Day three! First up today we had teen sensation Iva Jovic from the USA and Alexandra Eala, also just 21, and from the Philippines. Both players have garnered a lot of attention on tour over the last 12 months. It was Jovic who made the early impression with a break of serve in the first game of the match. The American teen put in quite a dominant performance in the first set and went on to break Eala’s serve a second time to win it 6-2. In the second set, Jovic continued to show why she is such an exciting young talent on the tour. She completed the match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
In match two, Amanda Anisimova – last year’s finalist – faced Laura Siegemund who also proved herself a difficult grass court opponent with her run at Wimbledon last summer. Anisimova started the match displaying her trademark power on the court and stormed ahead into a 5-1 lead, at which point we had a short break in play after some light rainfall. Once play resumed, Anisimova picked up where she left off and finished the set 6-1. At the start of the second set, the American once again took an early lead with a break of serve and looked on course for a rather smooth victory. Anisimova played some near perfect service games and overall looked particularly strong once again on the Andy Murray Arena, and secured her place in the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-3 win.
Unfortunately, the following match came to a premature end. Victoria Mboko was facing Karolina Pliskova but had to retire due to injury. Pliskova had won the first set 6-2. The second set was going with serve and Mboko was looking promising until a fall ended her pursuit of the Championship here at Queen’s. It’s always a shame to see any player forced to withdraw, and in this instance, a very young, promising player who is new to the grass but looked to be right in the contest.
The final match of the day looked like a tight contest on paper. If you look at the careers of the two players, Donna Vekic and Marie Bouzkova, both have similar playing records. Vekic, from Croatia, joined the draw as a lucky loser after the withdrawal of Marta Kostyuk earlier in the week. The Croatian took the lead in the first set and looked on better form. At 5-2 the momentum shifted and Bouzkova won the next three games to level things up. Vekic then held serve to take a 6-5 lead - but at this point the heavens opened and a break in play was called for. This match will resume on Centre Court tomorrow.
** Image is Getty Images for LTA