On a rain-interrupted day at Wimbledon, Aryna Sabalenka kept her title hopes alive with a determined win over Marie Bouzkova, while Britain’s Sonay Kartal surged into the third round, giving home fans something to cheer.
Sabalenka, the world No.1, was forced to dig deep on Centre Court before seeing off Bouzkova 7-6(4), 6-4 in a tense, physical encounter. In a tournament that’s already seen a wave of seeded casualties, her grit offered reassurance to fans fearing another shock.
After a nervy start, Sabalenka’s serve misfired at 5-5, gifting Bouzkova a break and energising the underdog-loving crowd. But the Belarusian’s response was fierce, a roar and a clenched fist punctuated her charge to the tie-break, where her power finally overwhelmed the Czech.
She broke early in the second set and never looked back, stepping inside the baseline and belting winners with her trademark intensity. Still, moments of frustration, eye-rolls and muttered complaints, revealed a player feeling the pressure of expectation.
Sabalenka has already reached two Slam finals this year, but with Gauff, Swiatek and other top seeds already gone, the door at SW19 is swinging wide open. A potential third-round clash with British darling Emma Raducanu could tilt Centre Court sentiment away from her for once.
Earlier, Sonay Kartal delivered a dazzling performance to beat Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 6-2, becoming the first Brit to reach round three. The 22-year-old followed up her first-round upset of 20th seed Ostapenko with composure and clinical execution on Court 14.
“I was seeing it and hitting it very clean,” Kartal said. “It was one of those good days in the office.” Her confidence was matched by control, as she raced through the first four games of the second set.
Tomova’s late resistance was brief, and Kartal closed out the match with a flourish. With world No.15 Diana Shnaider or qualifier Diane Parry next, the Brighton-born star is eyeing a deeper run on home soil.
