There were several top players in action on Day 2 of the women’s singles at Wimbledon. This included world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and defending champion Marketa Vondrousova. It was a day which included a moment not seen at SW19 since 1994. This article reflects on who looked good, which players were less impressive and then picks the best match of Day 2.
Wimbledon Day 2 Women’s Recap
Who Looked Good?
Iga Swiatek made a very solid start in London against Sofia Kenin. She overcame the American 6-3 6-4 on Court 1. The Pole demonstrated her improved serving by only being broken once throughout the contest. Kenin pushed Swiatek in both sets, meaning this was a good first test for the world No. 1.
2022 champion Elena Rybakina was an even more comfortable winner on Day 2 of Wimbledon. She brushed aside Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3 6-1. The Kazakhstani broke serve five times and won over 90% of points on her first serve during a very dominant performance.
The two-time runner-up at SW19 Ons Jabeur was another player who impressed on the second day. The Tunisian also triumphed 6-3 6-1 against Moyuka Uchijima. Jabeur has struggled a lot since losing in the final for a second time 12 months ago, but there were signs of her vintage best during this display.
Jessica Pegula lost just two games in a 6-2 6-0 thrashing of her compatriot Ashlyn Krueger. The Berlin Open champion showed why she is a genuine contender at the third Grand Slam of the year, barely putting a foot wrong throughout the match. Krueger could have played better at times, but for the most part, she was powerless to stop Pegula.
2018 Wimbledon winner Angelique Kerber exited to the recent winner in Birmingham Yulia Putintseva. The final score was 7-5 6-3 in favour of the Kazakhstani. Kerber did not play a bad match, but Putintseva was impressive from the beginning to the end. Despite not being known for her firepower, Putintseva was the aggressor throughout, hitting 30 winners on her way to victory.
Who Looked Bad
Marketa Vondrousova suffered the biggest upset of Day 2. She became the first women’s defending champion to lose in the opening round since Steffi Graf in 1994 after being stunned 6-4 6-2 by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The Czech made 28 unforced errors and never got close to her best on Centre Court. Bouzas Maneiro deserves credit for taking advantage, but Vondrousova made it too easy for the Spaniard.
Two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic will also be disappointed with her showing. She was easily beaten 1-6 2-6 by Jelena Ostapenko. Tomljanovic defeated the Lativan in London in 2021, but never looked like repeating that. She simply never coped with Ostapenko’s power throughout the match.
Alycia Parks was another player who did not do herself justice on Day 2. She was dismantled 2-6 0-6 by the 2018 Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki. The American did not create a single break point, and her normally formidable serve was broken five times. Admittedly, Wozniacki did play very well, but Parks is capable of producing much more with the firepower she possesses.
Match of the Day
Cristina Bucsa’s contest with Ana Bogdan was the best women’s match on Day 2 of Wimbledon. Bucsa broke in the very first game of the match, but Bogan retrieved it in the sixth game. The Romanian then went up 4-3, but Bucsa reeled off three games in a row to take the opening set 6-4, with Bogdan becoming visibly frustrated after the setback. However, she regained her composure to claim the second set 6-4. She achieved that with just a single break of serve in the final game of the set.
After the pair exchanged breaks in the deciding set, Bogdan looked to be on the verge of victory when she broke again to leave herself serving for the match at 5-3. However, it all went wrong for her after that. After failing to serve out the contest, she then did not convert two match points in Bucsa’s following service game. That setback proved too much for the Romanian to recover from. The match was eventually deciding in a 10-point tiebreak, and Bucsa held her nerve much better to take it 10-5. That sealed a 6-4 4-6 7-6 win.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
