Iga Swiatek came from behind to beat American Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 and reach the Wimbledon third round on Thursday.
McNally, ranked 208 in the world, looked like she could cause an upset after fighting back to take the first set. At that point, Swiatek’s past struggles at Wimbledon seemed to show again.
But the Polish star responded strongly, raising her level and dominating the rest of the match. She broke McNally early in the second and third sets and didn’t give her many chances after that. Swiatek now faces American Danielle Collins in the next round.
“I started well, so I knew my game was there. I just tried to be more accurate in the second set, and I’m happy it worked,” said Swiatek.
Although grass is not her favourite surface, Swiatek has now reached the third round in 22 straight Grand Slam events, a record only matched by Amelie Mauresmo and Serena Williams in recent times.
Swiatek and McNally used to play doubles together and won the junior French Open title in 2018. After the match, Swiatek said it was nice to face someone she both respects and likes on tour.
