Angelique Kerber celebrated a quick win at the start. (Photo: dpa)
(Photo: Frank Moulter/dpa)
LONDON – Angelique Kerber confidently reached the second round of the turf classic at Wimbledon. The 2018 winner outplayed France’s Kristina Mladenovic at the start of the tournament and celebrated a 6-0 7-5 victory over the doubles specialist after just 62 minutes.
For the 34-year-old, that was just winning the fourth set without losing a match in her 14th appearance at Wimbledon. Only in the most competitive second round was Kerber truly challenged. In the next round, last year’s semi-finalist will meet Magda Linate from Poland who is also the favourite.
Previously, Jule Niemeier had already moved to the second round. The 22-year-old from Dortmund beat China’s Xiu Wang 6-1 6-4 after just 73 minutes, to celebrate her first-ever victory in a Grand Slam tournament. World Ranking 97. She dominated the match in the beginning and remained dominant even as resistance from her opponent in the second set increased. Niemeyer now faces a very difficult task and meets Estonian Anett Kontaveit, the second seed. Last year, Niemeyer narrowly missed a jump in the Wimbledon main draw for the first time.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 220627-99-822762 / 7
