W.7- The Battle for 8 (and #1)

They don't call it "Manic Monday" for nothing, as the final sixteen (in both main singles draws) were scheduled to be reduced to a field of quarterfinalists more than "half-way home," just three victories from lifting the shiny championship hardware this weekend.



The women's matches kicked off four-strong at the start of play on Day 7, with the reigning world #1, three additional former slam winners, a past Wimbledon runner-up, a current Top 5 player, a qualifier and an unseeded Slovak in her first slam Round of 16 (but on a 16-1 grass court tear) all taking the court simultaneously.

By the time they were finished (or nearly so), we'd moved on to four more matches featuring a five-time Wimbledon champ, two former #1's, a potential future #1 (as in 24 hours from today, maybe), the British #1, a '17 Australian Open semifinalist/Fed Cup star, a teenager and a Frenchwoman looking to become the first Pastry in the SW19 final eight since Marion Bartoli won the title in 2014.

By the end of the day, only one former #1 and Wimbledon champ remained, but so did three past slam winners, the last British women's hope, the coaching pupil of the 1987 Wimbledon men's champ, a woman who could be sitting atop the rankings at the end of Day 8, and an unseeded Slovak now sporting a stunning 17-1 grass court record this summer.



=DAY 7 NOTES=
...so, let's take it from the top...

Magdalena Rybarikova def. (Q) Petra Martic 6-4/2-6/6-3
Playing in the first slam Round of 16 of her career, and continuing the theme of her 2017 comeback tour after missing time with multiple surgeries last season, world #87 Rybarikova (ranked in the #400's as recently as this spring) had to find her way past #135-ranked Croatian Martic (in the #600's at one point this season after also missed time in '16 with injury) after going down an early 1st set break. The Slovak got by #3-seeded (and still possible #1) Karolina Pliskova two rounds ago, though, so she had no reason to think she couldn't eventually turn things in her favor vs. Martic, who was playing in her second straight slam 4th Round as a qualifier.

Rybarikova broke to get back on serve at 4-4, then broke the Croat again to close out the 1st set at 6-4. Martic went up a break in the opening game of the 2nd in what was the first of three early-set breaks of serve between the two, but Rybarikova's break for a 3-2 lead proved to be decisive, as she carried out her advantage to a 6-2 win. Rybarikova was the one who got on top of the scoreboard in the 3rd, leading 2-0, though she failed to convert BP for a two-break lead. But even with a smaller margin of error, the Slovak made it hold up, keeping her lead throughout and serving out the victory for a 6-3 3rd set win. Thus, 28-year old Rybarikova reaches her first slam QF in her 36th career MD, winning her fourth match at this tournament after having only once ever won as many as four MD matches at slams in a single season until now.

With 17 wins in 18 grass-court matches this year, Rybarikova is into her 1st Grand Slam quarter-final at the 36th time of asking#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/gfnu9W1NIZ

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

#7 Svetlana Kuznetsova def. #9 Aga Radwanska 6-2/6-4
As hard as it is to believe, Kuznetsova -- an expert at going three sets when she really should be winning in two -- has yet to lose a set at this Wimbledon. Not even today, as she closed out Radwanska in straights to win for the fourteenth time in eighteen career match-ups, the first of which came at Wimbledon in '07, the last time Kuznetsova reached the QF at the AELTC. In the 1st set, the Russian made easy work of the Pole, who saved a pair of MP in her 2nd Rounder vs. Christina McHale before winning in three sets vs. Timea Bacsinszky to reach her tenth Wimbledon Round of 16 in twelve years. She jumped out to a 5-1 lead and handily held to win a 6-2 set, firing eighteen total winners. The 2nd set *could* have been a bit less stressful, as well, but it was if Kuznetsova's "inner Sveta" was trying with all her might to fulfill her hunger for a three-set marathon. In her first three service games, Radwanska struggled to hold, saving six total BP (and surviving one 12-minute game) to stay ahead on serve at 3-2 and give Sveta a chance to, you know, do what she does. But Kuznetsova finally got that break in game #7, and was soon serving at 5-4 for her first Wimbledon QF appearance in a decade. Naturally, she opened with a DF and error and fell behind 15/40 to cause all the Sveta Fans to feel their hearts rise into their throats, but she regathered herself and closed out the win with her 34th winner of the day, a stringing backhand down the line.

Happy go ?? @wimbledon ????????? ??????????? ????????

