Hurkacz and Linette continue their journey at Wimbledon!

06/07/2023
Culture

The least that can be said is that the 2023 edition of Wimbledon is not unfolding as planned. The rain but also several questionable decisions of the organisers make the whole tournament look like a big mess. By Thursday in the early afternoon, some top players (Świątek, Djokovic, Sinner,…) had already validated their ticket to the third round, while many did not even finish playing their opening match at the All-England Lawn.

ll this did not prevent Hubert Hurkacz from defeating Briati’s of Polish descent Jan Chaoimski in straight sets (6-4, 6-4, 7-6). The Pole needed just over two hours to seal the deal and validate his spot in the third round. At the end of the third set, he was even led 6-5 and 40-0. Yet he heroically forced à tie-break which he won quite easily by seven points to three.

Hubi’s next opponent on Saturday morning will be the young Italian Lorenzo Musetti. If the Silesian manages to beat him and make it to the fourth round, he will likely face the ultimate boss, Novak Djokovic.

https://twitter.com/HubertHurkacz/status/1676966754634067971?s=20

Later in the afternoon, Magda Linette was facing the Czech Barbora Strycova. After having broken early on, the Pole broke back to make it 2-2. Shortly after, she broke again and took a comfortable lead (4-2). Yet that was not enough as Strycova came back to 4-4. Eventually, it’s Linette who had the last word in that first set after a fierce fight (6-4).

The second set was also intense. Both players produced their best tennis without letting the other take the lead. A tie-break eventually decided the outcome of the set. Strycova started well (4-2) before Linette’s comeback (5-5). The Pole even had a match point, which she did not manage to convert.

https://twitter.com/RelevantTennis/status/1676996824937136146?s=20

In the final set, the Pole broke early and stayed in front. She finally sealed a hard-fought win (6-3) in a battle that lasted three hours! Her next opponent will either be the Swiss Belinda Bencic or the American Danielle Collins. If Linette qualifies for round four, she is likely to play against her compatriot and world number 1 Iga Świątek for a place in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.