Taking Leave of the Grass: 2021 Grass Court Awards

The grass is always greener on the other side of the iron gate.

=DAY 13 NOTES= ...while there was much good feeling about the wheelchair women's singles final being played on a show court (Court 1) for the first time on Sunday, the impact of the moment was nonetheless lessened since it took place while the men's final was playing out on Centre.

At any rate, the match proved to be yet another showcase for #1 Diede de Groot, who made up for being unable to win the doubles crown (w/ a SF loss) by grabbing her third Wimbledon singles title, her eleventh slam win, with a 6-2/6-2 victory over KG Montjane. Montjane, who'd made history by becoming the first Black woman from South Africa to reach a slam singles championship (she also reached the doubles final, as she and Lucy Shuker had upset #1 de Groot/Van Koot), grabbed the early 2-0 lead but then the Dutch (already) great (at just 24) dominated the rest of the way. After winning seven of the eight slam titles in '19, de Groot will again come just-this-close to a full sweep in '21 by taking five of six.

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The win means de Groot is the reigning singles champ at all four majors for the second time, having already been the first (and only) to accomplish the feat when she won her fourth straight major at Roland Garros two years ago. With no U.S. Open WC event this year, de Groot can now become the first to simultaneously hold all four slam crowns *and* be the reigning Paralympic singles Gold medalist. A win in Tokyo would be as close to the "traditional" Golden Slam as a wheelchair player can get since all four majors are never held in a Paralympic year.

The WC also have a Masters event to close out the season, and the best single-season singles performance across the big-event board *ever* seen to date came in 2008, when Esther Vergeer took the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Paralympics and Masters crowns (in the days before Wimbledon held a singles competition).

After the match, de Groot sent a celebratory ball into the stands -- possibly directed at a loud cheering section that had been pulling for her all match, including one guy who had "DIEDE!" written in magic marker across his forehead -- but ended up hitting a woman sitting one row in front of the group. She was fine, but it was mighty embarrassing for Diede, who proved she's not "great" at *everything*.

In the video below, you can see the woman who was hit. She's the one with the red shirt and white jacket who's looking at her phone, and the guy with the forehead ink is the one in the middle in the row behind her. The video cuts off literally a few seconds before the ball went flying, though we never actually saw her hit it, or the woman get hit... just de Groot's sheepish expression, the woman assuring her she was okay, and the row behind her making a new friend.

2017: ??
2018: ??
2019: ??
2021: ??@DiedetheGreat is the ladies’ wheelchair singles champion for the third time after beating Kgothatso Montjane#WImbledon pic.twitter.com/HaZPpu3BXR

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2021

...in the mixed doubles final, Desirae Krawczyk picked up her second straight slam title, teaming with Neal Skupski to defeat Brits Harriet Dart & Joe Salisbury (w/ whom she won the RG crown last month) 6-2/7-6(1).

Krawczyk is now one of several recent woman to win back-to-back MX majors, joining the likes of Martina Hingis (2015 WI/US and 2017 WI/US), Latisha Chan (2019 RG/WI) and Barbora Krejcikova (sort of, with 2020/21 AO after only one MX event was held last season).

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...in the girls singles final, Ane Mintegi del Olmo -- with her retro cap, glasses and flying, shoulder-length hair that is about as "signature" a look as any we've seen in the sport since Nadal's sleeveless shirts and Capri pants -- became the first Spaniard to claim the Wimbledon junior crown, dropping the 1st set to German Nastasja Schunk but gradually seizing control of the match en route to a 2-6/6-4/6-1 victory. In the stands was Mintegi del Olmo's excited best friend Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, the girls #1 seed who lost to Schunk in the semis, who was recording everything on her phone.

The first Spaniard to win the girls’ singles title ????

Ane Mintegi Del Olmo is our 2021 champion after coming from behind to beat Nastasja Mariana Schunk #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/RtFjr908bA

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2021

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In the girls doubles, the top-seeded duo of Kristina Dmitruk (BLR) & Diana Shnaider (RUS), the latter of whom doesn't seem to be playing with that polka-dot bandanna (or any bandanna) any longer (though it probably wouldn't be allowed at SW19, anyway), claimed the title with a win over Sofia Costoulas & Laura Hietaranta (BEL/FIN), 6-1/6-2.

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The girls doubles pairs almost looked like two sets of twins when they posed as a group with their trophies.

...in Hamburg, Romanian qualifier Gabriela Ruse, who a few years ago (in 2018) qualified at Wimbledon and put a 1st Round scare into Aga Radwanska (who won a 7-5 3rd), and then qualified again in '19 (she fell in the opening Q-round this year), became the eleventh first-time tour singles champion in 2021 with a 7-6(6)/6-4 victory over Andrea Petkovic, who was looking to win her first tour title in six and a half years.

