London, July 1 -- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka extended her remarkable Grand Slam tie-break winning streak to 21 with a hard-fought 6-1, 7-6(11-9) victory over McCartney Kessler to reach the third round of The Championships, Wimbledon on Wednesday.
Despite cruising through the opening set in just 33 minutes, Sabalenka was pushed to the limit in the second by the world No. 57, who broke serve to lead 4-2 and later served for the set at 5-3. Kessler also held four set points, including two in a tense tie-break, but the Belarusian showed her trademark composure under pressure to prevail after one hour and 39 minutes.
The victory saw Sabalenka eclipse her own Grand Slam tie-break record, stretching her unbeaten run to 21 consecutive tie-breaks...