Author: Barkha Roy
Brazil’s 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia continued her impressive run at Wimbledon with a hard-fought win over Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the second round. After losing the first set, Haddad Maia showed her resilience, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Both players showed off their serving prowess, with Haddad Maia hitting four aces to Cristian’s eight. However, Haddad Maia’s first serve proved more effective, winning 70% of those points, while Cristian managed 71%. In terms of success on the second serve, Haddad Maia maintained his advantage, winning 77% of the points, while Cristian secured 43%.
The match was very tight, with Haddad Maia taking four of the twelve break point opportunities, while Cristian converted two of nine. Haddad Maia’s reception strength was evident, winning 41 reception points compared to Cristian’s 27.
In another first round men’s doubles match at Wimbledon, the pair of Marcelo Melo (Brazil) and John Peers (Australia) were victorious over Austrian Philipp Oswald and Dutchman Robin Haase. The contest showed remarkable skill and resilience from both teams, with Melo and Peers winning 6-7, 6-4, 6-4.
The match was characterized by a display of powerful serving, with Melo and Peers racking up a combined total of 7 aces, slightly outnumbering Oswald and Haase’s 6.
Both pairs showed a high level of accuracy on their first serves, with a percentage of 64% on the first serve for Oswald and Haase, and 65% for Melo and Peers. Remarkably, Melo and Peers displayed exceptional dexterity on their first serves, winning 86% of these points, compared to 83% for Oswald and Haase. The success rates on the second serve were also impressive, with Melo and Peers winning 59% of the points, slightly beating their opponents’ 57%.
Break point opportunities were limited, with Melo and Peers converting 2 out of 2, while Oswald and Haase failed to convert their only break point opportunity. In addition, Melo and Peers dominated in reception, scoring 26 reception points, one more than their opponents’ 27 points.
In another match, Mate Pavić and Nikola Mektić (9th seed) made an impressive start to their Wimbledon men’s doubles campaign by beating the Brazil-Dutch duo of Marcelo Demoliner and Matwé Middelkoop. Pavić and Mektić dominated the match, taking a straightforward 7-6, 6-4 victory.
Both teams showed equal strength with three aces each, while Pavić and Mektić maintained a slight advantage in first serve percentage, with 79%. Their superior performance allowed them to score 83 points from 13 games, guaranteeing their passage to the next stage. Demoliner and Middelkoop put in a great effort, but fell short against the Croatian duo.