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Jasmine Paolini picked up her first career tour WD title alongside Jil Teichmann, also a maiden title winner, with 6-0/6-4 win over Astra Sharma & Rosalie van der Hoek.

Champions in Hamburg ??

???? @jilteichmann and ???? Jasmine Paolini collect the doubles championship!#HamburgOpen | @hamburgopen pic.twitter.com/23WZY8YQ1l

— wta (@WTA) July 11, 2021

Meanwhile, in this (too) busy time of the season, three *more* events are in the midst of qualifying (or have already completed it) for the events held in the coming week, including one in Prague which features Czechs filling the top five seeded positions.

The Olympic tennis event in Tokyo begins on July 24.

...in Contrexville, France, Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina claimed the $100K challenger title with a 6-2/6-2 win over Dalma Galfi, picking up her fourth ITF circuit crown of the year. It's her biggest win, and she'll break into the Top 100 in the new rankings.

The Netherlands' Quirine Lemoine swept the singles and doubles crowns for a second time in three weeks (this week in a $25K), extending her singles winning streak to three events and 14 matches.

Pastry Diane Parry picked up her second career title at the $25K Turin challenger, while Bannerette Elli Mandlik followed up her maiden pro title a week ago in Monastir, Turkey with a second straight this week.

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And University of Texas freshman star Lulu Sun (SUI), who helped lead the Longhorns to the NCAA title in May, picked up her fourth career win in a $25K in Lisbon.

LULU SUN ?? SINGLES CHAMPION@ITFTennis 25k in Lisbon, Portugal.

Lulu wins her first 25k singles ?? & fourth career ITF singles title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over @WTA #235 Ellen Perez in Sunday's final !! #HookEm ?? pic.twitter.com/d0m1WWW6Wi

— Texas Women's Tennis (@TexasWTN) July 11, 2021

Meanwhile, in a $15K in Prokuplje, Serbia, a 17-year old Canadian named Bianca Jolie Fernandez reached the QF. If her name sounds familiar (well, it does for multiple Canadian tennis reasons, I suppose), it should. She's Leylah's sister.




*LADIES' SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Ash Barty/AUS def. #8 Karolina Pliskova/CZE 6-3/6-7(4)/6-3

*LADIES' DOUBLES FINAL*
#3 Hsieh/Mertens (TPE/BEL) def. (PR) V.Kudermetova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 3-6/7-6/9-7

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#7 Krawczyk/N.Skupski (USA/GBR) def. Dart/Salisbury (GBR/GBR) 6-2/7-6(1)

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. KG Montjane/RSA 6-2/6-2

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Kamiji/Whiley (JPN/GBR) def. Montjane/Shuker (RSA/GBR) 6-0/7-6(0)

*GIRLS SINGLES FINAL*
Ane Mintegi del Olmo/ESP def. Nastasja Schunk/GER 2-6/6-4/6-1

*GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Dmitruk/Shnaider (BLR/RUS) def. Costoulas/Hietaranta (BEL/FIN) 6-1/6-2






...13 SUMMER PREDICTIONS... ON DAY 13:

1. Karolina Pliskova wins a summer hard court title
2. At least one U.S. woman reaches the semis at Flushing Meadows, after none reached the QF at Wimbledon (Gauff and Keys made the 4th Rd.), marking the first time since the 2017 RG (and just the second time since the '14 WI) that no Bannerettes reached the final eight at a major
3. At least one player ranked outside the Top 50 reaches the Olympics semis and plays for a medal
4. Ash Barty reaches at least two hard court finals
5. Naomi Osaka does not win a medal in singles in Tokyo, nor a third straight hard court slam in New York (but she reaches at least the QF in both)
6. By the end of the summer, Coco Gauff will have won her biggest career singles title
7. Iga Swiatek wins at least one WTA Shot of the Month award
8. Bianca Andreescu does not win her first title since the '19 U.S. Open
9. Katerina Siniakova wins a singles title
10. Venus Williams lasts longer in the U.S. Open draw than Serena
11. Ons Jabeur picks up WTA win #2
12. Diede de Groot wins her first two Paralympic Golds
13. Simona Halep matches her best U.S. Open result (2015 SF)



...HOME IS WHERE THE BARTYS WERE... ON DAY 13:

A peek ?? inside the @ashbarty living room, during their daughter's historic win ??

