GNAT’S ALL FOLKS
THE finale to Katie Swan’s second round clash yesterday became a ‘what happened next’ contender.
Just when Mihaela Buzarnescu had ground Brit Swan down and was about to deliver the final blow on match point the Beeb cut away and went to the 1pm news.
By the time you managed to navigate your way to the right red button screen or coverage resumed on BBC2 Swan was in her seat after Buzarnescu had finished the job. How she did it, though, many viewers will never know.
KATIE BOULTER might have hoped for a bit more interest in her first-ever Wimbledon win.
But she was greeted by just six journalists in her postmatch press conference because it coincided with the second half of England’s World Cup match against Colombia.
Wimbledon chiefs tried to help Boulter by timing it for half-time in the last-16 game.
But Boulter was held up, missed her slot and ended up having to hold the press conference later than expected.
As for Maria Sharapova walking into hers just a couple of minutes after Eric Dier’s winning penalty... that was just a coincidence.
VICTORIA AZARENKA has some brushing up to do on her Scottish with new doubles partner Jamie Murray.
She said: “I’m very much looking forward to have English people on our side (playing with him) and being hopefully a crowd favourite for the first time in England.” CAROLINE WOZNIACKI insisted flying ants were not to blame after she was swatted out of Wimbledon.
But the grumpy Aussie Open champion reckons her shock conqueror, world No.35 Ekaterina Makarova, will not be buzzing around SW19 for much longer.
Second seed Wozniacki (above) was clearly gnat happy after becoming the highest seed to fall this year.
She asked the umpire to stop play and retired to her seat to apply insect repellent after the bugs suddenly invaded Court One during the second set of her secondround tie.
Despite fighting off the flies and saving five match points, she was eventually downed 6-4 1-6 7-5 by Russian former world No.8 Makarova.
Wozniacki said: “I don’t think it had any impact but it was definitely a first for me here. I just asked if they had some insect repellent. There were a lot of them.”
Makarova recovered from her second-set thrashing to lead 5-3 in the third but blew four match points to give Wozniacki hope. She then blew a fifth after going 40-0 up KATIE SWAN gave Katie Boulter some golden advice before her second-round singles match today: Don’t lose the first set 6-0 like me!
Teenager Swan recorded her first tour-level win in the first round, but lost to No.29 seed Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu on Wozniacki’s serve but the 2014 quarter-finalist took the sixth to reach round three and make it five top-10 casualties in the first two rounds.
Not that Wozniacki was that impressed
“I would be very surprised if you saw her go far,” she said.
Venus Williams was “overjoyed” to see more women’s matches than men’s on Centre Court and Court One for a second day running.
Yesterday there were five women’s matches compared to just two men’s. Williams, who overcame Alexandra Dulgheru in three said, said: “I was really overjoyed when I 6-0 6-3 yesterday. And fellow wildcard Boulter (left) faces an even tougher task against world No.18 Naomi Osaka, who thrashed her in 46 minutes in Birmingham last month.
Asked what her fellow Katie should do next, Swan said: “It would help if you don’t lose the first set 6-0. That would be a saw the schedule for today. We have a lot of equal play on the main courts in the other three Grand Slams so it was just fantastic to see Wimbledon follow suit.”
Sister Serena, who crushed Viktoriya Tomova 6-1 6-4, said: “It’s wonderful.”
Roger Federer produced another masterclass to reach round three with a 6-4 6-4 6-1 victory over Slovakia’s world No.73 Lukas Lacko.
The eight-times champ has now won his last 26 sets at Wimbledon and nine more will see him break his record of 34 set in 2006. good start. Katie is playing a great player and she’s got no pressure. I’d say, ‘Just go out and enjoy it and swing freely’.
“At the same time go in believing you can win, because we’re not far off these girls.”
Swan, 19, will be in the stands today as world No.122 Boulter (right) seeks a victory