Ex-Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber rallies from set down

Former Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber had to come from a set down to oust American qualifier Claire Liu in the second round.

The 11th-seeded Kerber broke decisively for a 4-3 lead in the third set before serving out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory against the 18-year-old Liu, the youngest player in the tournament.

Kerber lost the 2016 final to Serena Williams.

Liu was at her first Wimbledon and faced a top-10 ranked player for the first time. At No. 237, Liu was the lowest-ranked woman to make the second round.

Top-ranked Simona Halep won the last 10 games to beat Saisai Zheng of China 7-5, 6-0 on Thursday.

Saisai led 5-3 in the first set but Halep broke back for 5-5 and cruised the rest of the way against her 126th-ranked opponent.

Halep won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open. She lost in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2016 and 2017.

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada, who lost to  Petra Kvitova in the 2014 Wimbledon final, lost to 17th-seeded Ashleigh Barty 6-4, 7-5.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.