Wimbledon: Iga Swiatek advances to pre-quarters stage with win over Petra Martic

London [UK], July 8 : The world number 1 player Iga Swiatek from Poland defeated 30th seed Petra Martic in her third-round match on Friday at the ongoing Wimbledon championships being held in London.

As per WTA, she won her match 6-2, 7-5 to reach the pre-quarters stage of this competition for the second time in her career. The four-time Grand Slam champion is aiming for her first-ever qualification to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

On Sunday, Swiatek will lock horns with number 14 seed Belinda Bencic. This will be a battle of two junior Wimbledon champions, with Bencic having won the title in 2013 and Swiatek clinching it five years later.

The Swiss advanced to pre-quarters with a win over Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette. She won the match 6-3, 6-1. Bencic has an impressive 4-3 record against the reigning world number one, having victories against Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams.

"I am really up for the challenge," Bencic said. "I am excited to play her. I think I am a player that plays well against top players," she added.

Earlier on Friday, the fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula advanced to the pre-quarters stage of Wimbledon for the first time in her career, clinching a win over Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Pegula won the match 6-4, 6-0. The grass court grand slam event is the only event where she had not reached the pre-quarters stage, but she has done it finally.

Meanwhile, No. 32 seed Marie Bouzkova also booked her spot in the round of 16 with a shocker of a win over number five seed Caroline Garcia. Marie won the match 7-6(0), 4-6, 7-5.

Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko also emerged victorious after playing the longest women's singles tie break in the history of grand slam events, edging out Ana Bogdan of Romania in a 38-point tiebreaker to win her third round match by 4-6, 6-3, 7-6[18].

The final set lasted 109 minutes and the Ukrainian saved five match points. Bogdan saved six match points but Tsurenko won the match after three hours and 40 minutes. The final tie-break lasted for over 35 minutes.

Tsurenko will be facing Pegula in the next round.

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina also maintained her strong form to clinch a win over American qualifier Sofia Kenin in the third round by a margin of 7-6(3), 6-2. Her next challenge will be former world number 1 Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round.

Azarenka had beaten number 11 seed Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-4 earlier.

Bianca Andreescu clinched a victory in her round two match at the competition over number 26 seed Anhelina Kalinina.

She won her match by 6-2, 4-6, 7-6[7] win in 2 hours and 46 minutes.

"It really brought back good memories from 2019," she said afterward. "I remember being down a lot in that year, coming back and fighting my way through. So I am very pleased," she added.

She has reached the third round in London for the first time ever.

The World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka overcame a sluggish start to take out Varvara Gracheva 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in three sets to reach the third round of Wimbledon.

Sabalenka will next face Anna Blinkova for a spot in the fourth round. Sabalenka won nine of the last 11 games.

The Number nine seed Petra Kvitova stormed into the third round of the ongoing Wimbledon for the ninth time with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Kvitova extended her winning streak to seven after dropping just four games to claim a third-round spot, clinching a victory over Sasnovich in a match that lasted 74 minutes.