Defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached the third round with a laboured victory over an injury-hampered Alize Cornet.
Kazakh Rybakina took the opener but was battling in a tight second set before France’s Cornet fell heavily and badly injured her already-strapped right leg.
Cornet continued after receiving treatment but Rybakina came through 6-2 7-6 (7-2).
Rybakina will face Britain’s Katie Boulter in her next match.
Cornet, ranked 74th in the world, has a history of causing upsets at SW19, having beaten Serena Williams in the third round in 2014 and ended world number one Iga Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak last year.
But from the outset the 33-year-old looked uncomfortable against world number three Rybakina, slapping her thighs, crying out and kicking the ball away in frustration.
Rybakina took the opening set in 26 minutes, with Cornet winning just one point against her opponent’s exquisite serve.
Momentum shifted in the second set as both players held serve and Rybakina ran into some frustrations of her own, missing an easy smash-volley and sending simple shots sailing out of bounds.
Rybakina saved five break points in an epic game at 5-5 before Cornet’s fall, with the Kazakh immediately crossing the court to check on her opponent as the medical team rushed over.
A medical time-out was called after which, much to the surprise of the sympathetic Centre Court crowd, Cornet hobbled back out to the baseline, ultimately forcing a tie-break despite struggling to move.
Rybakina was able to exploit Cornet’s lack of movement to race away with the breaker before the two shared a warm handshake at the end of the match.
Andreeva ‘too shy’ to talk to Murray
Teenager Mirra Andreeva, playing her first senior grass-court tournament, advanced to the third round when Czech 10th seed Barbora Krejcikova retired trailing 6-3 4-0.
The 16-year-old Andreeva, who reached the third round at Roland Garros last month, came through qualifying to reach the main draw, having never played on grass before.
Andreeva previously credited Britain’s Andy Murray for inspiring her to win the first Grand Slam match of her career in Paris.
“I met Andy Murray here. But I’m too shy to talk to him,” she said on Thursday.
“When I see him, I try to leave the facility super quick just to not to talk to him because I’m super shy.”
Andreeva, who will play Russian compatriot Anastasia Potapova next, said she hopes…
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