Bethanie Mattek-Sands has enjoyed a stellar year on the doubles circuit, collecting both the 2015 Australian Open and Roland Garros Ladies’ Doubles titles with Lucie Safarova as well winning the Mixed Doubles in Paris, but on Tuesday it was the American's singles play that did the talking.
Competing in the less grandiose Bank of England sports ground surroundings, the former world No.30 produced a dazzling display to see off Laura Pous-Tio 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and six minutes.
Despite being broken early in the opening set, the lively Mattek-Sands would go on to recover thanks to an aggressive, varied game that more often than not pinned her Spanish opponent to the far corners of the court and culminated in blistering winners into the right-hand wing.
"On grass I play aggressive, it’s a faster service I like to come to the net,” Mattek-Sands told Wimbledon.com.
Grass court tennis isn’t really necessarily about rhythm, you’ve just got to sometimes just rip it and go
“I look for short balls, I like to use some of the stuff that I do in doubles on the singles court - serving and volleying, coming in off my returns so I’m just going to mix everything in. Grass court tennis isn’t really necessarily about rhythm, you’ve just got to sometimes just rip it and go.”
Played out underneath glorious sunshine, the swift victory will be even sweeter for the 30-year-old who was forced to take six months off in 2014 after undergoing surgery on her left hip.
“I’d been struggling with that hip for a few years and when we finally got an answer, I had to undergo surgery but it was a really good success and I’m glad I did it," she insisted." Even though I was out that long it will help me in the long run.”
Mattek-Sands is under no illusion that she has to graft hard to climb back up the singles rankings but she is just as happy competing on the Roehampton
turf as she is at Wimbledon.
In 2008 she recorded her best Grand Slam singles result on the SW19 lawns by reaching the fourth round and would go on to equal this feat five years later at the French Open.
“My singles ranking is what it is, so I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do to get my ranking back up," Mattek-Sands added. "The most important thing is I’m feeling really healthy, my body is feeling good and I’m playing well."
