Barty through as rain hits again
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Australia’s Ashleigh Barty overcame a mid-match wobble to reach the second round at Wimbledon as rain once again halted play on the outside courts yesterday.
Barty came through 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-1 against Carla Suarez Navarro in a match filled with emotion on Centre Court, whose roof ensured the match could be finished.
Play was due to get under way again at 5:00pm local time the same time as kickoff in the Euro 2020 last 16 tie between England and old foe Germany at Wembley.
However, 18 first-round matches were pushed back to today with men’s doubles matches cut to best-of-three sets in the first two rounds in an effort to make up the backlog.
Barty’s Spanish opponent made sure her 11th and final appearance at The Championships went the distance just months after returning from a winning fight against cancer.
Barty is bidding to add the senior singles Wimbledon title to her 2011 junior crown on the 50th anniversary of her fellow indigenous Australian’s Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s first title.
Goolagong Cawley was 29 when she won her second singles title in 1980 — 10 years younger than two legends commencing their campaigns later yesterday
Roger Federer and his fellow 39-year-old Serena Williams will be hoping to follow Venus Williams, two years older than them, into the second round.
Federer was facing talented Frenchman Adrian Mannarino while Serena follows him onto Centre Court and plays Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
Venus had some worrying moments in her match against Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania.
However, the five-time Wimbledon singles champion, playing in her 90th Grand Slam, eventually came through 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Barty opened on Centre Court — an honor usually given to the defending champion — due to Simona Halep having withdrawn through injury.
The 25-year-old lost focus when serving for the match in the second set but dominated the third to go through.
However, she joined in the standing ovation for Suarez Navarro as the 32-year-old left the court with the Spaniard’s mother Maria wiping away a tear.
“She is a fighter, an incredible competitor and lovely person and I cannot find one bad word to say about her,” said Barty of her opponent.
“She is a genuine champion and will be sorely missed.”
Australian men’s No. 1 Alex de Minaur lost in four sets to Sebastian Korda, two days after the American victor’s sister Nelly won her first golf major.
Barty’s fiery and entertaining compatriot Nick Kyrgios is scheduled to start his campaign later against Ugo Humbert.
The Australian beat Humbert in a five-set thriller at the Australian Open earlier this year but the Frenchman has shown his class on grass with victory at the Halle tournament in Germany.
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