nadal, twice Wimbledon champion (2008 and 2010), three other finalist opportunities and who at 36 years old is looking for his 23rd Grand Slam title, took three hours to win 6-4, 6-4, 4-6 and 6 -3 to Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, number 106 in the world, who has never passed the second round.
“Every day is a challengeall the points are difficult, especially in these conditions”, admitted the Mallorcan, who had not played at the All England Club since 2019, had not played any game on grass this year before making his debut on Tuesday in the London tournament and suffered the interruption due to rain at the beginning of the final part.
In addition, on a cold and windy day, Nadal, who seemed to suffer from some kind of abdominal discomfort, lost his second set since the start of the tournament, after the one he had conceded in the first round against Argentine Francisco Cerúndolo.
A better serve from the Spaniard and several errors from the Lithuanian in the fourth set allowed him to take control of the match, which was interrupted when he led 3-0 due to a rain that keeps coming over London.
The rain stopped Rafa Nadal’s match. Photo Adrian DENNIS / AFP
“Today, I think my best tennis came in the last set, but I have to keep improving. Sometimes you can’t play at the highest level, but I hope I can reach it soon“, predicted Nadal, current fourth in the ATP ranking and second seed, who could come to face Novak Djokovic (3rd) only in a hypothetical final.
But first he must overcome his next opponent: Italian Lorenzo Sonego, earlier winner of Frenchman Hugo Gaston 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4 and whom he will face for the first time.
“He is one who won something throughout his career,” the tennis player commented ironically light blue ahead of the clash with the Spanish. “I will have to play my best tennis, with aggressiveness because on the grass it is useless to defend because the ball practically does not bite,” explained Sonego, who last year faced Roger Federer for the round of 16 on the central court. “That will serve as experience for me,” he said.
Another who secured his passage to the third round was the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat Australian Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 after two hours and four minutes of play and was one step away from equalizing his best performance at Wimbledon in 2018, when he was eliminated in the first round in the previous edition of the tournament.
“It will be a great battle,” Tsitsipas predicted, alluding to the duel he will hold with the Australian Nick Kyrgios, who defeated him in three of the four opportunities they faced and who qualified by beating Serbian Filip Krajinovic by a categorical score of 6- 2, 6-3 and 6-1 after one hour and 25 minutes “This is the tournament that I mark in my calendar and that I look forward to,” confessed the Australian, whose best performance at the All England came in 2014, when in his tournament debut he advanced to the quarterfinals.
Chilean Cristian Garín and Colombian Daniel Elahi Galán are also installed in the third round, the former after beating Frenchman Hugo Grenier 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 and the latter thanks to the forced abandonment of Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. , third infected with Covid-19 in the tournament after the Italian Matteo Berrettini and the Croatian Marin Cilic.
Eliminated instead It was the Argentine Diego Schwartzman, twelfth seed, who ended up losing in an incredible match against the British Liam Broady, 132 in the world, who beat him 6-2 in the first set and lost the next two 6-4 and 6-0. When everything seemed to indicate that El Peque was heading for victory, the locals reacted, equalizing by winning 7-6 (6) in the fourth quarter and taking the victory with a score of 6-1 in the fifth and final, leaving to the tournament no Argentine presence.
Schwartzman’s executioner at Wimbledon celebrates his passage to the third round. Photo REUTERS/Matthew Childs
In another match of the day, the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp beat the Finnish Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 and will clash with the Frenchman Richard Gasquet, winner 6-3, 3- 6, 6-4 and 6-3 of the American Mackenzie McDonald. Another American, Taylor Fritz, won 6-3, 7-6 (3) and 6-3 against the British Alastair Gray and will be the rival of the Slovakian Alex Molcan, who defeated fellow American Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-2 and 6-4.
Iga Swiatek’s streak
Iga Swiatek is slowly adapting to grass, she told the press. AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
In the women’s draw, the favorite for the title in the absence of the current champion, the Australian Ashleigh Barty, Iga Swiatek, scored her 37th consecutive victory and went on to the third round of Wimbledon beating Dutch Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Since she was eliminated in the second round in Dubai in February, the Pole has not lost a match. In addition, she has won titles on hard courts in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami, and then on clay in Stuttgart, Rome, Madrid and Paris.
But it wasn’t without effort: the 138th-ranked player, coming from qualifying, inflicted two breaks on her in the first set and another in the second. However, she managed to match a winning streak that the Swiss Martina Hingis had since 1997.
“I would say that grass is quite difficult for meI’m not going to lie,” the Pole later acknowledged at a press conference. “You can see that I’m not playing perhaps as efficiently as on other surfaces. My confidence is improving overall, but this tournament is tough and I’m still looking for how to play the best game here,” she added.
Last year’s finalist, the Czech Karolina Pliskova, number 7 in the world and another of the favorites, said goodbye instead to the All England Club, defeated in the second round by the British Katie Boulter, number 118 in the world.
Installed in the third round is also the Romanian Simona Halep, champion at Wimbledon in 2019, who beat the Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 7-5 and 6-4 and will settle the passage to the round of 16 against the Polish Madalena Frech, who won by a double 6-4 against the Slovakian Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova.
The coronavirus, a problem at Wimbledon
Matteo Berrettini was the first to withdraw from Wimbledon due to coronavirus. AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
The covid-19 is starting to wreak havoc on the tournament: on Tuesday prevented the debut of Italian Matteo Berrettinilast year’s finalist, who started as a great threat in Nadal’s way; the day before he had made the Croatian Marin Cilic retire, 2017 finalist; Y this Thursday take care to Spanish Roberto Bautista Agut.
The players affirm that nothing forces them to take tests or to withdraw due to a positive, but that they prefer to do it for the good of all. Even the Spanish Paula Badosa said that she was not afraid of getting sick because she has already contracted “all possible types.”
On Saturday she will face the Czech Petra Kvitova in the third round, two-time Wimbledon champion (2011 and 2014), now the 25th female racket in the world. And while she has never made it past the round of 16 at Wimbledon, could potentially meet Swiatek in the semis.
With information from AFP and ANSA
