Wimbledon: Sabalenka holds off Gracheva to move into forth round 

No.2 Aryna Sabalenka overcame a sluggish start to take out Varvara Gracheva in three sets. Sabalenka will next face Anna Blinkova for a spot in the fourth round.

Heading into her second-round match against Varvara Gracheva, Sabalenka had won 13 of 14 major matches — and 10 straight in the second round of majors.

While the 22-year-old Gracheva is unquestionably a rising force in the game, Sabalenka was an overwhelming favorite to advance to the third round. And yet, it was Gracheva, serving at 5-4 in the second set, who was within a game of the tournament’s biggest upset of the first week on either side.

There were flashes of the old Sabalenka — slumping shoulders, double faults and animated conversations with her box — but she rallied Friday to defeat Gracheva 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Sabalenka won nine of the last 11 games, another example of her growing maturity.

With that, make that 14-1 in majors, better than Iga Swiatek (12-1) and No.3 Elena Rybakina (10-2). After starting her career 2-4 in second-round matches at the Slams, Sabalenka is now 11-0.

At the age of 25, Sabalenka has settled into herself, and the results, now routine, have been memorable. Back at the Australian Open in January, the No.2-seeded Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam singles title and last month advanced to the semifinals of Roland Garros.

“I really love Wimbledon,” Sabalenka told reporters after her first-round win over Panna Udvardy. “It was really tough period for me last year. I was just super happy to be here this year. Since then I really enjoyed every second today on court, enjoyed the atmosphere. I think I actually didn’t realize how much I missed Wimbledon last year till today’s match.

“I have great memories from two years ago. I made semifinals.”

She made another one in the first round with a tweener that went viral. She crashed the net when Udvardy only got a small piece of a big serve, but then raced back when the Hungarian threw up a lob. At nearly full speed, five feet past the baseline, back to the net and lifting her left leg, Sabalenka stroked a shot that Udvardy only got back in play with a stab volley. Although she lost the point, Sabalenka acknowledged the applause with a fiery fist.

Later, Sabalenka addressed her good friend Ons Jabeur with a retweet of the All England Club’s highlight, asking, “What do u think?” Jabeur replied: “Good student.”