A post shared by ???????? ?????????/Kuznetsova (@svetlanak27) on Jul 10, 2017 at 5:44am PDT

#13 Jelena Ostapenko def. #4 Elina Svitolina 6-3/7-6(6)
The 20-year old Roland Garros champ is still defying convention, as her win today (her fourth career Top 10 victory, but second Top 5 win in about a month) made her the first maiden slam winner to advance to the QF in her *next* major in eleven years, matching Kim Clijsters' feat without having to retire and have a baby first. Yes, the Latvian is "cookin' with heat" now, though she very nearly got burned -- or at least slightly singed -- against the #4-seeded Ukrainian today. While Ostapenko managed to end her three-set streak at eight matches in the previous round against Camila Giorgi, she had to bome back from 5-3 in both sets to do it. Today, it took her eight MP to finally put away Svitolina. But once again, she did it. Fearless is as fearless does.

Ostapenko raced to a 4-1 lead in the 1st set, eventually breaking Svitolina to win it 6-3. After trading breaks to begin the 2nd, the Latvian saved break points in game #5, then grabbed the break lead for 4-2. She held her first MP on the Ukrainian's serve two games later, but didn't convert. And thus began Ostapenko's dance with the Wimbledon fates. Serving up 5-3, 40/15, Ostapenko struggled to put the match away as Svitolina threw enough slices at her to manage to survive. After failing to secure four more MP, Ostapenko double-faulted to put things back on serve, then saw Svitolina take a break lead at 6-5 as her error total threatened to outnumber her many winners. Trailing 30/love a game later, though, Ostapenko fired a series of winners to get the break back. She opened the tie-break with a DF, but thumped a return deep in the court to swipe one of Svitolina's service points to get back to even. When Ostapenko flicked a forehand crosscourt winner from the middle of the baseline it was apparent she'd fully rediscovered her range, having never really lost her fearlessness even while the finish line was suddenly looking farther and farther away. But she still couldn't quite put Svitolina away. MP's #6 and #7 came and went. Finally, an angled backhand winner from the center of the baseline gave Ostapenko an eighth opportunity. She fired a backhand deep into the court that Svitolina couldn't get back, finally putting away in mothballs her eleventh straight slam match win.

Today's 41 winners (w/ 38 UE) give Ostapenko 114 for the tournament, an average of 28.5 per match. In Paris, she fired a shocking 299, averaging 42.7 (!!) on the terre battue. At this rate, were she to get to the same stage as at Roland Garros while maintaining her average, Ostapenko would come in right around a total of 200 winners. The Latvian is one of the few players who could make such a total seem "small." Of course, she'll have her work cut out for in her *next* match.

Into the quarterfinals ???????? @adidastennis @wilsontennis @wta @wimbledon #me#quarters#toughmatch#happy#towin#teamadidas#mygame#teamwilson#latviangirl#tennis#wimbledon#london#greatbritian#2017

A post shared by Jelena Ostapenko (@jelena.ostapenko1997) on Jul 10, 2017 at 8:50am PDT

#14 Garbine Muguruza def. #1 Angelique Kerber 4-6/6-4/6-4
The best of the early quartet of matches was between the two most recent Wimbledon runners-up to Serena Williams. Muguruza came in with four straight wins over Kerber, who needed to win in order to remain #1 in the rankings once this slam concludes. Having battled back to defeat Shelby Rogers last round, the German was finally starting to again resemble the scrambling, go-for-broke player who took the tour by storm a season ago. But Muguruza has been in top form all tournament, even while expressing little knowledge concerning precisely why it is that she can play so well on a surface that she still finds uncomfortable. She continued to dazzle here, racking up winners all day long en route to ending Kerber's run at #1 despite the German -- in maybe her best match of the season -- seeming pretty darn close to resembling the player whose run of confident results last year got her to the top of the sport. That Muguruza *still* won is precisely why she's such a confounding would-be supertalent, as she's capable of being anyone when she's in fine form... yet still hasn't even reached a final since winning Roland Garros last year.

In the 1st, Kerber got the late break for 5-4, the first time Muguruza had lost her serve since the 1st Round. Serving for the set, the German looked like her '16 self, using expert defense and confident groundstrokes to win the battle, putting away an overhead winner to take the set at 6-4 on her second set point. In the 2nd, while Muguruza's winner total mounted, Kerber nonetheless played her game, and did it well. But a missed down-the-line forehand on BP in game #5 prevented the world #1 from grabbing the lead. After holding off the Spaniard in a late service game, Kerber was finally broken by her as Muguruza took the 2nd at 6-4 and leveled the match.

