Patchy Rybakina makes it to third round
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina outlasted injured French veteran Alize Cornet 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) on Thursday to reach the third round despite an error-strewn display. The Kazakh third seed broke Cornet at her first opportunity in the Centre Court clash and repeated the feat to win the set. But the second set was a much tighter affair, with neither player able to break. The 11th game had already featured 11 deuces when Cornet slipped and fell heavily to the turf, grabbing her right hip in agony. She broke down in tears before receiving medical treatment on the side of the court, including fresh strapping to her right leg. Incredibly Cornet, 33, returned to the court. Rybakina eventually held serve to lead 6-5 in a game lasting 27 minutes, including the medical timeout. Cornet toughed out the next game and took the set to a tie-break but Rybakina surged into a 6-2 lead and sealed the win on her first match point. The third seed hit a total of 40 unforced errors in the match, balancing that out with 36 winners and goes on to face Katie Boulter for a place in the last 16. (AFP)