Krueger storms past Snigur into the Wimbledon last 16

Ashlyn Krueger, the last qualifier standing in the Wimbledon women's draw, keeps making her story bigger. The 22-year-old American, ranked 102nd in the world, beat Ukraine's Daria Snigur 6-3, 6-2 in exactly one hour to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon for the first time in her career.

Krueger stamped her authority on the match with a booming serve, barely wobbling on her own service games and never allowing her opponent a single break. Snigur, who had made headlines by knocking out world number eight Elina Svitolina in the opening round, simply had no answer to the American's tempo.

Krueger's rise in London has become one of the tournament's most compelling storylines. She entered the grass season by winning the WTA 125 title in Ilkley, then came through qualifying at Roehampton to reach the main draw. In the first round she recovered from a set and a break down to stun Queen's champion Donna Vekic, before conceding just one game in the second round. The win over Snigur extends her streak to 11 consecutive victories and takes her grass-court record this season to 16 wins and a single defeat.

The surge follows a difficult spell. This time last year, Krueger sat at a career-high number 29 and was seeded at Wimbledon, before a prolonged slump dragged her down to 102nd. The game she rebuilt at smaller events is now paying off on tennis's grandest stage.

Her last-16 opponent has also been confirmed: 12th seed Marta Kostyuk, who eliminated Emma Navarro in another match on the same day. Against the in-form Ukrainian star, Krueger will be chasing yet another surprise in the first second week of her Wimbledon career.

Match Stats
Score: 6-3, 6-2 · Duration: 1 hour
Breaks: Krueger 3/6 – Snigur 0/4
First-serve points won: Krueger 84% – Snigur 53%

Image: WTA