??: @australian /Barty Familypic.twitter.com/Z8td7mbHR2

— wta (@WTA) July 11, 2021

...DJOKOVIC'S LITTLE ACCOMPLICE... ON DAY 13:

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...LIKE LOOKING AT A SQUARE OF SHEET CAKE... ON DAY 13:

8mm ?? ?? #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/dgzcrxk08y

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2021

...A POST-MAJOR TRADITION... ON DAY 13:

"The harder they fall" "Goal accomplished" "May I have another, please?" "You need a shot of vitamin V" "The mirror doesn't lie" "London's finest drama" "Four decades was long enough" My Wimbledon top 10 https://t.co/hdGRKAXN1y

— Diane Elayne Dees (@WomenWhoServe) July 11, 2021

...STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW SO MANY OF THE ESPNers PICKED "the field" OVER DJOKOVIC... ON DAY 13:

I mean, aside from most times Nadal plays in Paris, wasn't this pretty much the lock of all locks? Who was going to beat him? As long as he didn't hit a linesperson in the throat with a ball...

It's update and awards time...

1. Ash Barty, AUS - holding off all challengers in the WTA's "Queen of the Mountain" competition, she leads in titles (4), finals (5), wins (35) and win pct. (.854), and her Wimbledon title makes her an Aussie tennis legend

2. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE - the Czech has won slam titles in all three disciplines (RG WS, RS WD and AO MX), claimed her maiden tour title, cracked the singles Top 20... and still seems like she's improving every time out

3. Diede de Groot, NED (WC) - after a mediocre 2020, Diede's drive and greatness have returned. She's swept all three slam wheelchair singles competitions, and won two doubles majors, too.

4. Naomi Osaka, JPN - Osaka has won just one title (but it was a big one in Melbourne), has zero Top 10 wins, has played just 17 matches (4 since late March), and if Muguruza converts a MP in the AO 4th Rd. she wouldn't catch a whiff of *any* Player of the Year list. Yet, while making more headlines off the court than on it, Osaka was still the biggest topic of conversation this spring/summer.

5. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR - won titles on two surfaces and finally had her slam breakout moment with a SF in London. Oh, and she won a slam WD title, too.

6. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE - won RG and Madrid, and reached four total finals (including the AO), going 3-1

7. Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, JPN/JPN - set to be a factor in Tokyo, the duo lead the tour with a 4-0 mark in finals, winning Miami and Eastbourne, while reaching the SW19 semis

8. Iga Swiatek, POL - the only player to reach at least the Round of 16 at all three '21 slams, Swiatek picked up a 1000 title in Rome and returned to Paris to reach the RG doubles final

9. Elise Mertens, BEL - won the AO & WI doubles with two different partners (and 3 overall titles w/ 3), and reached and returned to the #1 doubles ranking while also playing in two singles finals (1-1) and posting a pair of Top 5 wins

10. Paula Badosa, ESP - a factor on three surfaces, she's won her maiden title on red clay, reached a SF on hard court, recorded a #1 win on green clay, and played into the Wimbledon second week on grass. Badosa's Madrid SF was the first ever by a Spaniard, while her QF in Paris was a career slam best. And she did it all after an early-season COVID diagnosis in Australia.

11. Dasha Kasatkina, RUS - a quietly resurgent year has seen the Russian reach three finals (going 2-1), upset Swiatek and climb nearly back into the Top 30

12. Garbine Muguruza, ESP - injuries slowed her season after a sizzling start, but Mugu's three early finals (w/ a win in Dubai) and 2 MP held vs. Osaka at the AO show she'll be a contender if she's right physically

13. Coco Gauff, USA - swept the singles/doubles in Parma prior to her career-best slam QF at RG, while also reaching the Rome semis and posting two Top 5 wins (one by ret. over Barty). Gauff has climbed into the Top 25 some eight months before she'll turn 18 next March.

14. Ons Jabeur, TUN - finally picked up her maiden title to become the first Arab women to win a tour-level singles crown, then backed it up with a QF at Wimbledon (def. Venus, Garbi & Iga) and a shotmaking bravado that brings crowds to their feet

15. Desirae Krawczyk, USA - back-to-back MX majors in Paris and London, and WD titles in pre-slam events in Adelaide and Strasbourg, too

=TOP GRASSOURT PLAYERS=
1.Ash Barty, AUS
2.Angelique Kerber, GER
3.Karolina Pliskova, CZE
4.Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
5.Liudmila Samsonova, RUS
6.Ons Jabeur, TUN
7.Alona Ostapenko, LAT
8.Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens, TPE/BEL
9.Viktorija Golubic, SUI
10.Karolina Muchova, CZE
HM-Johanna Konta, GBR


