It would have been a very long goodbye for Anett Kontaveit had she failed to beat Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round of the women’s singles here on Wednesday. Three rain delays meant that a match scheduled to start at 11am, in the distinctly low-key surroundings of court six, was not wrapped up until nearly 4pm with Kontaveit winning 6-4, 6-4.
Defeat, the former – indeed, fairly recent – world No 2 had already announced, would mean instant retirement, because of chronic and untreatable problems with her back. As it turns out, there will be at least one more match, against the No 32 seed, Marie Bouzkova. This time the schedulers will hopefully give her the stage her talent and achievements deserve.
