Wimbledon: Iga Swiatek rallies from set down to beat Caty McNally

LONDON: Iga Swiatek may not love the grass, but she showed that spark is there in her as she fought back from a set down to beat American Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 and reach the third round of Wimbledon on Thursday.

McNally showed all the signs of having an ability to cause an upset in the first set when she made a comeback from 4-1 down to take the first set against the five-times Grand Slam champion.

But Swiatek made a comeback after being broken by the American early in the second set and never looked back, losing only three more games to set up a third-round match against another American, Danielle Collins.

Meanwhile, defending champion Barbora Krejcikova kept her Wimbledon defence alive by defeating American Caroline Dolehide 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in a second-round tussle that was all grind and no grandeur.

Krejcikova withdrew from the Eastbourne Open due to thigh issues, reached the third round, surviving a match as scrappy as a Henman Hill picnic after a seagull raid.

The Czech reflected on her victory, saying she was relieved after the victory.

"A huge relief," she said.

"Really up and down points, turning one way and the other ... I am so grateful I can keep going."

Furthermore, Seventh seed Mirra Andreeva advanced into the third round with a 6-1, 7-6(4) victory over Italy's Lucia Bronzetti.

Andreeva thanked her coach, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, for making her work hard.

"She's not going to let me go home. She pushes me to my limits so thanks for that, I guess," the Russian said.