LONDON: Ashleigh Barty’s bid to win the Wimbledon singles title on the 50th anniversary of fellow indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s first victory stayed on course on Thursday.

However, Barty produced a far from perfect performance in her 6-4, 6-3 win over Russia’s Anna Blinkova as she progressed to a third round meeting with Czech Katerina Siniakova.

Barty is seeded to meet this year’s French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the last 16.

Krejcikova brushed aside second round opponent German veteran Andrea Petkovic 7-5, 6-4.

Two fewer seeds will be standing in Barty’s way as she looks to add the senior singles title to her 2011 junior Wimbledon win.

Third seed Elina Svitolina, a Wimbledon semi-finalist two years ago, and French Open semi-finalist Maria Sakkari exited in the second round.

Svitolina lost 6-3, 6-4 to Poland’s Magda Linette, while Sakkari, the 15th-seeded Greek, was ousted by Shelby Rogers of the United States 7-5, 6-4.

Second seed Daniil Medvedev reached the Wimbledon last 32 for the third time with a straight sets win over Spanish wildcard Carlos Alcaraz. Fresh from his first grass court title in Mallorca last weekend, the Russian eased to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 over 18-year-old Alcaraz, the youngest player in the draw.

Medvedev will face either 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic or French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi for a place in the last 16 Cameron Norrie awaits the winner of the Roger Federer and Richard Gasquet clash after the fast-improving Briton swept aside Australian wildcard Alex Bolt 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

Norrie joins fellow Britons Dan Evans and two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in the third round.

It is the first time three British men have reached the third round since 1999, when Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Danny Sapsford reached the last 32.

Alexander Zverev, like Medvedev, has yet to flourish at Wimbledon but the German wasted little time in progressing to the third round dismissing Tennys Sandgren, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

The fourth seed could face a closer examination of his skills on grass if big serving American Taylor Fritz beats compatriot Steve Johnson.

Coco Gauff makes her first appearance on Centre Court since 2019 when, as a 15-year-old, she won the hearts of spectators with her run from qualifying to the fourth round.

Gauff, now 17, eased through against British wildcard Francesca Jones but a sterner test awaits her in the form of 2016 semi-finalist Elena Vesnina.

Gauff confessed that returning to the grounds where she was arguably the star of the show in 2019, beating Venus Williams along the way to the last 16, had been intimidating.

Results on Thursday (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

Second round: Pedro Martinez (Spain) bt 13-Gael Monfils (France) 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5); 7-Matteo Berrettini (Italy) bt Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands) 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Ilya Ivashka (Belarus) bt Jeremy Chardy (France) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Jordan Thompson (Australia) bt Kei Nishikori (Japan) 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3; James Duckworth (Australia) bt Sam Querrey (US) 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2; 2-Daniil Medvedev (Russia) bt Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; 17-Christian Garin (Chile) bt Marc Polmans (Australia) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5); 8-Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) bt Miomir Kecmanovic (Serbia) 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 3-6, 6-3; Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (Japan) 6-1, 6-0, 6-2; 4-Alexander Zverev (Germany) bt Tennys Sandgren (US) 7-5, 6-2, 6-3; 29-Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) bt Alex Bolt (Australia) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

Women’s singles:

Second round: 1-Ashleigh Barty (Australia) bt Anna Blinkova (Russia) 6-4, 6-3; Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) bt 31-Darya Kasatkina (Russia) 6-1, 3-6, 8-6; 20-Coco Gauff (US) bt Elena Vesnina (Russia) 6-4, 6-3; Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) bt Coco Vandeweghe (US) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; Anastasija Sevastova (Latvia) bt Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; 14-Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) bt Andrea Petkovic (Germany) 7-5, 6-4; Magda Linette (Poland) bt 3-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) 6-3, 6-4; 30-Paula Badosa (Spain) bt Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 6-4, 6-1; 16-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) bt Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-3; 19-Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) bt Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3; Shelby Rogers (US) bt 15-Maria Sakkari (Greece) 7-5, 6-4.

Wednesday’s remaining results:

Men’s singles:

Second round: Denis Kudla (US) bt Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-2, 6-4, 6-2; 9-Diego Schwartzman (Argentina) bt Liam Broady (Great Britain) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4; Marton Fucsovics (Hungary) bt Jiri Vesely (Czech Republic) 6-3, 5-4 — Vesely retired; 26-Fabio Fognini (Italy) bt Laslo Djere (Serbia) 6-3, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4; 5-Andrey Rublev (Russia) bt Lloyd Harris (South Africa) 6-1, 6-2, 7-5; Frances Tiafoe (US) bt Vasek Pospisil (Canada) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; 25-Karen Khachanov (Russia) bt Egor Gerasimov (Belarus) 6-1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3; 22-Dan Evans (Great Britain) bt Dusan Lajovic (Serbia) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4; Sebastian Korda (US) bt Antoine Hoang (France) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4; Andy Murray (Great Britain) bt Oscar Otte (Germany) 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Dominik Koepfer (Germany) bt Kwon Soonwoo (South Korea) 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-3.

First round: 16-Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) bt Thiago Monteiro (Brazil) 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; 31-Taylor Fritz (US) bt Brandon Nakashima (US) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; Steve Johnson (US) bt Dennis Novak (Austria) 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, 7-5; Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) bt Mikhail Kukushkin (Kazakhstan) 6-4, 6-2, 6-1; Benjamin Bonzi (France) bt Marco Trungelliti (Argentina) 6-1, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s singles:

Second round: 8-Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) bt Donna Vekic (Croatia) 6-2, 6-2; Tereza Martincova (Czech Republic) bt Nadia Podoroska (Argentina) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5); Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) bt 22-Jessica Pegula (US) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Sloane Stephens (US) bt Kristie Ahn (US) 7-5, 6-3; 13-Elise Mertens (Belgium) bt Zhu Lin (China) 6-2, 6-0; 23-Madison Keys (US) bt Lauren Davis (US) 6-1, 6-4; Viktorija Golubic (Switzerland) bt Danielle Collins (US) 6-2, 6-0; Madison Brengle (US) bt 4-Sofia Kenin (US) 6-2, 6-4; 7-Iga Swiatek (Poland) bt Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 6-1, 6-3; Irina Camelia Begu (Romania) bt 26-Petra Martic (Croatia) 7-5, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3; 21-Ons Jabeur (Tunisia) bt Venus Williams (US) 7-5, 6-0; 11-Garbie Muguruza (Spain) bt Lesley Kerkhove (Netherlands) 6-1, 6-4; 18-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) bt Claire Liu (US) 6-4, 6-4; Mara Camila Osorio Serrano (Colombia) bt 32-Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) 7-5, 6-2; 2-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) bt Katie Boulter (Great Britain) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

First round: 12-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Kateryna Kozlova (Ukraine) 6-1, 6-3; Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) bt Vitalia Diatchenko (Russia) 7-6 (7-4), 6-0; Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) bt Leylah Fernandez (Canada) 6-1, 6-2; Kaja Juvan (Slovenia) bt 9-Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) 6-3, 6-3; Clara Burel (France) bt Ellen Perez (Australia) 6-2, 6-2.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2021