Women's tennis world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland struggled with unforced errors but found her composure when it mattered most to see off Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove of the Netherlands 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the third round at Wimbledon and extend her winning run to 37 matches.

With Thursday's victory, Swiatek went past Monica Seles and matched Martina Hingis' run in the 1997 season. The all-time longest winning streak is held by Martina Navratilova, who had 74 successive victories in 1984.

"I mean adding another match to this number is pretty special for me but when I'm out there I'm not really thinking about that," Swiatek said on court.

"I'm just trying to play the best tennis possible on grass and the result is going to come. I'm pretty happy that it's 37 now. I'm going to do my best to get even more."

Rafael Nadal of Spain overcame another mid-match lapse to defeat Lithuania's Ricardas Berankis in four sets and reach the Wimbledon third round for the 11th time on Thursday.

Two-time champion Nadal triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to see off his 106th-ranked opponent.

The Spaniard, who is bidding to add the Wimbledon title to his Australian and French Open victories, will tackle Italy's Lorenzo Sonego for a place in the last 16.

"Every day is a challenge," said Nadal, who is playing Wimbledon for the first time since making the semifinals in 2019.

"Every day is a chance to improve and I need to improve. "The fourth set was a better level. I was able to be more aggressive with my forehand. It's important to accept that things are not perfect. I need to keep working," he added.

Former champion Simona Halep of Romania defeated Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 5-2, 4-1, 7-5, 6-4. "This is my farewell match," said an emotional Flipkens.

"To be able to finish my career in singles against a champion like Simona on a court like this in front of a crowd like this, it is a dream," said Flipkens, aged 36.

China's Zheng Qinwen stormed into the last 32 on her Wimbledon debut after defeating Belgian Greet Minnen 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday.

"I have made adjustments to my serves, which boosted my confidence in gaining key points," Zheng said after the match.

"I know Minnen, who is a great clay-court player, so I keep my strength on the grass court with my good serves," she added.

China's Zhang Shuai, along with her doubles partner Elise Mertens of Germany, defeated Greet Minnen and Anna Bondar of Hungary 6-3, 6-1. The Chinese-German pair took the doubles runners-up prize during the 2022 Birmingham Classic tennis event on June 19.

Chinese pair Zhu Lin and Han Xinyue edged past French duo Chloe Paquet and Clara Burel 6-3, 7-6(5) in the women's doubles first-round match.

Meanwhile, China's Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan eased into the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Italian-German pair Lucia Bronzetti and Julia Lohoff.

(With input from agencies)