On a usually dormant day of tennis, it was the two-time major winner and 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova whose fitness and fortitude shown through, knocking off 18th-seeded American Sloane Stephens 6-7, 6-2, 8-6 to advance to the fourth round at Wimbledon. In a three set thriller on No. 1 Court at the All England Club, it was Kuznetsova who booked her spot in the second week in a grueling, two hour and 28-minute encounter on Middle Sunday.
Stephens edges tight first set in easy tiebreak victory
Kuznetsova and Stephens began the match well, taking easy holds to begin the match. The pair then held two more times each, with neither getting a foothold on the others' serve to bring the score to three games all. The Russian then had to fight off break point with Stephens narrowly missing out on a break to put the two-time major winner up 4-3. With the disappointment of failing to break the previous game clearly lingering in the young American's mind, the 13th seeded Kuznetsova pounced, breaking Stephens easily to put herself a game from taking the opening set.
The veteran Kuznetsova played a sloppy service game the following game, immediately giving up the break to bring the match back on serve. Stephens kept fighting on, holding to level the set at 5-all off a looser forehand from the Russian. The 13 seed fought off another break chance on her serve, with Kuznetsova's prowess at the net showing to give her a 6-5 lead.
Serving to stay in the set once again, Stephens drew upon her offensive game to force errors out of the Russian, taking the hold to level the set at six games apiece and force a tiebreak.
After just holding to stay in the set, Stephens kept the momentum going, racing out to an early 3-0 lead with some big hitting. With a mini-break already in hand, the American kept her barrage of winners coming, hitting a nice backhand winner to go up 4-0.
Kuznetsova finally got on the board with an error from the racquet of Stephens, but a near-perfect tiebreak from the 18th seed kept up with another forehand winner sealing a 6-1 lead. With Kuznetsova serving to stay in the set, an untimely error from the Russian cost her the set, with Stephens taking a dominant 7-1 victory in the tiebreak to take the set 7-6.
Kuznetsova eases through second set to level match
Early errors in the set plagued Stephens with Kuznetsova claiming a double break lead off some poor hitting from the American to go up 3-0. Stephens stole one of the breaks back with some finer hitting, before taking care of her service game for 3-2. The Russian kept her early lead going though, using her backhand well at key times to take two more games for 5-2.
More errors from the 23-year-old American cost her, with Stephens giving up the set 6-2 off a wide forehand to level the match at a set apiece with Kuznetsova fully with the momentum.
Kuznetsova comes back from brink to edge grueling third set
Stephens began the set poorly, getting broken immediately with her groundstrokes missing their target to give Kuznetsova the early lead. Fortunately for the American, Stephens was able to move the Russian around enough to break right back for 1-all. The pair then exchanged holds of serve before the 18th seed took a hold and a critical break for 4-2 forcing some costly errors out of the two-time Grand Slam champion.
The American then saved a break point to hold onto her serve, going into the ascendancy with a 5-2 lead off some forehands from the Russian missing their mark. Serving to stay in the match, Kuznetsova came up with some brilliant play, holding on to take her service game to force Stephens to serve for the match. The Russian marathon women played another incredible game, cracking a big forehand to break her opponent for 5-4. The comeback continued for Kuznetsova, with the 31-year-old holding on to level the set at five games all.
After losing three games on the trot, Stephens showed incredible mental resolve, holding to love to once again force her veteran opponent to serve to stay alive. The former French Open and US Open winner kept her hopes of a first Wimbledon crown alive, using all the weapons at her disposal to level the match at 6-all off a trademark backhand winner.
Kuznetsova, who back in 2011 fell just on the losing side of an incredible 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 match at the Australian Open against Francesca Schiavone, once again showed her fitness and fortitude, breaking Stephens off some very untimely errors from the American to give herself the chance to serve for the match.
This time around, Kuznetsova would not fall on the losing side of a Grand Slam epic, holding her nerve and showing her fighting qualities to win through to the round of 16 in an incredible 6-7, 6-2, 8-6 thriller on a historic Middle Sunday at Wimbledon.
Up next for Kuznetsova
Up next for the 13th seeded Kuznetsova is world number one and 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. Williams holds a dominant 9-3 head to head edge against the Russian, but Kuznetsova did dethrone the defending Wimbledon champion in Miami earlier this year before the American avenged the loss with a straight sets victory on the red clay of Rome in May. Kuznetsova and Williams will play their fourth round meeting second on Centre Court tomorrow at the All England Club.