Simona Halep cruises to second round of Wimbledon

WTA No 1 Simona Halep, the fresh winner of the second Grand Slam of the year, is safely through to the second round of Wimbledon. The first round match, against World No 91 Kurumi Nara, was her first on grass.

The Romanian defeated her opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. She will face China’s Zheng Saisai in the second round.

The tournament’s hot favourite, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, lost today in straight sets, to Aliaksandra Sasnovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. After successfully defending her title in Birmingham, Kvitova pulled out of Eastbourne, hinting that her form will peak again at Wimbledon.

The Romanian has reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the last two years and is a one-time semifinalist at the All England Club. She lost to Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in two sets, 6-7, 2-6.