Kerber's forehand passing shot gave her a break lead in game #1 of the 3rd set. But while the two traded off breaks in the first half of the set, it was Muguruza's whose game rose to the top in the end. In game #7, with the score knotted at 3-3, Kerber put on a show on one particular point, somehow using her speed to get to a wide ball on her forehand side, returning a shot that ticked off the net cord. Muguruza flicked a backhand into the short court, but Kerber, racing back into range, was still able to change direction without breaking stride and reach the ball, nearly running into the changeover area after placing a forehand winner down the line. But, after staving off a BP chance, Muguruza held for 4-3. Against almost anyone else today, Kerber likely would have advanced. But not Muguruza (ask Serena about that... even she knows the feeling). Kerber saved two MP from 15/40 down in game #10, but a backhand into the net ended things on MP #3.

In all, (now former #1) Kerber's very good W/UE totals of 27/12 were still eclipsed by Muguruza's eye-popping 55/50, further bolstered by a 35-of-54 success rate at the net. Conchita Martinez, Muguruza's coach in London for this event with Sam Sumyk away, has seen this sort of thing before at the All-England Club. She did it herself, firing winners from all over while becoming a passing shot fiend on her way to defeating Martina Navratilova in the 1994 Wimbledon final. Mugu seems to be ready, willing and able to follow in her footsteps at the slam. Hmmm, might another 37-year old ultimately be in the path of *this* Spaniard, as well?

Cuartos! ?? Quarters! ?? @wimbledon

A post shared by Garbiñe Muguruza (@garbimuguruza) on Jul 10, 2017 at 10:30am PDT

The final four women's matches of the day didn't hold quite as much on-court drama as some of the first batch, and ultimately served as something of an appetizer to the dramatic Gilles Simon upset of Rafael Nadal that ended the day. But they surely *did* give us a good view of four players who very could be lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish on Saturday.

#10 Venus Williams def. #27 Ana Konjuh 6-3/6-2
Today we got Classic Venus, as the 37-year old, five-time SW19 champ surged into her thirteenth Wimbledon QF with a straight sets, 1:04 win over the last teenager remaining in the draw. 19-year old Konjuh was born six months after Venus made her Wimbledon debut in 1997, but the Croat is only two months younger than another of Williams' victims at this tournament (19-year old Naomi Osaka). Naturally, Venus will now get the youngest player *still* remaining in the draw, 20-year old Ostapenko. Venus held on 85% of her first serve points (28/33) today, while winning 53% of Konjuh's second serve points (11/19). She'll surely attempt to attack Ostapenko's still-a-work-in-progress second serve in the QF, as well, but she'll also be facing a player who can match her in firepower and can hit winners from anywhere on the court in a match-up of the two players with the most slam match wins (13) in 2017. Even in a group of good quarterfinals, that one is probably the most fascinating of the lot.

Venus Williams celebrates becoming the oldest women to reach the #Wimbledon quarter-finals since Martina Navratilova in 1994.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/qOVQwJ0CU0

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

#24 CoCo Vandeweghe def. #5 Caroline Wozniacki 7-6(4)/6-4
The more matches she plays, the more Vandeweghe's game seems to be picking up certain aspects of new coach Pat Cash's game. She already had a lot of the attitude. On his way to the Wimbledon title in 1987, the Aussie was the very picture of a brilliant net rusher, pulling off some of the most perfectly physical/graceful serve-and-volley points you'll ever likely to see. Vandeweghe's forays into the net are becoming more and more frequent these days, too. Against Wozniacki today, she was 21-of-31 on net approaches (she's 65-of-89 for the tournament), and fired thirty-seven winners (117) on the day to close out the Dane in straight sets to reach her second SW19 QF in three years. Wozniacki stayed with the AO semifinalist fairly well, coming back from a break down in the 1st, and saving a late BP, to force a TB. But Vandeweghe's power and aggression ultimately prevailed. In the 2nd, the Dane saved two BP in game #8 (CoCo missed big on two returns) to hold for 4-4, but two games later a big Vandeweghe return forced a Wozniacki error to give her double MP. A backhand error ended this match, but sends Wozniacki into the hard court summer in prime position to challenge for a Top 3 ranking, and maybe even what could be her best shot at getting that elusive slam title in New York.

It's a fourth straight-sets win in a row for @CoCoVandey, who beats Caroline Wozniacki 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/H5uLoqYrk6

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

#6 Johanna Konta def. #21 Caroline Garcia 7-6(3)/4-6/6-4
In this "new" version of the WTA, Britain actually has a legitimate slam title hope. While Konta may be a better hard court player than grass, as she often looks to be in contention for the "best on tour" honor on her most favored surface, she's put in more work on the lawns than anyone (well, other than Rybarikova) this past month, and has the bumps, bruises, sore back and aching head to prove it. Playing in her fifth straight week of tour-level competition this grass season, Konta today squeezed past a game Garcia, who'd been seeking her second straight slam QF after a final eight run in Paris last month. Konta seemed to have a commanding 1st set lead at 5-3, but was broken when serving for the set and forced into a TB. She jumped out to a 4-1 lead there, and won 7-3, only to see the Pastry get an early break in the 2nd, extend it to a two-break advantage, and then hold on for a 6-4 win.

