Azarenka survives near three hour battle, Pegula survives Davis scare; Rublev and Musetti pick of ATP players early at Wimbledon
Tennis News
Early winners at 2023 Wimbledon are coming in thick and fast while Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek play on the main show courts and in the main, the top names have moved through albeit not without scares.
Jessica Pegula, the fourth seed faced Lauren Davis and came from a break down in the third set to win 6-2, 6-7(8), 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes.
The model of consistency as the commentators said and Pegula is just that on the ATP Tour not losing in the opening round of a Grand Slam since Roland Garros 2020 against Aryna Sabalenka.
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She recovered from missing three match points in the second set tiebreak to preserve this. But despite being a five-time major quarter-finalist, she is yet to dazzle at Wimbledon and in this case nearly went out to start the tournament.
As ever though with Pegula, it followed a script of sorts. She dropped just three points behind her serve in a commanding opener with 13 unforced errors from Davis.
But she was broken in the second at a pivotal moment 5-3. Still though, Pegula received some luck and forced a tie-break and all cards seemed to fall into her lap but after match points were missed, Davis forced a decider.
She captured an immediate break in the decider but was broken back in the next game by Pegula who lost just four more points behind her serve breaking for 5-3 and served it out from there.
Azarenka in near three hour epic
While Victoria Azarenka who has not been in great form as of late showed why in spells against Yue Yuan nearly falling in a tie that last nearly three hours.
Azarenka sealed a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win in a match which again she should've won a lot more comfortably.
After breezing through the opening set and going a break up, the Chinese ace forced Azarenka into a deciding set.
But she survived the fightback and the 19th seed who was the first in potential upset watch moves through.
Rublev and Musetti pick of ATP
As expected due to playing best of five, the ATP games are less fast and furious but two big names are already into the second round.
Those being Andrey Rublev who reached the final in Halle recently showing his grass court prowess. This was on display as he took down Max Purcell.
It was a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win for the returning Russian who like Azarenka missed 2022's edition. Lorenzo Musetti was also a comfortable winner 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 with the likes of Hubert Hurkacz, Aslan Karatsev and Tomas Barrios Vera two sets two the good.
Jordan Thompson and Brandon Nakashima are already into a fifth and deciding set with a lengthy conclusion likely.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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