Routliffe, Dabrowski march into second round at Wimbledon

Erin Routliffe and Gabby Dabrowski had a straight-set win in their opening match of the ladies’ doubles at Wimbledon, defeating Mirra Andreeva and Anastasia Potapova 6-2 7-5.

Routliffe and Dabrowski are the No 2 seeds at the Championships and they lived up to that billing with a victory that wasn’t always comfortable, but hardly in doubt.

Having played in two WTA finals over the last three weeks, Routliffe and Dabrowski are clearly relaxed at playing on grass and they worked well together as a team against their Russian opponents.

However, Routliffe said she and Dabrowski knew it wouldn’t be an easy win.

“They are two very good players, serving well, returning well,” Routliffe said. 

“So we knew it was going to be tough, but we tried to stay aggressive and play on our terms.

“It’s not easy playing in the first round anywhere, especially at Wimbledon where you’re nervous, so we’re really happy to get through.”

Routliffe admitted the second set was more of a battle than the first. Partly that was down to the conditions, but also the Russians were able to up their game.

“We were up a break a couple of times and got broken back straight away, which was frustrating and they kept it close,” Routliffe said. 

“They maybe upped their first serve a bit and maybe our first serve percentage lowered a bit.

“It was getting dark and cold and the ball was moving slower. So it’s harder to put the ball away and I guess that’s what happened a bit.

“It got a bit hairy, but I thought we stuck together well, so it was good.”

There were three rain delays on Wednesday, which meant everything got pushed back, especially for those who were playing in the third match on a court, like Routliffe and Dabrowski.

“We were originally meant to warm up at 12.30pm, I got here to eat at 10.30am to have something to eat, so I’ve been here all day,” Routliffe said.

“With the rain, delays and matches before us, the singles went to five sets, the doubles went to three, so it was a much longer day than I anticipated, but at the same time, you’re ready for that here, because you know you’re going to get rain delays.

“I’m tired now and it’s nice to have tomorrow off and to work on the things we need to work on.”

Routliffe said although she and Dabrowski are the No 2 seeds, they don’t feel there is an expectation on them for each match.

“Pressure is a privilege and I don’t think of it like that. I try to go into every match with a similar mindset,” she said.

“I know Gabby and I can beat anyone we play, so that’s how we go into it and we try to keep with the process, rather than think of the outcome and this has worked in the past and we’ll try to that sometimes.

“The outside stuff can get to you, but we try not to let it in.”