In the 3rd, the first nine games saw nine straight holds of serve, with Konta's hopes of becoming the first British woman to reach the SW19 final eight since 1984 (Jo Durie) hanging in the balance. But she proved to be more Andy Murray/Virginia Wade, than Tim Henman, coming through late in the set after Garcia fired her twelfth ace of the day and moved within two points of holding for 5-5 at 30/30. But Garcia would choose the worst time for back-to-back misfires. A big Konta return up the middle forced an error from the French woman and suddenly found herself at MP. She ultimately didn't have to find a winner to close things out, as Garcia failed to follow up a perfectly placed wide serve that had set her up for an easy forehand into the open court. But Garcia netted the shot, and the dream of a "British Double" breathes life for another day.

Konta's dream run continues...#Wimbledon #ManicMonday pic.twitter.com/nV6lfTJlMx

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

#2 Simona Halep def. Victoria Azarenka 7-6(3)/6-2
So, let's try this again. Halep played for her first slam title and the #1 ranking last month at Roland Garros, but failed to close out a set and 3-0 lead against Ostapenko in the final. But things have turned in her favor yet again. While she's got some work to do to win this Wimbledon's Ladies title, she's now one win away from becoming the first Romanian woman to be ranked #1 thanks to Kerber's exit at the hands of Muguruza on Monday.

In a match-up of the Heart of Backspin vs. the Face of Backspin, it was clear that Vika Azarenka isn't *quite* back just yet, but that when she is she's going to be a bear to handle, maybe even by the end of this summer. The Belarusian was the one who jumped out to the lead here, grabbing a 2-0 edge and, after Halep got things back to even, breaking again for 4-2. But the more she played today, the more and more errors she committed. Playing in just the sixth match of her post-baby comeback, but her fourth in the last week, Vika's match readiness is still a work in progress. Halep took a 5-2 lead in the TB, then ripped a backhand crosscourt winner that Azarenka could barely get a racket on, reaching SP. An Azarenka error ended the 7-3 TB two points later, and she never really got back into the match. Halep took advantage of Vika's errors to take a two-break lead in the 3rd, going up 5-0. Again, though, she failed to serve things out in her attempt to do so at 5-1, and Azarenka even threatened to close to within in 5-3 to make things interesting. But Halep secured the break to close out the 3rd set at 6-2, returning to the Wimbledon QF for a second straight year, and third time in four. Azarenka held a slight edge in winners (20-18) for the day, but was done in by 30 UE's (to Halep's tidy 11) in the 21-game match.

Simona Halep beats Victoria Azarenka 7-6(3), 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals and move within one win of the world No.1 ranking#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/6PptuKsqbD

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

A win from Halep over Konta to reach the semifinals will make her the 23rd women's singles #1 in tour history, while a loss will hand the honor to Karolina Pliskova. Will the Czech, from afar, be able to say "maybe next time" to an opponent seeking the top ranking for the second time in less than a year? We'll see. But, unlike with Kerber last summer in Cincinnati, Pliskova won't have anything to do with this one. Konta will, though, and if Halep can avoid the Cliffs of Simona, she will, too.

First things first, Simona.

...in women's doubles, Martina Hingis raied her post-Santina head-to-head WD mark vs. Sania Mirza to 3-2 (3-1 in '17) today, as she and Chan Yung-Jan defeated Mirza & Kirsten Flipkens 6-2/6-4 to reach the QF. The #3 seeds have won ten consecutive grass matches, and have a 33-4 overall season record as a duo, including a 22-1 run since losing in the Miami SF to Mirza/Strycova.

Apparently, there was some tension between Hingis and Mirza during the match, but I haven't seen any video. And often people confuse competitiveness with interpersonal tension, you know? Especially in women's tennis (and specifically in doubles, though history tells us that a great deal often *does* come into play there at times).

Also advancing on Day 7 were #2 Makarova/Vesnina, #8 Barty/Dellacqua, #9 H.Chan/Niculescu, #12 Groenefeld/Peschke, and unseeded Ninomiya/Voracova, Bellis/Vondrousova and (yes, they're actually unseeded) Kuznetsova/Mladenovic, who defeated #4 Babos/Hlavackova.

...in the juniors, just one seeded girl was defeated, as #13 Wang Xiyu (CHN) fell to Bannerette Caty McNally. Meanwhile, #16 Liang En-shuo (TPE) took out qualifier Hurricane Tyra Black (USA), Elysia Bolton (USA) advanced past Brit Jodi Anna Burrage, and Ukrainian #5 seed Marta Kostyuk (AO Jr. champ) upended Roehampton runner-up Kaja Juvan (SLO) in a crazy-difficult 1st Round match, though Kostyuk did win 5 & 3. She'll next faced pocket-sized Pole Maja Chwalinska.

