Wimbledon 2016: Venus Williams beats court fiasco
Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, held her nerve to subdue Sakkari in two hours and 24 minutes.
London: Venus Williams ignored her exile to Wimbledon’s unglamourous Court 18 as the five-time champion defeated Greek qualifier Maria Sakkari 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 on Thursday.
Williams, seeded eighth, was a surprise choice to play on one of Wimbledon’s smaller outside courts. For a while, it seemed she might come to curse the decision of the All England Club schedule makers.
Venus hadn’t lost to a player outside the top 100 at a Grand Slam since a 1999 defeat against Barbara Schwartz at the US Open. But the 36-year-old, the oldest woman in this year’s main draw, was teetering on the brink of an embarrassing second round exit when world number 115 Sakkari levelled at one-set all.
Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, held her nerve to subdue Sakkari in two hours and 24 minutes and will play Russian 29th seed Darya Kasatkina or Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena for a place in the last 16.
Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov announced his return to form on Thursday, putting out 16th seed Gilles Simon 6-3, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4 with an exhibition of power, speed and deft touch in the second round.
The 25-year-old Bulgarian has suffered a slump since he reached a career-high ranking of nine in 2014, the year he beat defending champion Andy Murray to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.
But now ranked 37th, his opponents knew that he was the dangerous floater in the draw and so it proved for Simon, who has a fine record on grass, having beaten Dimitrov in their last two matches on the surface. Nineteen-year-old Belinda Bencic became the highest-ranked casualty at Wimbledon when the seventh seed retired from her second round match against American qualifier Julia Boserup. Bencic was 4-6, 0-1 down on Court Three to the world number 225 who is making her Grand Slam debut.
Spain’s David Ferrer, the 13th seed, lost to fellow 34-year-old — and grass court specialist — Nicolas Mahut 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. Canadian sixth seed Milos Raonic, regarded as a dark horse for the title, brushed past Andreas Seppi 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-2.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori came from behind to down France’s Julien Benneteau to book his place in the third round. Nishikori, the world number six, won 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Centre Court in two hours and 36 minutes.
The 2014 US Open finalist looked briefly troubled when he lost the first set but turned it around.