Underdogs steal the show as stars fell on Day Three – Wimbledon Championships 2013
Five former world number one stars failed to progress into the third round of the Wimbledon Championships on crazy Wednesday.
The second seed, Victoria Azarenka, was forced to pull out from the tournament after sustaining a right knee injury during her 6-1, 6-2 victory over the Portuguese challenger, Maria Joao Koehler. As a result, Italy’s Flavia Pennetta
advanced into the round of 32 where the French star, Alize Cornet, awaits.
The Belarusian top ranked star was quoted in an interview, "Well, it was pretty obvious it was a very bad fall. I tried to stay optimistic as possible. I went to get an MRI, and I thought there was hope for some good news because
the MRI didn't show something really torn, something extreme.”
The third seeded Russian, Maria Sharapova, joined the Belarusian towards the exit doors. She suffered a 3-6, 4-6 defeat at the hands of the Portuguese qualifier, Michelle Larcher de Brito. The gorgeous Russian warded off four match
points in the final game but eventually submitted to Larcher de Brito after hitting the last forehand into the net.
"It was a combination of everything," the ecstatic Sharapova stated in a post match press conference. "I give her a lot of credit. I think she played extremely well. She was really solid from the baseline. I don't feel like I was
aggressive enough, that I hit the ball deep enough. I wasn't ready after the returns or serves. I just wasn't there, really."
Sharapova slipped in the Centre court several times before registering this defeat. This was her earliest loss at a Grand Slam since her first round exit at the Australian Open three years ago.
Ranked 131st in the WTA Premier Rankings, Larcher de Brito will next take on Italy’s Karin Knapp who stunned 27th seeded Lucie Safarova in a three-set thriller to set-up this match.
The world number nine, Caroline Wozniacki, displayed dismal performance and exited from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club with disappointment. She suffered a 2-6, 2-6 defeat at the hands of the Czech qualifier, Petra
Cetkovska. The Dane spilled 10 unforced errors and smashed only six winners whereas Cetkovska committed only 13 unforced errors in contrast with her 30 winners.
The 12th seed, Ana Ivanovic, played comparatively better match against her opponent, Eugenie Bouchard. However, the Canadian teenager lifted her game and eventually sealed the deal with a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Seeded 16th in this event, Jelena Jankovic also endured similar fate. She was underplayed by her compatriot, Vesna Dolonc. Dolonc recorded best win of her career by registering a 7-5, 6-2 score line against the former
world number one.
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