Thu, Jul 04, 2019 page16

• Hsieh, Chan sisters win at Wimbledon

  FINDING FORM: Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka demolished Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in straight sets, the latest demonstration of her return to winning ways

  • By Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with agencies, LONDON
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  Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the third round of the women’s singles at Wimbledon, while fellow Taiwanese Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan won their first-round women’s doubles match at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in southwest London.

  Hsieh, seeded 28th, battled to a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 victory over world No. 103 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium in 1 hour, 16 minutes.

  The Taiwanese No. 1 failed to save either of the two break points she faced, but converted three of seven, winning 64 percent of points on her second serve and hitting 24 winners.

  

  Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei returns to Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens in their Wimbledon women’s singles second-round match at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London yesterday.

  Photo: AFP

  The victory improved Hsieh’s career record against the Belgian to 2-2 and set up a third-round clash with Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 6-0, 6-4.

  Just minutes after Hsieh completed her victory on Court 18, the Chan sisters wrapped up a 6-2, 6-4 victory over British duo Harriet Dart and Katy Dunne in 1 hour, 23 minutes on Court 8.

  The ninth seeds saved one of the four break points they faced and converted six of 10, winning 53 percent of their receiving points to set up a second-round clash with Belgian duo Greet Minnen and Alison Van Uytvanck, who defeated another British duo, Freya Christie and Katie Swan, 7-5, 6-2.

  

  Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka celebrates in her Wimbledon women’s singles second-round match against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in London yesterday.

  Photo: EPA-EFE

  In the women’s singles, former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka thrashed Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-0 in the second round to continue her impressive start at the tournament.

  The unseeded 29-year-old Belarussian produced an aggressive display to overpower her opponent and set up a possible third-round clash with Romanian Simona Halep.

  Two-time Grand Slam champion Azarenka’s progress since returning to tennis two years ago following the birth of her son, Leo, has been steady rather than spectacular, not helped by a long-running custody battle with her former partner.

  However, there have been signs that she is beginning to rediscover the form and hunger that took her to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2011 and 2012, as well as quarter-final runs in 2009 and 2015.

  Tomljanovic, ranked 49, simply could not cope with the intensity of Azarenka’s play and subsided easily.

  Azarenka, who beat Alize Cornet in the first round, is in the third round of a Grand Slam for only the third time since returning to the WTA Tour in June 2017.

  Later yesterday, American teenager Cori Gauff was to try to follow up her upset victory over Venus Williams with another win in the second round.

  The 15-year-old was to face Magdalena Rybarikova on Court 2.

  Gauff would break inside the top 200 in the WTA rankings with a victory, having already become the youngest player since 1991 to win a match at Wimbledon.

  In the men’s singles, defending champion and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic was to face Dennis Kudla of the US for the first time.

  Djokovic is seeking a fifth title at Wimbledon and his 16th Grand Slam trophy.

  Last year’s runner-up, Kevin Anderson, was to take on Janko Tipsarevic.
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