#Wimbledon #TeamUkraine @marta_kostyuk advances to the 2nd Round of Juniors turnament pic.twitter.com/XZrLtdN6Nu

— UKR Tennis Portal (@Sapronov_tennis) July 10, 2017

WHATEVER... ON DAY 7: What a difference a year (or almost) makes.

Remember Day 2 of last year's U.S. Open, when I noted here how, on ESPN, Chris Evert on multiple occasions maintained that Caroline Garcia "hasn't had a very good year?"

As I noted then, the Pastry was actually right in the middle of what already was and would continue to be a "career year," as by Flushing Meadows she's already won two titles (she'd had one previously) on two different surfaces, and claimed the Roland Garros doubles title (and two others), had nearly achieved her career-high ranking (and weeks later *would* do so), in singles as well as in doubles, while also carrying the French team to the Fed Cup final.

Well, today, both Evert (as well as Jason Goodall, probably the best -- and surely least compromised -- announcer in the ESPN tennis booth) were all over how well Garcia has played this year, noting how "great" her season has been. Which is fine, but since she wasn't really given credit for her efforts last summer, I found it odd that she *was* today, as she '17 season has only recently started to pick up steam over the past month. So, I wondered, did the numbers show that her 2017 season is *really* going so much better than '16? Let's have a look...

* - season edge

2016 ("not very good?")	2017 ("great?")
Started 7-6 (and 9-7)*	Started 7-7
AO 1st Rd.	AO 3rd Rd. (tied GS/AO best)*
Monterrey singles SF	Monterrey singles SF
Won Strasbourg & Mallorca singles*	Zero WS titles Strasbourg SF/Mallorca SF
To Fed Cup Final*	DNP Fed Cup (team discord)
RG Doubles title (+3 overall titles)*	Focus on Singles (only 3 WD draws; AO SF)
5-4 pre-RG clay W/L, reached RG 2nd (tied career RG best at time)*	4-3 pre-RG clay W/L (out month after Miami w/ back) Reached RG QF (new career best slam)*
5-0 pre-WI grass W/L (10-1 overall)* Reached WI 2nd Rd.	3-1 pre-WI grass W/L (10-3 overall) Reached WI 4th (best WI)*
1 Top 20 win, 0 Top 10 (pre-US) [would get 3 more Top 20, 1 Top 10]	1 Top 20 win, 0 Top 10 (pre-WI)
2-5 HC W/L into US Open Reached US Open 3rd Rd. (tied best GS at time)*	TBD
Ranked #27 at US Open (CH #23 in October)	Ranked #22 at Wimbledon (new CH post-WI around #20)

In almost every category, Garcia's 2016 was better, both up to Wimbledon as well as the U.S. Open, excluding her slam singles results. Yes, she's had the two best slam results of her career so far (RG QF/Wimb 4th) this season, but her 1st-2nd-2nd-3rd runs at the '16 majors were actually the best combined results she'd had in her career up until then, as well, as she'd matched her best RG effort and would tie her best U.S. Open (and slam) result with a 3rd Round at Flushing Meadows, which was still her best until a little over a month ago in Paris. So, in the moment, it was actually an improvement over her past results, and likely provided some of the foundation for even better finishes in '17, as did her doubles and Fed Cup success.

So, it's nice that Garcia's efforts are at least being recognized now, even if it is almost a year late, and not really across the board. At least no one's saying, "Who's she? We don't know her." So maybe Kiki's mouth has actually helped her, in a small way, get some overdue recognition as people have paid a little more attention.

HOW OFTEN CAN THIS BE SAID OF KUZNETSOVA AT A SLAM? ON DAY 7: Not Svery often.

Our 1st quarter-finalist...@SvetlanaK27 is into the last eight at #Wimbledon for the 1st time in a decade, beating Agnieszka Radwanska pic.twitter.com/76TRQ3rcxS

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

LIKE ON DAY 7: And, still, she persists (she just doesn't know she's "not supposed to")...

Into her first #Wimbledon quarter-final...

On her 8th match point, #RG17 champion Jelena Ostapenko beats No.4 seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6 pic.twitter.com/z577KbOFvX

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE ON DAY 7:

@linabeagle not impressed by my singing ?? Dad said I was just screaming and not singing ??

A post shared by Daria Gavrilova (@daria_gav) on Jul 10, 2017 at 2:00am PDT

SOON... ON DAY 7:

Graceful ??????

