Serena sets up Kimiko clash as Li beats Halep
Source: Agencies |
June 28, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FIVE-TIME champion Serena Williams avoided the kind of early upset that has sent many top players tumbling out of Wimbledon, beating Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2 yesterday to reach the third round in London.
A day after Roger Federer headed the list of big names to go out in the second round, the top-ranked Williams never looked in danger against the 100th-ranked French qualifier.
Williams broke twice in each set to set up a match with Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm, who at 42 became the oldest woman to reach the third round at Wimbledon in the Open era.
Date-Krumm beat Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-4, 7-5 to reach the third round for the first time since 1996, when she went to the semifinals.
"She's incredibly inspiring," the 31-year-old Williams said about Date-Krumm. "She's so fit, she's done so well. I've never played her before. I watched her play when I was super young, growing up."
Date-Krumm is the second-oldest woman to have won a match at Wimbledon after Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she reached the second round in 2004. She took a 12-year break from tennis before returning in 2008.
Whether Williams can keep playing for another decade remains to be seen, but she certainly doesn't show any sign of slowing down in her 30s. The defending champion is looking for a sixth Wimbledon title, and saw her two main rivals - Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka - both eliminated on Wednesday.
After that wild Wednesday, which also saw seven players retiring or withdrawing with injuries, a feeling of normality returned to the All England Club yesterday.
Sixth-seeded Li Na of China did look in trouble for a while before overcoming a poor second set to beat Simona Halep of Romania 6-2, 1-6, 6-0.
Halep needed treatment on her lower back after the first set but still dominated the second, before Li, the former French Open champ, found her stride again in the third.
"Welcome to the crazy women's tennis tour," Li said.
Other seeds to win included No. 14 Samantha Stosur and No. 18 Dominika Cibulkova. Bernard Tomic of Australia, whose father and coach John Tomic has been barred from tournaments after allegedly assaulting his son's hitting partner, also advanced by beating American James Blake 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
There was one injury retirement; Michael Llodra of France quit after losing the first set 5-7 to 23rd-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy.
A day after Roger Federer headed the list of big names to go out in the second round, the top-ranked Williams never looked in danger against the 100th-ranked French qualifier.
Williams broke twice in each set to set up a match with Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm, who at 42 became the oldest woman to reach the third round at Wimbledon in the Open era.
Date-Krumm beat Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-4, 7-5 to reach the third round for the first time since 1996, when she went to the semifinals.
"She's incredibly inspiring," the 31-year-old Williams said about Date-Krumm. "She's so fit, she's done so well. I've never played her before. I watched her play when I was super young, growing up."
Date-Krumm is the second-oldest woman to have won a match at Wimbledon after Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she reached the second round in 2004. She took a 12-year break from tennis before returning in 2008.
Whether Williams can keep playing for another decade remains to be seen, but she certainly doesn't show any sign of slowing down in her 30s. The defending champion is looking for a sixth Wimbledon title, and saw her two main rivals - Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka - both eliminated on Wednesday.
After that wild Wednesday, which also saw seven players retiring or withdrawing with injuries, a feeling of normality returned to the All England Club yesterday.
Sixth-seeded Li Na of China did look in trouble for a while before overcoming a poor second set to beat Simona Halep of Romania 6-2, 1-6, 6-0.
Halep needed treatment on her lower back after the first set but still dominated the second, before Li, the former French Open champ, found her stride again in the third.
"Welcome to the crazy women's tennis tour," Li said.
Other seeds to win included No. 14 Samantha Stosur and No. 18 Dominika Cibulkova. Bernard Tomic of Australia, whose father and coach John Tomic has been barred from tournaments after allegedly assaulting his son's hitting partner, also advanced by beating American James Blake 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
There was one injury retirement; Michael Llodra of France quit after losing the first set 5-7 to 23rd-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy.
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