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Kisses for the audience: Angelique Kerber found her shape in time for Wimbledon
Photo:
Mike Hewitt / Getty Images
Angelique Kerber made it into the third round at Wimbledon with a hard-fought success.
Alexander Zverev and Dominik Koepfer are also in the third round.
However, Andrea Petković was eliminated in London.
Kerber, the Wimbledon winner of 2018, defeated the Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo in a high-class match 7: 5, 5: 7, 6: 4.
Germany's best tennis player needed 3:20 hours for success.
In an intense match with many long rallies, Sorribes Tormo, previously known more as a clay court specialist, consistently held against it and let Kerber run into the void again and again with her backhand slice.
Two breaks too few for Kerber
In the first round, Kerber served with a score of 5: 3 to win the set before her opponent made the break.
A second break by the Germans secured her the set 7: 5.
Kerber managed to take the service game from her opponent twice in the second set, but Sorribes Tormo countered each time with the direct rebreak.
Kerber was also unable to use a match point when the score was 5: 4.
The second set went to number 50 in the world.
In the third set, number 28 had the better ending for itself, despite obvious problems on the left wrist.
The 2018 Wimbledon winner used her second match ball to move into round three.
Zverev without problems
Alexander Zverev had previously played his way into the third round of Wimbledon with a strong performance.
The world number six won against the American Tennys Sandgren 7: 5, 6: 2, 6: 3.
This gives the 24-year-old from Hamburg the chance to move into the second round of the Grand Slam tournament for the second time.
Against the world number 68.
Sandgren had no problems with Zverev after a balanced initial phase and won after 1:44 hours.
Dominik Koepfer is also one lap further.
The 33-year-old won the continuation of his match against the Serb Miomir Kecmanovic, which was canceled on Wednesday evening due to darkness, 6: 3, 6: 3, 6: 7 (3: 7), 3: 6, 6: 3.
The world number 62.
Koepfer is in the third round for the first time at Wimbledon and meets the number eight seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
For Petković, the world's oldest grass tournament is over after the second round.
The Darmstadt lost in the second round against French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova 5-7, 4-6.
svs / dpa / sid
