Svitolina impressive in Mertens win as Kenin backs up Gauff victory, set to face each other in third round of Wimbledon
WTAThursday, 06 July 2023 at 14:22
While the first round for some at Wimbledon is not even complete yet, Elina Svitolina and Sofia Kenin have already booked a third round clash which is bound to have eyes on it.
Svitolina and Kenin were two of the first winners on Thursday morning with the latter backing up her opening win over Coco Gauff.
She took down Wang Xinyu 6-4, 6-3 taking just one hour and 14 minutes to ease past Wang who is the recent French Open Doubles Champion.
Kenin has come all the way from qualifying where she eased through in straight sets before defeating Gauff in three sets in the opening round on Monday.
The 2020 Australian Open champion had fewer winners and more unforced errors than her Chinese opponent but won 68% of Wang's second service points with 4/7 on break point chances proving vital.
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Superb Svitolina continues hot streak
Elina Svitolina in her match against Elise Mertens won a typical WTA scoreline which was 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 surviving a mid match wobble to win through in a match that she arrived as the outsider.
But she soon brushed that aside with a superb 23 minute opener with 79% of first serves in and only two errors off the forehand and backhand throughout the whole set. Her best set on grass in a long time and maybe since her return.
But in the end, it was a 10th win from her last 12 and backs up victory over Venus Williams to move further towards the top 50 again in only two months back on the tour.
But while Kenin won through, Alycia Parks did not with the American losing out to Ana Bogdan in a top 50 showown.
Bogdan is into the third round for the first time in six appearances and after upsetting Samsonova has a big chance with Svitolina's compatriot, Lesia Tsurenko next up.
Minutes after Svitolina won as did Tsurenko. As well as Anhelina Kalinina with Marta Kostyuk through yesterday, it is a good time for the Ukrainians on the tennis court. American players on the other hand in mixed fortunes.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
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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