Co-favorite Rafael Nadal and world number one Iga Swiatek each reach the third round in Wimbledon with a set loss. The Pole extends her impressive winning streak to 37 successes. The Swiss Martina Hingis last celebrated so many victories in a row in 1997.
Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek extended their winning streaks in the second round at Wimbledon – even if both favorites wobbled. The Grand Slam record champion from Spain also lost a set against Ricardas Berankis from Lithuania, but prevailed 6: 4, 6: 4, 4: 6, 6: 3. Swiatek had to fight more than usual in the 6: 4, 4: 6, 6: 3 against Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove from the Netherlands. “I won’t lie, grass is a tricky surface for me. I think everyone can see that I don’t play as efficiently as I do on other surfaces.”
After more than two hours she had reached the third round with her 37th win in a row. The Swiss Martina Hingis last celebrated so many victories in a row on the WTA tour in 1997. Legend Martina Navratilova holds the record with 74 successes. Swiatek (21) lost for the last time in February, followed by six tournament wins, including the title at the French Open. Nadal continues to play for the calendar Grand Slam, the triumph of the four biggest tennis tournaments in one season. He has already won the first two in Melbourne and Paris.
For a number of Swiatek’s competitors from the top 10, however, Wimbledon ended surprisingly early, the women’s field opens up for outsiders like Jule Niemeier, who is playing for a place in the round of 16 on Friday. Last year’s finalist Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) was eliminated after beating British Katie Boulter 6:3, 6:7 (4:7), 4:6. Previously, the top ten seeded players had already dropped former tournament winners Garbine Muguruza (Spain), Danielle Collins (USA), Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) and Anett Kontaveit (Estonia); Kontaveit against Dortmund’s Niemeier.
Meanwhile, Corona struck again for men: Nadal’s compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut was the third player after Marin Cilic (Croatia) and last year’s finalist Matteo Berrettini (Italy) to announce his retirement. Concerns are growing in South West London.
