Sabalenka relies on survival instincts to tame Kessler

LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka's love-hate relationship with Wimbledon's slick turf was once again on display before her survival instincts kicked in as the Belarusian subdued American McCartney Kessler 6-1 7-6(9) in the second round on Wednesday.

The world number one definitely loved the way the first set went but by the time Kessler had stormed to a 5-2 lead in the second, Sabalenka's thigh started to feel the full force of her frustration as she kept slapping it in anger after every missed opportunity.

Kessler, the only player to have reached the second round this year without dropping a game, appeared to be on the cusp of dragging Sabalenka into a third set as she had two set points at 5-3 and another two in the tiebreak.

But each time, Sabalenka's greater weight of shot, and experience, came to the Belarusian's rescue and she made sure her bid to win a first Grand Slam title away from hard courts stayed on track as she finally converted her third match point to end a compelling duel after one hour 39 minutes.

"She really tested me today and I am super happy to pass the test," the relieved top seed, who will next face Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko, said.

"She played incredible and played super aggressive and it was really tough to handle the second set and I am glad to have powered through."