Top seed Barty powers past Suarez Navarro as the Spaniard says goodbye to Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON 2021, FIRST ROUND

Ashleigh Barty (No 1) D. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-1, 6-7, 6-1

• Main information: Top seed Ashleigh Barty defeated Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in three sets on Day 2.
• You will also learn: The former world No 6, who returned to the tour at Roland-Garros with a clean bill of health after battling Hodkin’s Lymphoma, bid farewell to Wimbledon and was sent off kindly by the appreciative Centre Court crowd.
• Why you should read this article: Barty is a popular pick to win the Ladies’ Singles title at Wimbledon this year.

Ash Barty survived a bit of a scare and emerged with a three-set victory over the perpetually feisty Carla Suarez Navarro on Day 2 at Wimbledon, the top-seeded Australian coming through brilliantly in the third set after momentarily losing the plot in the second.

It was the final Wimbledon appearance for the 32-year-old Spaniard, a former world No 6 who battled and overcame Hodkin’s Lymphoma to make her return to the tour at Roland-Garros this spring. And true to form, Suarez Navarro did not go down without a tussle.

Barty served for the victory in the second set but couldn’t hold the lead and eventually Suarez Navarro seized the moment to claim a lopsided tiebreaker to keep hopes alive.

“Incredible to Share the Court with Carla”

“It was incredible to be able to share this experience with her after her incredible career,” said Barty on court after the match. “I know she’s got a little bit longer to go, but to be able to share this moment with her was really special, she’s a fighter, she’s an incredible competitor, she’s a lovely person and genuinely you can’t find one bad word to say about her.”

Healthy and Ready for Wimbledon challenge

Barty soon restored order, zooming through the first 13 points of the final set and claiming a 5-0 lead before her dazed opponent could get on the board. Suarez Navarro did hold for 1-5, but Barty soon finished off her victory to set a second-round clash with either Anna Blinkova or Timea Babos.

Barty, who is spending her 82nd week as the WTA’s No 1-ranked player, has never been past the fourth round at Wimbledon in her previous four appearances.

She says she is in good health, after being forced to pull out of her Roland-Garros title defence with a thigh injury, and eager to push through for a career-best run.

“The grass, it’s a little more forgiving on the body,” she said. “I feel ready, I was excited to know that I was 100 percent to be able to player here – I’m loving every minute.”

• Seeds who won on Tuesday: Ashleigh Barty (No 1), Karolina Pliskova (No 8), Elise Mertens (No 13), Barbora Krejcikova (No 14), Maria Sakkari (No 15), Ons Jabeur (No 21), Petra Martic (No 26),
• Notable women on the Tuesday schedule (1st round): Bianca Andreescu (No 5), Serena Williams (No 6), Karolina Pliskova (No 8), Belinda Bencic (No 9), Elise Mertens (No 13), Barbora Krejcikova (No 14), Maria Sakkari (No 15), Kiki Bertens (No 17), Coco Gauff (No 20), Ons Jabeur (No 21), Angelique Kerber (No 25), Petra Martic (No 26), Alison Riske (No 28), Veronika Kudermetova (No 29), Daria Kasatkina (No 31) , Venus Williams
• To follow all the news of Wimbledon, visit this page
• To follow the matches live , see the men’s and women’s draws , we recommend that you visit the official tournament website.
• Monday’s schedule at Wimbledon is available here
• And everything you need to know about the tournament (practical information, tickets, etc.) is available in this article.