Superb Swiatek, Zverev cruise into Wimbledon last 32

Iga Swiatek put a stuttering start to her Wimbledon title defence firmly behind her by powering to a statement second-round victory over Karolina Pliskova, while Alexander Zverev also eased through on Thursday.

Reigning champion Swiatek, who struggled to hold back tears after battling past Taylor Townsend in the first round, was back to her ruthless best in a 6-1, 6-3 dismantling of former world number one Pliskova in 70 minutes.

“For sure the first round was really emotional but today I felt like it’s another day at the office, I need to be ready, be sharp,” said Swiatek.

The Pole, who has been inconsistent since winning her sixth Grand Slam title at the All England Club 12 months ago, will next face the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala, who beat Serena Williams’ first-round conqueror Maya Joint.

Pliskova, who returned to the tour this year after a long-term injury absence, was no match for the third seed.

The 25-year-old Swiatek has reached at least the third round on each of her past 26 Grand Slam appearances since losing in round two at the 2019 US Open.

Eala, the 29th seed, became the first woman from the Philippines to reach the third round of a Grand Slam, beating Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 on a raucous Court Three.

“I think the atmosphere today was amazing, it was electric, respectful and all that I could have hoped for,” said the 21-year-old.

Last year’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova came back from a break down in the third set to beat Sofia Kenin in a deciding tie-break.

Former Australian Open champion Madison Keys ended home interest in the women’s singles, beating Britain’s Katie Swan in straight sets.

Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, stepped up her bid to take the world-number-one ranking from Aryna Sabalenka next week with a ruthless 6-1, 6-2 rout of American Caty McNally.

Rybakina meets Belgian 25th seed Elise Mertens for a place in the last 16.

Britain’s future queen Princess Catherine attended the tournament on Thursday, greeting fans before taking in some of the action.

Zverev powers on

Zverev was on top form in a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Valentin Royer, raising hopes the German can finally master the grass courts.

He ended his long wait for a maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open last month but has never performed well at Wimbledon, failing to get past the last 16 in nine previous appearances at the All England Club.

The second seed has a golden opportunity to go further this time around, with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic in the other half of the draw, and fourth seed Ben Shelton already out of the tournament.

“If I keep playing like this I definitely think it can happen this year,” said Zverev. “In tennis you need to have a short-term memory, whether it’s good or bad.”

Zverev made short work of Royer, banishing some of the memories of last year when he was dumped out in the first round by another unseeded Frenchman, Arthur Rinderknech.

American sixth seed Taylor Fritz continued his strong recent record at the All England Club, seeing off compatriot Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.

Fritz has made at least the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in three of the past four years and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semis 12 months ago.

Fifth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur also breezed through with a dominant straight-sets victory over French veteran Adrian Mannarino.

Rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar returned to court in a match delayed by darkness on Wednesday, winning the last two sets to complete a comeback victory over Pablo Carreno Busta.

The Wimbledon debutant had never played a Tour-level match on grass before this week, but has flown up the rankings this year and reached the French Open quarter-finals.

Former runner-up Matteo Berrettini defeated French number one Arthur Fils in four sets, while this year’s Roland Garros losing finalist Flavio Cobolli also progressed.