A post shared by Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova) on Jul 9, 2017 at 3:12pm PDT

LIKE ON DAY 7: Team Bucie getting to dance, anyway. Screw fate!

Since I couldn't be on court doing a new #TeamBucie dance routine with my partner @lucie.safarova @shauntfitness came up with this little "Hand"ography routine ?? I feel really fortunate that I have an amazing partner and friends that can help make me smile when I'm feeling down. ???? #DestinysChild #Inspired #Lucky #TrustAndBelieve #BananasYo #GoodKarma @espn @tennischannel @wimbledon @usta

A post shared by BeTHaniE MATTeK-SaNDS (@matteksands) on Jul 10, 2017 at 9:37am PDT

...and, finally...this guy.

Remember last year's 'Strawberry Man'?

He's back, and this time he's got a new, iconic costume...#Wimbledon #ManicMonday pic.twitter.com/2geMOvWd3o

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2017

And this challenge (down to three):

Cibulkova
Garcia
Halep
Kerber
Keys
Konjuh
Pavlyuchenkova
Ka.Pliskova
Sevastova
Vandeweghe
Vesnina
V.Williams
Wozniacki



=LADIES' SINGLES QF=
#14 Garbine Muguruza/ESP vs. #7 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK vs. #24 CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
#10 Venus Williams/USA vs. #13 Jelena Ostapenko/LAT
#6 Johanna Konta/GBR vs. #2 Simona Halep/ROU

=LADIES' DOUBLES QF=
Bellis/Vondrousova (USA/CZE) vs. #9 H.Chan/Niculescu (TPE/ROU)
Kuznetsova/Mladenovic (RUS/FRA) vs. Ninomiya/Voracova (JPN/CZE)
#12 Groenefeld/Peschke (GER/CZE) vs. #3 Y.Chan/Hingis (TPE/SUI)
#8 Barty/Dellacqua (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Hingis/J.Murray (SUI/GBR) vs. #16 Hradecka/Jebavy (CZE/CZE)
#12 Makarova/Mirnyi (RUS/BLR) vs. (WC) Rae/Skupski (GBR/GBR)
Lisicki/Peers (GER/AUS) vs. Martinez-Sanchez/Demoliner (ESP/BRA)
#9 Spears/Cabal (USA/COL) vs. L.Kichenok/Pavic (UKR/CRO)
Konjuh/Mektic (CRO/CRO) vs. #10 Dabrowski/Bopanna (CAN/IND)
Watson/Kontinen (GBR/FIN) vs. #4 Mirza/Dodig (IND/CRO)
Melichar/Begemann (USA/GER) vs. #11 Klepac/Nestor (SLO/CAN)
#15 Krejcikova/Venus (CZE/NZL) vs. #2 Vesnina/Soares (RUS/BRA)




*2017 WIMBLEDON FINAL 8*
[by career slam QF]
38...Venus Williams, USA
16...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
9...Simona Halep, ROU
6...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
3...Johanna Konta, GBR
3...CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
2...Jelena Ostapenko, LAT
1...Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
[by career WI QF]
13...Venus Williams, USA
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
3...Simona Halep, ROU
2...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2...CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
1...Johanna Konta, GBR
1...Jelena Ostapenko, LAT
1...Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
[w/ consecutive slam QF]
2 - Simona Halep
2 - Jelena Ostapenko
[w/ consecutive WI QF]
2 - Simona Halep
2 - Venus Williams
[2017 slam QF - unseeded]
AO - Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
AO - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
RG - Jelena Ostapenko, LAT
WI - Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
[2017 1st-time GS QF]
AO - none
RG - Caroline Garcia, FRA
RG - Jelena Ostapenko, LAT
WI - Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
[2017 slam QF]
2 - Simona Halep, ROU (1-0)*
2 - Jelena Ostapenko, LAT (1-0)*
2 - CoCo Vandeweghe, USA (1-0)*
2 - Venus Williams, USA (1-0)*
2 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (1-1)
2 - Johanna Konta, GBR (0-1)*
2 - Garbine Muguruza, ESP (0-1)*
[2017 slam QF - by nation]
5...USA (3/0/2) - VANDEWEGHE(2),S.Williams,V.WILLIAMS(2)
2...CZE (1/1/x) - Ka.Pliskova(2)
2...ESP (1/0/1) - MUGURUZA(2)
2...FRA (0/2/x) - Garcia,Mladenovic
2...GBR (1/0/1) - KONTA(2)
2...LAT (0/1/1) - OSTAPENKO(2)
2...ROU (0/1/1) - HALEP(2)
2...RUS (1/0/1) - KUZNETSOVA,Pavlyuchenkova
1...CRO (1/0/x) - Lucic-Baroni
1...DEN (0/1/x) - Wozniacki
1...SUI (0/1/x) - Bacsinszky
1...SVK (0/0/1) - RYBARIKOVA
1...UKR (0/1/x) - Svitolina
[WTA career slam QF - active]
47...Serena Williams, USA
38...VENUS WILLIAMS, USA
24...Maria Sharapova, RUS
16...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
16...SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA, RUS
12...Aga Radwanska, POL
9...SIMONA HALEP, ROU
9...Petra Kvitova, CZE
9...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
8...Jelena Jankovic, SRB
7...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Angelique Kerber, GER
7...Francesca Schiavone, ITA
7...Patty Schnyder, SUI
7...Samantha Stosur, AUS
[WTA slam QF in 2010's]
19...Serena Williams, USA
14...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
11...Maria Sharapova, RUS
9...SIMONA HALEP, ROU
9...Petra Kvitova, CZE
9...Aga Radwanska, POL
8...Li Na, CHN (retired)
8...VENUS WILLIAMS, USA
8...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
7...Sara Errani, ITA
7...Angelique Kerber, GER
6...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK
6...Ekaterina Makarova, RUS
6...GARBINE MUGURUZA, ESP
6...Samantha Stosur, AUS

