Wimbledon 2019: Top moments that you might have missed from round two action
Action continued in the second round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships as both the men's and women's sections witnessed some thrilling games at the All England Club in London.
Unlike the opening two days of the tournament, which saw the departure of big names including Naomi Osaka, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Garbine Muguruza, and Dominic Thiem, the second round did not spring up many unexpected results.
Top seeds in the singles discipline such as Serena Williams, Kiki Bertens, Simona Halep and Rafael Nadal , all of who won in tight matches had little trouble in their respective second round encounters.
And yet, they was no derth of exciting tennis, and here, we take a look at some of these happenings that you might have missed from round two at SW19.
Kvitova announces her arrival
The race for the world no. 1 ranking is heating up at SW29. Four women in the ladies draw are still in with a shot at the coveted spot. One of these women is two-time former champion Petra Kvitova, who entered the tournament after a two-month break from tennis, necessitated by a forearm injury.
There were concerns regarding Kvitova's health and lack of match practice in the build up to her favourite Slam, but she seems to have put such reservations to rest, at least for the time being. If her second round performance is anything to go by, Kvitova can be a serious contender for the title here.
The Czech was firing heavy groundstrokes from the baseline during her second round match against Kristina Mladenovic with ease (hitting a total of 24 winners in the end). She was especially good on return and found great length that troubled even the seasoned Mladenovic. Kvitova's serve also got more confident as the match progressed and she looked to be in fine touch by the end of the encounter.
That said, her performance was not completely without faults. She did hit a characteristically high number of unforced errors to go with the winners and also seemed to have lost focus at a few points in the match. She will have to work on those things if she wants to win against the likes of other top contenders like Ashleigh Barty, Kiki Bertens, and Serena Williams, all of who lie in her half of the draw.
But for now, Kvitova looks to have made her on-court intentions clear for everyone to see.
Isner, Wawrinka, Karlovic lose in 5-set marathons
It was not a good two days for big serving players as all of the big names in the department, barring the fourth seed Kevin Anderson, bowed out of the Championships in marathon 5-set matches.
The biggest casualty of all, as it might seem, was last year's semifinalist John Isner who was shown the door by Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin.
Although solid on first serve (raking up a total of 34 aces), Isner simply did not win enough points behind his second and made too many unforced errors (50 in total). He was broken four times by an inspired Kukushkin, who won the last two sets rather comfortably.
Ivo Karlovic and Stan Wawrkina played a similarly strong game on their first serve, but came up short against tough opponents as well. Karlovic's draw, Thomas Fabbaiano was particularly impressive in his measured performance. The Italian made only 13 unforced errors for the entire five sets, almost a third of his opponent.
With big serving threats such as Isner and Karlovic falling by the wayside, the draw has further opened up for the likes of Kei Nishikori, David Goffin, Daniil Medvedev, and even Fernando Verdasco. It will be interesting to see these players trying to make the best of the opportunity presented to them.
Baghdatis calls it a career
Cypriot trailblazer Marcos Baghdatis played the final match of his career at the Champions on Thursday. The former top-10 player and Grand Slam finalist had made his plans to retire clear prior to the tournament. He played a good first round against a lucky loser, but came up short in the second round encounter against in-form Italian Matteo Berretini.
Baghdatis shared a warm embrace with Berretini at the end of the match amidst cheers from the packed crowd on Court no. 2, who all payed tribute to the former semifinalist here. An emotional Baghdatis shared his racquet, towel, and other apparel with the crowd, which also saw the presence of his wife and extended family.
It was the peak of the Thursday afternoon as the sun shone brightly on Baghdatis one last time. With a big smile on his face, one that the tennis community and fans associated with him throughout his career, the Cypriot bid farewell to the All England Club and his professional career in the sport.
Other strays
Doubles action got underway at the All England Club, with Andy Murray also taking on the court in his first round match with partner Pierre-Hugues Hubert.
India's Divij Sharan and his Brazilian patner Marcelo Demoliner defeated 13th seeds, Germany's Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies in the opening round. Others including Rohan Bopanna, Leander Paes, Purav Raja-Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan lost out in their respective first round matches to bow out of the tournament.
Australia's Bernard Tomic was penalised his entire first round prize money for 'not putting in [his] best effort' in his now-infamous 58-minute loss to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.
With Kerber's loss on Thursday, there are only two former champions left in the ladies draw, Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova. The men's draw, on the other hand, saw 'the Big Three' move into the third round yet again.