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Erratic Swiatek reaches third round, extends winning streak to 37
Swiatek, a 2018 junior champion at the grasscourt Grand Slam, got off to a slow start in her first meeting against her 138th-ranked opponent but recovered to bag four straight games to win the opening set.
World number one Iga Swiatek struggled with unforced errors but found her composure when it mattered most to see off Dutch lucky loser Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove 6-4 4-6 6-3 to reach the third round of Wimbledon and extend her winning run to 37 matches.
Swiatek, a 2018 junior champion at the grasscourt Grand Slam, got off to a slow start in her first meeting against her 138th-ranked opponent but recovered to bag four straight games to win the opening set.
Dutchwoman Pattinama Kerkhove, who lost in the final round of qualifying but was granted a main draw berth when Danka Kovinic withdrew with injury, did not give up and fought back to win the second set with a crucial break in the seventh game.
Swiatek, who committed 31 unforced errors, found her groove in the deciding set and nosed ahead with a break of serve in the fourth game and then took a 4-1 lead. It proved enough for the 21-year-old to go on and win in two hours and four minutes.
Swiatek will next meet Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, who earlier defeated American Claire Liu 6-3 6-3, for a chance to match her best performance at the All England Club where she reached the fourth round in 2021.
