Puig Survives Gruelling Match to Reach the Fourth Round at Wimbledon

Monica Puig’s Cinderella run at Wimbledon continues…

The 19-year-old Puerto Rican tennis player, who started her run at the sport’s most prestigious tournament with a surprising upset of No. 5 seed Sara Errani, rallied to beat Czech qualifier Eva Birnerova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday, to reach the fourth round at the All England Club.

Monica Puig

The first set was domintaed by the Birnerova, who won 79% of the first-serve points and converted 2/4 break points, to win the opening set in 51 minutes.

But Puig came back strong to capture the second set in 42 minutes.

Both women looked firm on their serve in the deciding set. But Puig produced some sensational shots in the middle, which helped her steal a break, and eventually went on to take the third in 42 minutes.

Competing in her first Wimbledon, Puig has now surpassed her best performance in a Grand Slam with Saturday’s grueling win. She’d previously reached the third round at the French Open.

Puig, the first woman in the Open era to represent Puerto Rico at this stage, now faces American Sloane Stephens in the fourth round.

“She’s 17 in the world and she’s earned that spot so a lot of respect for her,” said Puig. “I haven’t really seen her play too much, it’s something I’ll have to go back to the drawing board tomorrow and just enjoy the day today.”

Puig is ranked No. 65 in the world.

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  1. Pingback: Puig's Impressive Run at Wimbledon Ends Against Sloane Stephens | Hispanically Yours: Celebrating the Latino Influence

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