*LOW-RANKED WIMBLEDON QF*
#134 - Mirjana Lucic, 1999 (SF)
#133 - Zheng Jie, 2008 (SF)
#129 - Jelena Dokic, 1999
#129 - Severine Beltrame, 2006
#99 - Gigi Fernandez, 1994 (SF)
#96 - Yaroslava Shvedova, 2016
--
LOW-RANKED 2017: #87 - MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in SLAM QF SINCE 32-SEED DRAW*
[began w/ 2001 Wimbledon]
01 US - Bedanova
02 AO - Ad.Serra-Zanetti
02 RG - Pierce,C.Fernandez,Suarez
02 WI - Likhovtseva
02 US - Bovina
03 AO - Shaughnessy,Ruano-Pascual
03 RG - Pierce
04 WI - Sprem
04 US - Asagoe
05 RG - Karatantcheva
06 AO - Hingis(wc)
06 WI - Bremond(q)
07 AO - S.Williams(WON),Safarova
07 US - Szavay
08 RG - Kanepi,Suarez-Navarro(q)
08 WI - Zheng(wc),Tanasugarn
09 AO - Dokic(wc),Suarez-Navarro
09 RG - Sharapova,Cirstea
09 WI - Lisicki,Schiavone
09 US - Wickmayer,K.Bondarenko,Oudin,Clijsters(wc=WON)
10 AO - J.Zheng,Kirilenko,Henin(wc=RU)
10 RG - Shvedova
10 WI - Kvitova,Kanepi(q),Pironkova
10 US - Cibulkova
11 WI - Lisicki(wc),Paszek
11 US - Kerber
12 AO - Makarova,Errani
12 RG - Shvedova(q)
12 WI - Paszek
13 AO - Kuznetsova
13 RG - Kuznetsova
13 WI - Kanepi
13 US - Hantuchova,Pennetta
14 RG - Muguruza
14 WI - Zahlavova-Strycova
14 US - Bencic,Peng
15 AO - Keys
15 RG - Van Uytvanck
15 WI - Vandeweghe
15 US - Mladenovic,Vinci(RU)
16 AO - Konta,Sh.Zhang(q)
16 RG - Bertens,Pironkova,Putintseva,Rogers
16 WI - Shvedova,Vesnina
16 US - Konjuh,Sevastova,Wozniacki
17 AO - Lucic-Baroni,Vandeweghe
17 RG - Ostapenko(WON)
17 WI - Rybarikova

*ACTIVE PLAYERS WITH EXACTLY ONE SLAM QF IN CAREER*
Belinda Bencic, SUI
Kiki Bertens, NED
Sorana Cirstea, ROU
Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
Caroline Garcia, FRA
Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER
Ana Konjuh, CRO
Michaella Krajicek, NED
Melanie Oudin, USA
Peng Shuai, CHN
Yulia Putintseva, KAZ
Shelby Rogers, USA
Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK (WI 17)
Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
Alexandra Stevenson, USA
Barbora Strycova, CZE
Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL
Elena Vesnina, RUS
Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
Zhang Shuai, CHN

*WIMBLEDON "Ms. OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2005 Venus Williams, USA
2006 Severine Bremond, FRA
2007 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2008 Zheng Jie, CHN
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2010 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Aga Radwanska, POL
2013 Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
2014 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2015 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2016 Elena Vesnina, RUS
2017 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK

