Abanda’s run ends in second round
Canadian ousted by Ostapenko as Pospisil advances in men’s doubles
LONDON — Montreal’s Francoise Abanda lost in three sets to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko Wednesday in the second round of the Wimbledon’s women’s tournament.
Ostapenko topped the Canadian 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in a match that took one hour 56 minutes.
In men’s doubles action, Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil and partner Julien Benneteau of France beat Argentina’s Nicolas Kicker and Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Toronto’s Daniel Nestor and France’s Fabrice Martin also advanced, topping Brazil’s Rogerio Dutra da Silva and Thomaz Bellucci 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.
Madison Brengle stunned Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion and a popular pick to win the title again this year.
The 27-year-old American beat the 11th-seeded Kvitova 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.
Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, had been favoured by some British bookmakers to lift the trophy at fortnight’s end, despite competing in only her third tournament of her comeback. She was attacked by a knife-wielding intruder at her home in the Czech Republic in December and needed surgery on her left hand, the one she uses to hold a racket.
Still without full strength in that hand — clenching it for a celebratory fist pump remains difficult — Kvitova returned at the French Open in May, losing in the second round there. But then she won a grasscourt title in Birmingham, England, in June.
“I feel just really empty right now. I know my body; it’s not great. But mentally I’m really glad that it’s over. I mean, it was kind of a fairy tale, but on the other hand, it was very tough,” she said. “I just need to look forward and look to the future.”
Kvitova was one of a half-dozen seeded women to lose on Day 3, a group that also included No. 15 Elina Vesnina (beaten by new mom Victoria Azarenka, a former No. 1), No. 17 Madison Keys, No. 18 Anastasija Sevastova, No. 22 Barbora Strycova and No. 25 Carla Suarez Navarro.
The action was much more straightforward in the men’s draw with straight-set victories by defending champion Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, who has won the last 26 Grand Slam sets he has played.
For Keys, the exit in the second round against 86th-ranked Camila Giorgi of Italy was the American’s earliest in five appearances at the All England Club.
“The whole time I was just kind of waiting for her level to drop and it never really did,” said Keys, who recently had a second surgery on her left wrist to remove scar tissue. “It kind of just (got) away from me really quickly and not having a lot of matches under my belt, it was tough to get it all back.”
NOTES: Novak Djokovic is apparently a hockey fan — and Nashville Predators defenceman P.K. Subban is apparently a fan of the tennis star. The three-time Wimbledon champion sent out a tweet with a photo of the two athletes together and said he is happy to have Subban in town to watch him play at the All England Club.