LONDON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Top contenders continued to make their mark at Wimbledon on Thursday as Alexander Zverev, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina all advanced comfortably to the third round.
Men's second seed Alexander Zverev produced an assured performance to defeat France's Valentin Royer 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Court One. The German struck 14 aces and converted five break points to secure his 50th tour-level victory on grass and extend his winning streak at Grand Slam events to nine matches.
"For two and a half sets I played an almost perfect match," Zverev said after allowing Royer back into the contest late in the third set. "I'm happy to get through in straight sets."
Zverev, who has never advanced beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon despite reaching Grand Slam finals on all other surfaces, will next face American Marcos Giron.
Elsewhere in the men's draw, fifth seed Alex de Minaur delivered a dominant 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over veteran Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, while sixth seed Taylor Fritz continued his impressive grass-court form with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 win against compatriot Patrick Kypson.
Belgium's Zizou Bergs extended his breakthrough Wimbledon run by defeating Jaime Faria in four sets to reach the third round for the first time, while ninth seed Flavio Cobolli also progressed after overcoming Australia's James Duckworth.
In the women's competition, defending champion Iga Swiatek looked far more comfortable than in her emotional opening-round victory, defeating former finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3 in just 70 minutes.
"The first round was really emotional," Swiatek said. "Today I felt like it was another day in the office. I stayed focused and I'm very happy with my performance."
Former champion Elena Rybakina responded with an equally commanding display, dispatching American Caty McNally 6-1, 6-2 to set up a third-round meeting with Belgium's Elise Mertens. The Kazakh, who lifted the Wimbledon title in 2022, remains among the leading contenders for the championship.
Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova survived a major test, defeating fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (10-3) after a deciding match tiebreak. Anisimova will next face compatriot Madison Keys, who ended British hopes by defeating Katie Swan. ■
