Former tournament winner Angelique Kerber confidently reached the second round in Wimbledon.
The 34-year-old won her opening match at the All England Club on Monday evening against Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic 6-0, 7-5. The first set only lasted 17 minutes.
In the second round, Kerber will meet Magda Linette from Poland on Wednesday.
“In the first set I played well from the first point, in the second Kiki came back and showed her best tennis. I just tried to stay calm,” said Kiel.
In her 14th Wimbledon participation, Kerber won her 83rd match on grass, among the active players only the two Williams sisters Serena and Venus have won more often. Kerber is hoping for a run similar to 2021 this year, when she was only stopped in the semifinals by eventual winner Ashleigh Barty.
Kerber in Wimbledon twice in the final
In Wimbledon, Kerber is more successful than in any other Grand Slam tournament. She was in the final twice, won the title in 2018 and reached the semi-finals two more times.
Her dress rehearsal at the preparatory tournament in Bad Homburg ended early, but “the Grand Slams have their own rules,” said Kerber confidently before the tournament began.
After Maximilian Marterer and Jule Niemeier – both debutants in the second round of Wimbledon – Kerber was the third German to win their match on the first day of the tournament. A total of 13 players (7 men, 6 women) from Germany had qualified for Wimbledon.