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July 6 (UPI) — Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva caused an upset in the second round of Wimbledon 2023 by defeating No. 11 Barbora Krejcikova in London. Meanwhile, Sofia Kenin, also from the United States, secured a victory in her second-round match as well.
Andreeva, who became the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon since Coco Gauff in 2019, advanced after Krejcikova retired due to injury while trailing 6-4, 4-0.
The Russian teenager showcased her skills in the hour-long match, delivering four aces and 14 winners. She made nine unforced errors and converted 4 of 6 break point opportunities.
In contrast, Krejcikova struggled with a left leg injury throughout the game. The Czech tennis star managed three aces, 12 winners, and 22 unforced errors. She did not have a break point opportunity.
In the next round, Andreeva will face No. 23 Anastasia Potapova of Russia or No. 244 Kaja Juvan of Slovenia.
Kenin, ranked No. 128 in the WTA Tour rankings, secured her place in the third round with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over No. 73 Xinyu Wang of China. She capitalized on 4 of 7 break point opportunities during the 74-minute match.
Kenin’s next opponent will be No. 76 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who defeated No. 28 Elise Mertens of Belgium in three sets.
Other notable women players who advanced in Thursday’s matches include No. 20 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, No. 26 Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine, and No. 50 Bianca Andreescu of Canada.
In the men’s circuit, No. 17 Alex De Minaur of Australia claimed a four-set victory over No. 188 Kimmer Coppejans in a match that lasted 3 hours and 24 minutes.
No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy and No. 18 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland were also successful in their second-round matches. The two will face each other in the third round.
No. 88 Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland caused an upset by defeating No. 32 Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina in four sets. Wawrinka will now meet No. 2 Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the third round.
Top men players such as No. 3 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, and Americans Taylor Fritz (No. 9), Frances Tiafoe (No. 10), Tommy Paul (No. 15), and Ben Shelton (No. 36) will also be in action during Thursday afternoon.
On the women’s side, No. 3 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 4 Jessica Pegula of the United States, No. 5 Caroline Garcia of France, and No. 13 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland are among the top women competing in Thursday afternoon singles matches.
Wimbledon coverage will continue on ESPN until 5 p.m. EDT, and third-round coverage will begin at 6 a.m. on Friday.
