Rybakina edges Cornet to return to Wimbledon third round

Defending champion and No.3 seed Elena Rybakina defeated Alizé Cornet in straight sets to reach Round 3 and extend her Wimbledon winning streak to nine matches.

Defending champion and No.3 seed Elena Rybakina faced a tough test on paper in the second round at Wimbledon, but passed it with flying colors Thursday in a 6-2, 7-6(2) win over France’s Alize Cornet on Centre Court.

After dropping the first set of her first-round win over American Shelby Rogers, also on the All England Club’s main stage, Rybakina was much more convincing for the majority of her Round 2 performance against perennial upset-artist Cornet.

But in a hard-fought second set, the turning point came at 5-5, with Rybakina serving in what became a 12-deuce game: Cornet took a spill at the back of the court, and though she continued on after taking a medical timeout, Rybakina ultimately sealed victory in 1 hour and 48 minutes.

Rybakina will next face British No.1 Katie Boulter in the third round