By Clare Lovell
LONDON (Reuters) – France’s top Wimbledon hope Caroline Garcia overcame the elements and a lively opponent to reach the second round on Monday beating American Katie Volynets 6-4 6-3 in a match interrupted by drizzle.
Garcia, seeded five, has a game suited to grass and used her speed and agility at the net as well as powerful returns to grind down her 21-year-old opponent. She won 18 points at the net to four for Volynets.
A swirling wind disturbed both women’s serving and it was Garcia’s fearsome forehands that earned her the upper hand.
She brought up set point with a backhand that Volynets, ranked 125 in the world, could not get hold of and won the set with an unplayable forehand return.
Garcia, 29, who has twice reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, suffered a brief wobble at the start of the second set, spraying unforced errors around the court and Volynets took advantage, breaking serve twice for a 3-0 lead.But those were the last games she won.
The Californian, whose only previous Wimbledon main draw appearance in 2021 ended in first-round defeat, could not cope when Garcia put her game back together.
“I had to have a reaction and I was able to come back quickly,” Garcia said in an on-court interview.
The Frenchwoman surged back with aggressive volleying to win the next four games and take command of the set before drizzle stopped play for nearly an hour and a half.
When play resumed Garcia did not hang about, winning the fifth game in a row when Volynets served a double fault then serving for the match. She reached match point with a driving backhand and finished with another forehand winner.
“On grass there are no easy matches,” Garcia said. “I am glad I was able to finish early.”
(Reporting by Clare Lovell, editing by Ed Osmond)
