Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start
LONDON: Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova survived a stiff examination from promising 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala before finding her groove to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-1 on her return to Wimbledon’s Center Court on Tuesday. Czech Krejcikova, a shock winner as 31st seed last year and seeded 17th this time, came into the tournament short on form after a succession of injuries and initially had no answer to the confident, free-swinging Eala, who is the first woman from the Philippines to play at Wimbledon. Eala turned 20 in May and was making her first Wimbledon appearance but she immediately looked at home in the daunting surroundings of the sport’s most iconic court. Krejcikova forced the first break in the third game, however, Eala hit straight back, swinging her lefty forehand freely and throwing in a beautifully disguised drop shot. She then upped the ante, holding confidently and breaking again as her two-fisted backhand came to the fore and, from 2-1 down with a break against, Eala reeled off four games in a row. Krejcikova struggled to find any consistency and was not helped by five first-set double faults and very cautious shot choices. The champion just about held serve after six deuces but Eala was not to be denied and served out to take the first set. Krejcikova looked as if she had had a physical and mental reboot for the second set where she showed much more energy and found her serving range.