Wang Xinyu of China hits a shot in the women's singles second-round match against Zeynep Sonmez of Trkiye at the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, Britain, July 3, 2025. /VCG

China's Wang Xinyu lost to Zeynep Sonmez of Trkiye 7-5, 7-5 in the women's singles second round at Wimbledon at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Thursday.

Both players broke back and forth in the first set until Sonmez clinched the win. After they tied each other at 5-5 in the second set, Sonmez played more aggressively to seal the victory.

"I think she played exceptionally well today, especially in her service returns and baseline game. I didn't get any easy points," Wang said after the match, "From 4-1, maybe she just let go and played more freely. She came through on some key points, and then she probably played more relaxed. I think from that moment, she definitely raised her level."

"Of course, I feel it's a great pity. Even though my opponent played really well, our match was very close, and there were some areas where I feel I could have done better," Wang added. "But I think, today, I did the best I could."

Wang shone at the Berlin Open last month to reach her first Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour final, but the 23-year-old Chinese failed to maintain the momentum at the grass-court Grand Slam.

With the win, Sonmez, 23, has already secured her best Grand Slam result as she headed into the round of 32.

Iga Swiatek of Poland tries to hit a shot in the women's second-round match against Caty McNally of the U.S. at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, Britain, July 3, 2025. /VCG

Swiatek fights back to defeat McNally

Iga Swiatek may not love the grass but relished a battle whatever the surface and showed all that fight and bullish determination as she recovered to beat American Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 and reach the third round.

McNally, the world No. 208, looked poised to cause an upset when she clawed her way back from 4-1 down to take the first set against the five-time Grand Slam champion.

At that point Swiatek's mediocre record at the All England Club, where the Pole has never gone past the quarterfinals, seemed to be weighing heavily on her shoulders.

However, rather than shy away from the scrap, the former world No. 1 flicked a psychological switch that saw her come out for the second set transformed, upping her aggression and playing with a ferocity McNally simply could not handle. She broke early in the second set and never looked back, losing only three more games to set up a clash with another American, Danielle Collins.

"I started the match well so I knew that my game was there," Swiatek said. "I knew that at the start of the second set I had to be more accurate. I just tried to improve and I'm happy it worked."

The eighth seed may have her sights set far higher than the third round, but by reaching the last 32 she underlined her consistency on the big stage. She is the third player this century to reach the third round in 22 consecutive women's singles Grand Slams after Amelie Mauresmo and Serena Williams.

Source: CGTN