Wimbledon, Day 2 women’s roundup: Barty, Kerber, Serena start strong; Sharapova retires hurt

World number one Ashleigh Barty and defending champion Angelique Kerber eased into the second round of Wimbledon on Tuesday.

Barty beat China’s Zheng Saisai 6-4, 6-2 while Kerber, the fourth seed, beat fellow German Tatjana Maria 6-4, 6-3.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams moved into the second round on Tuesday with a hard-fought 6-2, 7-5 win over Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto-Monticone.

The 37-year-old American, who if she wins Wimbledon will share the record with Margaret Court of 24 Grand Slam titles, eased through the first set.

However, she had a far tougher battle in the second set against the Italian, who was making her Wimbledon debut, and who broke Williams’s serve when the American served for the match at 5-3.

Williams spent a lot of the time chastising herself but eventually closed out the match breaking Gatto-Monticone’s serve.

Former champion Maria Sharapova retired with a right arm injury in the final set of her tie with Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier who claimed a 4-6, 7-6 (7/), 5-0 win while Petra Kvitova was through to the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Ons Jabeur.

Sharapova, now ranked at 80 in the world, served for the match in the second set but then needed treatment on her arm. The 32-year-old had only returned to the tour in Mallorca last month after five months out to recover from shoulder surgery.

Barty did not have it all her own way in the first set being pegged back to 4-4 after leading 3-0. She finally took the set in breaking Zheng on her serve at 5-4.

The Australian made the break on Zheng’s first service game in the second set and was rarely troubled after that.

“The first rond is always very tough and it took a little time to get used to the court,” said Barty.

“It definitely took some time to adjust.”

Barty, who is bidding to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season, said the weight of being number one did not affect her particularly.

“It is a bizarre feeling to be honest but I try and go about my business as usual,” she said.

Barty plays tricky Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck, who knocked out then defending champion Garbine Muguruza last year in the second round, for a place in the last 32.

This year didn’t prove to be much better for Muguruza as she exited in the first round. World No 121 Beatriz Haddad Maia beats the 2017 champion 6-4, 6-4..

Kerber, who came into the tournament on the back of being the beaten finalist at Eastbourne last Saturday, looked to be cruising to victory when she broke Maria in the first game of the second set.

However, her compatriot fought back to break her in the next game after a long tussle which saw Kerber get increasingly annoyed by her errors.

Kerber, though, again broke in the following game a sweeping forehand crosscourt provoking her to a double fist shake and a yell of delight.

There were further breaks of serve but in the end Kerber came through safely.

Meanwhile, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, left the plush confines of the Royal Box at Wimbledon to watch a British wildcard competing on the lowly outside courts.

In a rare move for a member of the royal family visiting the All England Club, Kate took her place in among the 318 regular seats on Court 14 to watch Harriet Dart beat Christina McHale.

Results

Women

1st rd

Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

Harriet Dart (GBR) bt Christina McHale (USA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 5-7, 7-5, 6-4

Lauren Davis (USA) bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 6-3, 6-2

Barbora Zahlavova (CZE) bt Lesya Tsurenko (UKR x32) 6-3, 6-2

Elise Mertens (BEL x21) bt Fiona Ferro (FRA) 6-2, 6-0

Monica Niculescu (ROU) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 2-6, 6-2, 7-5

Wang Qiang (CHN x15) bt Vera Lapko (BLR) 6-2, 6-2

Sloane Stephens (USA x9) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 6-2, 6-4

Katerina Siniaková (CZE) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1

With AFP Inputs