The second round is officially in the books at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. It’s been a busy few days with some drizzly interruptions. Finally, we’re back on track (at least for the women’s singles) as we head into the third round. I had a great day at Wimbledon on Wednesday and i’ve written about my experience in the post linked below. A lot happened on day 4 so there’s lots to get through!
Best story 📚
Simona Halep beat Kirsten Flipkens, 6-4 6-4 which brought the curtain down on Flipkens’s career. The scoreline hid the story of what was a thoroughly entertaining match. Flipkens led 5-2 in the first set and 4-1 in the second set and drove Halep mad at times with all the slices. Halep said in her post-match interview that she was shaking before the match!
I think it was the perfect send-off for Flipkens on a show court against one of the best players and she was clearly loving every moment of it. The final embrace between Kirsten and Simona was just wonderful. Simona is so classy. And also a shout out to the interviewer, Jenny Drummond who is doing a great job with the post-match interviews. Kept it short and sweet, and let Kirsten have her moment. Congrats on an amazing career, Kirsten! 🥹
Best match 🎆
Last week, Katie Boulter beat Karolina Pliskova in Eastbourne, 1-6 6-4 6-4. Roll forward nine days and Boulter did it again! Boulter beat Pliskova, 3-6 7-6(4) 6-4 in an absorbing Centre Court contest to reach the third round of a Slam for the first time in her career.
This was a fantastic performance. Seriously bowled over by Boulter. I think it was a higher quality third set than the one the pair played in Eastbourne and Boulter stayed with Pliskova, serving second in the set. Boulter went toe-to-toe with Pliskova in the rallies. In the first set, errors crept into Boulter’s game. She really knuckled down in the second and third sets and defended her serve magnificently. Boulter broke Pliskova at 4-4 in the third set and then successfully served out the match. Nerves of steel to close it out and to back up the upset win from Eastbourne.
Spotlight 💡
Elena Rybakina against Bianca Andreescu was arguably the match-up of the day and it felt like it went very much under-the-radar. It was a high quality contest as Rybakina prevailed, 6-4 7-6(5). The first set went with serve up until 5-4. Andreescu dropped the ball fractionally short and Rybakina pounced with an outstanding return game.
Up to 6-4 5-3, I think this was one of Rybakina’s best performances of the year. Rybakina blinked trying to serve out the match at *5-4 in the second set. Andreescu broke back with an awkwardly amazing cross-court return winner that barely caught the line. Rybakina held her nerve in the ensuing second set tiebreak. An Andreescu double fault which Hawkeye eventually overturned was the turning point.
When Rybakina is striking the ball without any hesitation, it’s quite a sight. I still have my reservations about her mentality in tight matches although she got through this one! I really thought Andreescu was destined for a deep run here. I still think it’s coming. Watch out for the summer hard court season…
Best of the rest 🎾
-> Petra Kvitova saved two set points in the second set to beat Ana Bogdan, 6-1 7-6(5). This was a fantastic match which wasn’t obvious from the scoreline. Bogdan hit two unforced errors in the first set and got breadsticked. It was Peak Petra for a set and a half but things got dicey when 6-1 5-1 became 6-1 5-6. Kvitova did well in the end to finish off the match in straights.
-> Iga Swiatek was pushed to a third set by Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove and eventually prevailed, 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory. Swiatek’s forehand fell apart towards the end of the second set but she rescued the situation in the third set.
-> Gutted for Harriet Dart that she was unable to join Heather Watson and Boulter in the third round. Dart took the opening set off Jessica Pegula but J-Peg rallied for an excellent win, 4-6 6-3 6-1.
-> Coco Gauff was much improved from the first round and impeccable on serve. Gauff beat Mihaela Buzarnescu, 6-3 6-2, in a fun match to close Thursday’s proceedings on Centre Court.
DAY 4 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
H&H 🤗
Kirsten and Simona. A sure-fire inclusion in the H&H post for 2022. This was emotional!
Funny moment 🤣
Omg this was hysterical 🤣🤣🤣
Snap of the day 📸
Love this shot of Iga by Jimmie48.
Press highlights 📰
This was such an impressive press conference from Emma Raducanu.
Recommended media 📺
Boulter revealed in press that her Gran passed away two days ago. I don’t know how she managed to compete, let alone win.
Recommended reading 📚
A write-up of day 3 live at Wimbledon with lots of photos.
Final thoughts 🤔
Day 4 was eventful! Flipkens’s last singles match. Boulter’s win over Pliskova. A Swiatek scare. Kind of looking forward to a more chilled out Friday with less matches on the schedule.
Moo's Tennis Blog 