Author: Barkha Roy
The Brazil-Portugal men’s doubles team of Rafael Matos and Francisco Cabral got their Wimbledon campaign off to a flying start by beating Brits Jonny O’Mara and Liam Broady. Matos and Cabral showed their skills and teamwork, sealing a solid 7-5, 6-4 victory.
The match featured an impressive display of serving, with Matos and Cabral registering a total of three aces, compared to two from O’Mara and Broady. Both teams were consistent with their serves, but the Brazil-Portugal duo held the advantage, with a higher first serve percentage of 75% compared to 63% for their opponents. Matos and Cabral’s effectiveness on their first serves also resulted in a winning percentage of 78%, compared to 69% for O’Mara and Broady. In addition, Matos and Cabral had a strong winning percentage of 69% on their second serves.
Break point opportunities were limited, with Matos and Cabral converting two of the three chances, while O’Mara and Broady failed to convert their only break point opportunity. The Brazil-Portugal duo excelled in reception, scoring 21 points, against 16 from O’Mara and Broady.
Matos and Cabral accumulated 66 points in total, beating O’Mara and Broady’s 56. They secured 13 games over the course of the match, including a maximum run of three consecutive games won and four consecutive games won.
In terms of service dominance, Matos and Cabral won 45 service points, narrowly beating O’Mara and Broady’s 40. They were also victorious in 11 service games, while their opponents managed to win eight.
Elsewhere, the Belarusian-Brazilian duo of Lidziya Marozava and Ingrid Gamarra Martins secured a dominant victory in the second round of the women’s doubles at Wimbledon. They beat Romanians Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian in two sets, winning 6-4, 6-4. Both teams showed off their serving skills, registering three aces each and a similar number of double faults.
Despite a slightly lower percentage on the first serve, Marozava and Gamarra Martins had better hit rates on their serves, winning crucial points. They converted three of the nine break points, while Bogdan and Cristian managed to convert just one of the six. The Belarusian-Brazilian duo showed their strength when receiving points and emerged triumphant, securing 67 points in total and winning 12 games, surpassing Bogdan and Cristian’s eight games won and 58 points.
Meanwhile, Caroline Garcia and Luisa Stefani showed their resilience in the second round of the women’s doubles at Wimbledon, beating sixth seeds Leylah Annie Fernandez and Taylor Townsend. In a hard-fought match, Garcia and Stefani secured a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 victory.
The Franco-Brazilian pair showed off their serving prowess with three aces, while Fernandez and Townsend managed one. Despite facing break point challenges, Garcia and Stefani held firm, while their opponents converted two of their three opportunities. In the end, Garcia and Stefani’s unwavering determination led them to victory, with 87 points and 14 games won, while Fernandez and Townsend amassed 105 points and 18 games.