Defending champion Iga Swiatek cleared a potentially dangerous early hurdle with ease as she defeated former world number one Karolina Pliskova to reach round three at Wimbledon on Thursday.
Wimbledon Round Three
Czech 34-year-old Pliskova, back on the rise after an ankle injury almost ended her career, landed some heavy artillery on Centre Court but was no match for Swiatek who won 6-1 6-3.
Swiatek, aiming to break the so-called champion’s curse and become the first woman for a decade to retain the Wimbledon crown, looked sharp in the sunshine, taking the opening set in 25 minutes before being forced to work a bit harder.
She has now reached the last-32 stage at 26 successive Grand Slam tournaments — a record only bettered by Martina Navratilova and Conchita Martinez.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
