Ashleigh Barty set up a clash of French Open winners in the Last 16 of Wimbledon after the world No 1 beat Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday while former champion Angelique Kerber came through a three-set rain-hit battle.
The 25-year-od Australian won the 2019 French Open and meets the current champion of Paris Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic for a place in the last eight.
Krejcikova has been under the radar but battled through to the Last 16 beating Anastasija Sevastova of Lativa 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-5
Kerber will meet Coco Gauff in the last 16 after the American teenager breezed past Slovenian Kaja Juvan while the German had a tough three-setter against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus.
Gauff is not the only teenager making her mark at Wimbledon this year.
Britain’s Canada-born 18-year-old Emma Raducanu, who moved with her Romanian father and Chinese mother to England aged two, produced a brilliant display to beat the experienced Sorana Cirstea of Romania.
Ranked 338 in the world, she only made her debut on the WTA Tour in June but outclassed 45th-ranked Cirstea 6-3, 7-5.
Emblematic of her coolness was how she hit back from 3-1 down in the first set to rattle off eight games in a row and take control of the match.
She next faces Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic who accused her opponent Jelena Ostapenko of “lying” when she took a medical time-out at 0-4 down in the final set of their third round clash on Saturday.
The medical timeout resulted in a 10-minute delay before the match resumed and Tomljanovic clinched a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Ostapenko, the world number 34 and a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2018, insisted her injury was genuine and that the pain had become increasingly worse as the match wore on.
Results
Women’s singles third round:
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x1) bt Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 7-5
Paula Badosa (ESP x30) bt Magda Linette (POL) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE x14) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-5
Emma Raducanu (GBR) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROM) 6-3, 7-5
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
Coco Gauff (USA x20) bt Kaja Juvan (SLO) 6-3, 6-3
Angelique Kerber (GER x25) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 2-6, 6-0, 6-1
Karolina Muchova (CZE x19) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x16) 7-5, 6-3
Wimbledon women’s last 16 line-up (x denotes seeded player):
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x1) v Barbora Krejcikova (CZE x14)
Emma Raducanu (GBR) v Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)
Paula Badosa (ESP x30) v Karolia Muchova (CZE x19)
Coco Gauff (USA x20) v Angelique Kerber (GER x25)
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x8) v Liudmila Samsonova (RUS)
Madison Keys (USA x23) v Viktorija Golubic (SUI)
Iga Swiatek (POL x7) v Ons Jabeur (TUN x21)
Elena Rybakina (KAZ x18) v Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x2)
With AFP Inputs