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sport">In advance, the assignment of the Dutch was seen as practically impossible, because Swiatek was already 36 (!) duels unbeaten. So number 37 has been added, but it went with pain and effort against the great playing Zeeland.
sport">Pattinama-Kerkhove (30), the global number 138, was only added to the main tournament as a so-called lucky loser on Tuesday. She lost last week in the last round of the qualifying tournament, but was allowed to participate due to an injury to another player. An hour before the competition, she heard via an app that she could participate after all. Three sets later she was suddenly in the second round at Wimbledon.
Brutal start
sport">Pattinama-Kerkhove started the match brutally and apparently without tension. In the third game she immediately broke the number 1 in the world, although she immediately got that break back in her face. But at 2-2, she again went through Swiatek’s serve. The game after, she kept her serve: 4-2.
sport">However, Swiatek came back to 4-4 and the game after that, the top favorite for the overall victory on the holy grass of London actually managed to keep her own service. At 4-5, the Dutch eventually had to give up her service again against the best tennis player at the moment: 4-6.
Iga Swiatek celebrates an important point.
Ⓒ ANP/HH
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Best career match
sport">In set 2 it was probably expected that Swiatek – who plays less on grass than on other surfaces – would continue steaming, but that was not so bad. Kerkhove managed to maintain her service more often, but so did the Polish one. But Kerkhove was far from impressed on Court 1 and brutally just broke Swiatek once more.
sport">The pressure was really on the number 1 in the world, who made a lot of unnecessary mistakes. At 5-4, Kerkhove was allowed to serve to drag out a third set. The Dutchman probably played her best game of her tennis career. And yes, she took the second set very surprisingly: 6-4.
Break just too early
sport">Also set 3, Kerkhove started well and even with chances. However, she was unable to redeem it. Swiatek did manage to force an extremely important break in the fourth game. The resistance seemed broken, as the Polish went out to 4-1. Moments later, she came to 5-2 with a love game. The break came too early in the set for Kerkhove.
sport">Pattinama-Kerkhove, who was born in Goes, did take her own service, but at 6-3 it was the end of the tournament for her. But in the knowledge that she had made it really difficult for the number 1 in the world.
sport">Watch the highlights from the Kerkhove-Swiatek match:
sport">Bron: discovery+
Reaction Pattinama-Kerkhove
sport">Prior to the duel with Swiatek, Pattinama-Kerkhove feared a make-up match. “I told my coach Elise Tamaëla before the game that I really hoped to get a few games. She hasn’t lost for so long and won, for example, finals 6-1 6-0,” said Pattinama-Kerkhove.
sport">“I decided to just go full for every point and every ball and that aggressive tennis worked well. I didn’t think I’d get this close and I could have even won. I am very proud of myself because I played my best tennis. If you look at the standings, maybe there could have been more, so there is also disappointment.”
sport">Pattinama-Kerkhove unsettled Swiatek with aggressive tennis. She tried to keep the battle changes short and not to give the Polish the initiative. “I didn’t know how it would feel to her. But if you let her play it becomes very difficult to be behind the balls,” said the Dutchman.
sport">“Choosing the attack was the only way to defeat her. In the opening phase of the third set I had two chances to break and if I had won that game it might have been possible. I can hardly blame myself, because in the game that I was broken she hit two winners.”
sport">Pattinama-Kerkhove had enjoyed the experience. “It’s the most beautiful stadium I’ve ever played in. I noticed at the beginning of the game that they also really clap for the underdog and that gave me a good feeling,” said the number 2 in the Netherlands, for whom the grass season is over.
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