TENNIS: Former champion Krejcikova rallies past Andreeva into Wimbledon third round

Former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova fought from a set down to systematically dismantle fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 4-6 7-5 6-4 on Wednesday and move into the third round at the All England Club.

Czech Krejcikova made a blazing start against the 19-year-old Russian, who won her maiden major at the French Open a few weeks ago, but her level dropped after she went 3-0 up and she quickly found herself a set down on Centre Court.

The 2024 Wimbledon champion, who also has a French Open crown in her trophy cabinet, found her groove again in the next set to force a decider, where Andreeva's frustrations appeared to boil over in the face of some determined tennis.

Andreeva saved six match points in the decider, but was not able to stop Krejcikova from crossing the finish line and claim only her second victory over the youngster.

"What a match. This is the fifth time I've played Mirra I think and it's always been a huge fight," said Krejcikova.

"She's such a young and unique player. She has everything in front of her. Very difficult match, but I'm really happy that we were able to put on a great show. We were fighting till the very last point.

"I'm extremely proud I managed to win on this beautiful Centre Court. The best court in the world."

Krejcikova will now look forward to a meeting with her Czech compatriot Nikola Bartunkova, while Andreeva threw her racket to her chair and was left to reflect on what could have been after hitting the heights in Paris.

-Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in London; Editing by Alison Williams/Reuters