1 year ago
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ESPN News Services
Jul 2, 2025, 10:58 AM ET
Aryna Sabalenka joked that she'd emotion it if the upsets astatine Wimbledon would stop, which makes sense, fixed that she is ranked No. 1.
She's besides the lone 1 of the 5 top-seeded women inactive successful the bracket aft No. 4 Jasmine Paolini, past year's runner-up, followed No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 5 Qinwen Zheng connected the mode out.
Sabalenka was 2 points from dropping the opening acceptable of her second-round lucifer 3 times connected Wednesday earlier asserting herself for a 7-6 (4), 6-4 triumph implicit Marie Bouzkova.
In all, a record-tying 23 seeded players -- 10 women, 13 men -- were gone by the extremity of Day 2, equaling the astir astatine immoderate Grand Slam lawsuit successful the past 25 years. Five much women joined them by losing Wednesday: Paolini, No. 12 Diana Shnaider, No. 21 Beatriz Haddad Maia, No. 22 Donna Vekic and No. 29 Leylah Fernandez.
"Of people you're going to cognize the wide picture," Sabalenka said, past added with a chuckle: "I anticipation it's nary upsets anymore successful this tournament, if you cognize what I mean."
In the Open era, determination has been lone 1 large successful which nary much than 1 top-five-seeded pistillate made it done to the 3rd round: 2018 Wimbledon.
Sabalenka is simply a three-time Grand Slam champion, with each of those titles coming connected hard courts astatine the Australian Open oregon US Open. She besides was the runner-up to Gauff astatine the clay-court French Open past period but hasn't been past the semifinals connected the writer of the All England Club.
A twelvemonth ago, Sabalenka was forced to miss Wimbledon due to the fact that of an injured shoulder.
On Wednesday, the record-breaking vigor of the archetypal 2 days gave mode to rainfall that delayed the commencement of play connected smaller courts for astir 2 hours, on with temperatures that dropped from supra 90 degrees Fahrenheit to beneath 68 F.
At Centre Court, the 48th-ranked Bouzkova went up 6-5 successful the archetypal acceptable with the match's archetypal work interruption acknowledgment to a double-fault by Sabalenka. Bouzkova served for that set, and was 2 points distant from it astatine 30-15 successful that game, again astatine 30-all, past erstwhile much astatine deuce.
But connected the past specified occasion, Sabalenka came done with a forehand volley victor she punctuated with a yell, followed by a down-the-line backhand victor that was accompanied by different shout.
That was a pugnacious moment," said Sabalenka, who volition face 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu next. "Until that point, [my] instrumentality wasn't large capable to interruption her serve. I'm truly gladsome ... everything clicked unneurotic and I was capable to interruption her back. I benignant of similar felt a small spot better."
That sent them to a tiebreaker, and from 4-all there, Sabalenka took the adjacent 3 points, ending the acceptable with a almighty forehand instrumentality victor disconnected a 67 mph 2nd serve. In the 2nd set, the lone interruption arrived for a 3-2 pb for Sabalenka, and that was fundamentally that.
Sabalenka compiled a 41-17 borderline successful winners portion making lone 18 unforced errors successful a lucifer that lasted a small much than 1½ hours.
Sabalenka has present reeled disconnected 32 consecutive wins during the archetypal week of majors -- earlier the circular of 16 -- dating backmost to the 2022 US Open. She has won 64 of the 67 sets she has played successful those matches.
She has besides made the 3rd circular oregon amended successful each of the past 18 majors she has played; the lone pistillate with a longer progressive streak is Iga Swiatek, who has done truthful astatine each large since the commencement of 2020.
In different women's singles results Wednesday, Naomi Osaka precocious to the 3rd circular of Wimbledon for the archetypal clip since 2018 with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph implicit Katerina Siniakova, who took retired No. 5 Zheng successful the archetypal round.
A four-time large champion, Osaka has ne'er been to the 2nd week of a non-hard-court large successful her career. Her triumph Wednesday coincided with her girl Shai's 2nd birthday.
"I decidedly thought astir Shai's day contiguous portion I was playing my match. I was truly trying to beryllium focused," Osaka said. "I woke up this greeting and benignant of laid successful furniture with her, and I felt truly grateful to, I guess, beryllium surviving the beingness that I'm surviving due to the fact that I get to question with her. She's truthful young, but she's already been to truthful galore antithetic places. It truly is simply a blessing for me."
Also Wednesday, 12th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova eliminated Mexico's Renata Zarazua 6-4, 6-3.
Anisimova did not play astatine Wimbledon successful 2023 and mislaid successful the 3rd circular of qualifying successful 2024.
Solana Sierra, who got into the main gully aft Greet Minnen withdrew earlier the tournament, defeated Britain's Katie Boulter in 3 sets to go the 4th women's fortunate loser to scope the 3rd circular astatine Wimbledon since the Open epoch began.
Sierra is the archetypal Argentine pistillate to marque the 3rd circular since Gisela Dulko successful 2009. Ranked 101st, Sierra's third-round opponent, Cristina Bucsa, is ranked 102nd.
Earlier successful the day, Britain's Sonay Kartal defeated Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-2 to scope the 3rd round.
"Today was a bully time astatine the office," Kartal said.
ESPN Research, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
