Seeds No. 2 and 24, Anett Kontaveit and Elise Mertens qualified for the second round, unlike Beatriz Haddad Maia, who has just won two tournaments on grass, and world No. 8 Danielle Collins.
She is world No. 2 a little bit by chance, because no player can keep up the pace behind Iga Swiatek, but Anett Kontaveit intends to go as far as possible in this Wimbledon tournament, where she has never exceeded the third round. And the fortnight started well for the Estonian, with a 7-5, 6-1 victory against Bernarda Pera (123rd). Kontaveit served 5 aces and committed 6 double faults, but managed to get away with it, winning eight games in a row straddling the two sets. The American indeed led 5-4 30-15, before finding herself trailing 5-7, 0-5! Another seed who will be in the second round, Elise Mertens. The Belgian, n°24, took advantage of the abandonment of her Colombian opponent Camila Osorio, who slipped on the grass and injured her thigh. The score was then 1-6, 6-2, 4-2 for Mertens. Qualification also of the seeded No. 26, Sorana Cirstea, to the detriment of Aleksandra Krunic in two decisive games (7-5 then 7-1) in a match with ten breaks.
Collins and Haddad Maia fall from above
Two surprises, however, to report in the middle of the day. Starting with the defeat of world No. 8 Danielle Collins, who fell to the Czech Marie Bouzkova, who won 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in 2h23. The American was notably weighed down by her serve, with 11 double faults and 6 breaks conceded. Disappointment also for Beatriz Haddad Maia (n°23), who had had a fantastic season on grass by winning the tournaments in Nottingham and Birmingham before losing in the semi-finals at Eastbourne. The Brazilian lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in 1h57 against Slovenian Kaja Juvan, who had not won a single match on grass this season. Less surprising, but it’s still another seed on the mat: Roland-Garros semi-finalist Martina Trevisan (n°22) fell to her compatriot Elisabetta Cocciaretto: 6-2, 6-0 in 1h08 .
