Swiatek advances at Wimbledon; walk in the park for Sabalenka & Jabeur

Wimbledon: An avid reader, Iga Swiatek knows how to contextualize her Wimbledon experiences.

Her thirdround exit last year after winning the French Open was a disappointment. The top-ranked Swiatek cleared that hurdle Friday at the All England Club, dispatching 30th-seeded Petra Martic 6-2, 7-5 to reach the fourth round.

“It’s just a totally different chapter,” the 22-year-old Pole said.

The four-time Grand Slam champion can reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal when she faces 14th-seeded Belinda Bencic on Sunday. Swiatek has said she felt a lot of pressure last year from high expectations and the 35-match winning streak she carried into Wimbledon.

“I do feel more relaxed. I think also because I won Roland Garros and I feel like after that the pressure is a little bit off because I reached my goal kind of for the season,” she said.

“I don’t have to think about anything else other than playing. ... I feel like I have more kind of, I don’t know, free space in my head to develop my game and to work on my skills on grass.”

Andy Murray exits with uncertainty

As he was asked to dissect his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of Wimbledon — a rollicking five-setter that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours spread over two days before a packed Centre Court filled with thousands of his closest and loudest friends — Murray started answers to question after question at his news conference Friday with some variation of that theme.

Was it harder to accept this 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 defeat, given both how close it was and all he’s been through? “I don’t know, to be honest,” Murray’s reply began. (PTI)