Swiss No.2 seed Viktorija Golubic opened her bid to qualify for a third straight Grand Slam in winning style.
The 23-year-old recovered from a break down in the deciding set against Russian Anastasia Pivovarova to reel off the final five games for a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory at Roehampton, squealing with relief upon cracking the match-sealing volley.
Golubic had posted her best results of the season in a Fed Cup tie against the Czech Republic, where she won both her singles matches – against Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova – before finding form on the grass leading in.
She strung together five match wins last week in ’s-Hertogenbosch, coming through qualifying to reach the quarter-finals before falling to her countrywoman, Belinda Bencic, in two tie-break sets.
“For sure, I started off with the grass very well,” she said. “I feel well on that surface and it’s cool so I’m just happy I get another chance to play here.
“Tomorrow is a big match against another of my countrywomen [Amra] Sadikovic so it’s going to be a nice one because we’re always close to each other and have tough matches so it’s going to be interesting.”
Pivovarova went close to pulling off one her most impressive results since a premature retirement in 2012 due to injuries.
I just said ‘keep calm, the match still has a long way to go
The Russian had gone on to open a tennis club in Moscow before beginning her comeback 18 months later but has so far failed to return to the top 100, spending most of her time battling it out in ITF events.
“Even in young age she was a very good player and I hadn’t really seen her in the last one to two years so I was a little bit nervous and didn’t know what to expect,” Golubic said. “I must say she did very well, she was very touchy for her height, which is not normal.”
In the opening set, it was Golubic who nearly let a mountain of opportunities slip.
She played back-to-back drop shot winners to perfection to bring up two set points on the Russian's serve at 5-4.
A third went begging and when Pivovarova saved a fourth with a brilliant backhand lob winner, she carried momentum heading into the tie-break, surging to a 5-1 lead.
The Swiss responded, reeling off five points before finally taking it on the sixth set point when the Russian netted a forehand.
With Pivovarova landing the second set and jumping to a 3-1 lead in the decider, Golubic dug deep to inch ahead 4-3 after saving six break points.
It was the momentum swing she ordered, going on to book the showdown with Sadikovic, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over France’s Oceane Dodin.
“To be honest today especially in the third, I didn’t feel my game and really didn’t know how to play her in that moment because she was very solid and aggressive at the same time,” Golubic said.
“And then I just said ‘keep calm, the match still has a long way to go and then if she wins, too good’. Then somehow she was a little bit weaker and I was there.”
Top seed Tatjana Maria joined Golubic in the second round of qualifying. The German posted a 6-1, 6-3 result over Frenchwoman Myrtille Georges.
Swedish No.13 seed Rebecca Peterson rallied from a set down to beat Turkey’s Ipek Soylu 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, while Greek No.5 seed Maria Sakkari landed a double-bagel victory over Russian Polina Leykina.
Chinese Taipei’s Kai-Chen Chang upset Israeli No.24 seed Julia Glushko 6-2, 6-3, while Julia Boserup won an all-American battle with Jennifer Brady 6-2, 6-2.
