Iga Swiatek was far from her very best but managed to extend her winning streak to 37 consecutive matches while Katie Boulter ousted Karolina Pliskova in what was not the only upset on the day.
Alize Cornet, Petra Kvitova, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Simona Halep, Paula Badosa as well as Serena Williams’ conqueror Harmony Tan all registered wins while Bianca Andreescu and Sara Sorribes Tormo exited the tournament much earlier than anticipated.
World number one Iga Swiatek struggled with unforced errors but managed to see off Pattinama Kerkhove 6-4 4-6 6-3.
The win extended her winning run to 37 consecutive matches and matched Martina Hingis’ run in the 1997 season. The all-time longest winning streak is held by Martina Navratilova, who had 74 successive victories in 1984.
Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep defeated retiring Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 7-5 6-4 on Thursday to power into the third round at Wimbledon.
The 36-year-old Flipkens, who is playing in her 50th and final Grand Slam, had a 5-2 lead in the first set and a 4-1 advantage in the second but the 2019 champion rallied on both occasions to complete the victory in straight sets.
Petra Kvitova a two-time former champion herself overcame a second-set wobble to reach the Wimbledon third round with a 6-1 7-6(5) defeat of Romanian Ana Bogdan.
But perhaps the biggest upset of the day came when Katie Boulter of England took out the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova.
The 118th-ranked British player rallied to win 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
Another notable upset was that of the 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu who was sent packing 4-6, 6-7 (5) by Elena Rybakina.
Harmony Tan, full of confidence after eliminating Serena, kept the good time rolling with a 6-3, 6-4 win over 32nd seeded Sara Sorribes Tormo.