*RECENT BEST U.S. WOMEN'S SLAM RESULTS*
=2011=
AO: Venus Williams (3rd)
RG: Vania King & Bethanie Mattek-Sands (3rd)
WI: Serena Williams (4th)
US: Serena Williams (RU)
=2012=
AO: Serena Williams (4th)
RG: Sloane Stephens (4th) & Varvara Lepchenko (4th)
WI: Serena Williams (W)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2013=
AO: Sloane Stephens (SF)
RG: Serena Williams (W)
WI: Sloane Stephens (QF)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2014=
AO: Sloane Stephens & Serena Williams (4th)
RG: Sloane Stephens (4th)
WI: Davis, Keys, Riske, S.Williams, V.Williams (3rd)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2015=
AO: Serena Williams (W)
RG: Serena Williams (W)
WI: Serena Williams (W)
US: Serena Williams (SF)
=2016=
AO: Serena Williams (RU)
RG: Serena Williams (RU)
WI: Serena Williams (W)
US: Serena Williams (SF)
=2017=
AO: Serena Williams (W)
RG: Venus Williams (4th)
WI: [ V.Williams & Vandeweghe in QF]

There will be a new WORLD NO.1 after #Wimbledon!@KaPliskova or @Simona_Halep pic.twitter.com/sWwnPnMQeJ

— WTA (@WTA) July 10, 2017

*WTA SINGLES #1's - by year first reached top spot*
1975 Chris Evert, USA
1976 Evonne Goolagong, AUS
1978 Martina Navratilova, USA
1980 Tracy Austin, USA
1987 Steffi Graf, FRG/GER
1991 Monica Seles, YUG
1995 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
1998 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
2002 Venus Williams, USA
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2003 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2003 Justine Henin, BEL
2004 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2005 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 [Halep or Ka.Pliskova]

*WIMBLEDON WHEELCHAIR WINNERS*
[singles]
2016 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2017 ?
[doubles]
2009 Korie Homan/Esther Vergeer (NED/NED)
2010 Esther Vergeed/Sharon Walraven (NED/NED)
2011 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven (NED/NED)
2012 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot (NED/NED)
2013 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot (NED/NED)
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2015 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2016 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2017 ?



TOP QUALIFIER: Petra Martic/CRO
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #6 Johanna Konta/GBR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Petra Martic/CRO def. #1q Aleksandra Krunic/SRB 3-6/7-6(4)/7-5 (saved 6 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #6 Johanna Konta/GBR def. Donna Vekic/CRO 7-6(4)/4-6/10-8 (3:10; nearly 100 total winners)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Wang Qiang/CHN (def. K.Chang/TPE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #31 Roberta Vinci/ITA (1st Rd. - lost to Kr.Pliskova/CZE)
UPSET QUEENS: USA
REVELATION LADIES: GBR (two women -- Konta & Watson -- in 3rd Rd. for first time since '86; WC Boulter played well vs. McHale)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: CZE (0-6 2nd Rd., including"co-favorites" Kvitova & Ka.Pliskova w/ two other seeds; first time no Czechs in Wimb. 3r since '09, second time since '04)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Petra Martic/CRO (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING: Heather Watson/GBR and Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Johanna Konta (in QF)
IT ("??"): Nominee: Kuznetsova ("Original Hordette"), V.Williams ("Thirtysomething"), Halep ("New #1?"), Ostapenko ("Fearless Girl"), Vandeweghe ("Pat Cash Pupil")
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
COMEBACK: Victoria Azarenka/BLR
CRASH & BURN: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS (1st Rd. loss to Ar.Rodionova after having 7 MP, one year after Wimb. QF and "Career QF Slam" completed at this year's AO; won two titles '17)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Ar.Rodionova (1st Rd. - saved 7 MP vs. Pavlyuchenkova; won 9-7 3rd for first career GS MD win; lost 2nd Rd.); Barty/Dellacqua (2nd Rd. - saved MP vs. Chuang/Doi, won 10-8 3rd)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: V.Williams, Kuznetsova
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: Eastbourne DC Dominika Cibulkova loses opening match to WC Heather Watson; 4 LL's win MD matches (one LL vs. LL match-up); LL Tsvetana Pironkova advances to 2nd Rd. w/ 1st Rd. bye when Petra Kvitova withdraws, gets 2nd Rd. win
Day 3 observed: On "Flying Ant Day," newly-emerged insects swarm the AELTC grounds. Meanwhile, six women's seed fall, including two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
"Alternate" Rad Day (Day 4): In muggy conditions, four women's seeds (and four men's) fall, including "favorite" #3 Karolina Pliskova, as no Czech woman reach the 3rd Round for the first time in eight years. Bethanie Mattek-Sands suffers a devastating knee injury. Aga Radwanska saves two MP vs. Christina McHale to advance.




All for Day 7. More tomorrow.