RIO DE JANEIRO: Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova knocked out former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the second round of the Rio Olympics yesterday, in another poorly attended tennis match on centre court.
Twice Wimbledon champion Kvitova overpowered Wozniacki 6-2 6-4 to progress to the third round, where she will face either Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova or Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Germany’s Angelique Kerber, ranked second in the world, faced stubborn resistance from Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard but won 6-4 6-2.
United States’ Madison Keys, seeded seventh in the tournament, also progressed to the third round after a 7-5 6-7(4) 7-6(5) win against France’s Kristina Mladenovic on court one.
On Sunday, Juan Martin del Potro stunned a tearful Novak Djokovic in an emotional Olympics triumph. Del Potro downed the top seed 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2).
Victorious
Yesterday, Del Potro followed it up by downing Portugal’s Joao Sousa in front of a legion of passionate, vocal Argentine fans.
The giant 27-year-old, ranked at 141 in the world after years of wrist injury misery had pushed him to the brink of quitting, swept to a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Sousa.
Meanwhile, four-time gold medallist Venus Williams was staring at the end of her 16-year, five-Olympics journey.
Venus, 36, and sister Serena suffered their first ever defeat in women’s doubles, a record which boasted 15 successive match wins and golds in Sydney in 2000, Beijing in 2008 and London four years ago.
The 6-3, 6-4 loss to Czech pair Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova came just a day after Venus had been knocked out of the singles in what was her first opening round Olympics loss.
London 2012 winner Andy Murray and 2008 Olympic champion Rafael Nadal breezed through in the men’s singles.
Murray, the second seed, clinched an eighth win in eight meetings against Serbia’s Viktor Troicki, 6-3, 6-2.
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