Tsitsipas sets up Kyrgios clash as Swiatek advances at Wimbledon

LONDON: Stefanos Tsitsipas set up a mouthwatering third-round match against Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon here on Thursday. Early second-round action at the All England Club was overshadowed by the withdrawal of Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut — the third player to pull out with Covid. Karolina Pliskova, last year’s beaten finalist, suffered a shock 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 defeat to British wildcard Katie Boulter while women’s fourth seed Paula Badosa set up a clash against two-time champion Petra Kvitova. Polish top seed Iga Swiatek won her 37th consecutive match to advance to third round, beating Dutch lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Swiatek, who has won her past six tournaments, including the French Open, broke three times in the first set as both players struggled to hold serve. A single break in the seventh game of the second set gave Pattinama Kerkhove the opening she needed to get back on level terms. Swiatek found her groove again in the decider as the shadows lengthened on Court 1, sealing victory on his first match point. She will take on France’s Alize Cornet for a place in the last 16.

Spanish 17th seed Bautista Agut became the third potential dangerman in Rafa Nadal’s half of the draw to pull out with coronavirus, following the withdrawals of 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini and 2017 finalist Marin Cilic. Nadal has also benefited from a shock first-round exit for Canada’s sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who took him to five sets at the French Open. Greek fourth seed Tsitsipas and the temperamental Kyrgios remain major threats to the 36-year-old Spaniard’s hopes for a third Wimbledon crown.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion struggled with crippling foot pain at Roland Garros but has received treatment aimed at reducing the pain and was moving freely in his first-round match on Tuesday. Kyrgios was on his best behaviour on court as he steamrollered Serbian 26th seed Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. The 27-year-old, who made the quarter-finals on debut at the All England Club in 2014, did not face a single break point. Kyrgios’s five-set opening win over Paul Jubb of Britain was marred by his admission that he spat in the direction of fans, accusing them of being disrespectful.

Tsitsipas defeated Australia’s Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3, 7-5. Seeds have also tumbled on the other side of the men’s draw, with notable early losers including third seed Casper Ruud and last year’s semi-finalist Hubert Hurkacz. But top seed Novak Djokovic, seeking to draw level with Pete Sampras on seven Wimbledon titles, is already safely through to the last 32. The tournament was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic while the 2021 edition was run at reduced capacity with players confined to a bubble, but this year it is back to business as usual at the All England Club. In the women’s tournament, Britain’s Boulter came from behind to beat Pliskova, dedicating her win to her late grandmother, who died this week. Badosa beat Romania’s Irina Bara in straight sets while Czech 25th seed Kvitova came through 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) against Ana Bogdan, also from Romania.