RISERS: Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS, Elena Rybakina/KAZ and Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
SURPRISES: Krisitie Ahn/USA, Madison Brengle/USA and Lesley Kerkhove/NED
VETERANS: Alize Cornet/FRA, Sorana Cirstea/ROU and Zhang Shuai/CHN
COMEBACKS: Ana Konjuh/CRO, CoCo Vandeweghe/USA and Katie Boulter/GBR
FRESH FACES: Emma Raducanu/GBR, Coco Gauff/USA and Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
JUNIOR STARS: Ane Mintegni del Olmo/ESP, Linda Fruhvirtova/CZE and Nastasja Schunk/GER
DOUBLES: Desirae Krawczyk/USA, V.Kudermetova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) and Aoyama Shibahara (JPN/JPN)
ITF: Alison Van Uytvanck/BEL, Arina Rodionova/AUS and Niculescu/Ruse (ROU/ROU)
WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/NED, Kamiji/Whiley (JPN/GBR) and KG Montjane/RSA
DOWN: Serena Williams/USA, Petra Kvitova/CZE and Elina Svitolina/UKR
MOST IMPROVED: Katerina Siniakova/CZE, Tereza Martincova/CZE and Kaja Juvan/SLO
COACH: Sascha Bajin (Ka.Pliskova), Torben Beltz (Kerber) and Nigel Sears (Raducanu)
BJK ZONE PLAY: Charlotte Roemer/ECU, Ulrikke Eikeri/NOR and Justina Mikulskyte/LTU
ITF (non-grass): Anhelina Kalinina/UKR, Diane Parry/FRA and Despina Papamichail/GRE





#1 - ICONIC ASH ...Ash Barty beccomes the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon since Evonne Goolagong in 1980, defeating two former #1's (Kerber/Pliskova) and two slam winners (Kerber/Krejcikova) en route to her second career major

.@ashbarty and the Venus Rosewater Dish.

They do make quite the couple! pic.twitter.com/csB4n5rXWj

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) July 10, 2021

=============================================== #2 - THE GROUNDBREAKER ...Ons Jabeur once again breaks new ground, winning in Birmingham to become the first Tunisian, and first Arab woman, to be crowned a singles champion on the WTA tour

Ons Jabeur: History Maker

The Tunisian trailblazer is the 1st Arab woman to:

- Win a junior Slam (2011 RG)
- Make a Slam 3R (2017 RG)
- Make a Slam QF (2020 AO)
- Win a WTA singles title (2021 Birmingham)
- Rank inside the Top 70 - Currently highest-ranked ever at No.24. pic.twitter.com/gRvu05P9nr

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) June 20, 2021

=============================================== #3 - A RETURN TO ANGIE LAND ...Angelique Kerber turns back the clock, winning her first tour title in three years (when she won Wimbledon in '18) in Bad Homburg and the riding her momentum all the way to the SW19 semifinals

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=============================================== #4 - RUSSIAN ON THE RISE ...qualifier Liudmila Samsonova displays a unique set of grass court skills in Berlin, defeating a group of opponents that included a former #1 (Azarenka), slam finalists (Keys/Vondrousova), slam semifinalist (Bencic) and '21 title winner (V.Kudermetova) en route to her maiden title, then hits her way into the Wimbledon Round of 16 by defeating another former slam champ (Stephens)

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=============================================== #5 - LATVIAN THUNDER ROLLS ...a confident Alona Ostapenko rolls the competition in Eastbourne, taking down RG finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Birmingham champ Ons Jabeur, Birmingham finalist Dasha Kasatkina and RG quarterfinalist Elena Rybakina before defeating Anett Kontaveit in the final

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===============================================



=BEST POINT=

GRASS
COURT
SZN
??@BelindaBencic | #bett1open pic.twitter.com/88MW3D01IV

— wta (@WTA) June 16, 2021

=BEST MATCH POINT=

How to seal a win in style, starring @alizecornet ??#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/gNeO7k21iA

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2021

=BEST WINNING POINT (in an ultimately losing effort)=

A point that had everything ??@KaPliskova and @ashbarty gave us a final to remember #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/E4Py39tQOr

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2021

1. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Angelique Kerber def. Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5/5-7/6-4 ...close from beginning to end (and it lasted a comprehensive 3:19, the longest women's match at SW since 2011), with 10 to 20-shot rallies galore, the two women battled it out until both seemed to be on their last legs in the final set. Both the 1st and 2nd sets were knotted at 5-5 before late breaks helped turn the tide, with Kerber taking the 1st, and Sorribes the 2nd after having saved a MP. Fighting against the player who more than any other has been the tour's "marathon woman" in '21, Kerber continued to resemble her 2016 self, showing the tenacity and big point rally-ending winners that helped her put together what will surely go down as the multi-season stretch that will one day make her a Hall of Famer.

Broken when serving for the win at 5-3, the 33-year old German nonetheless outlasted her younger foe, as Sorribes finally blinked while serving to stay in the match. Falling down love/40 with a DF, Sorribes faced another MP some 1:20 since she'd saved one earlier in the day. She couldn't do it again.

While Kerber pushed toward an eventual semifinal berth Sorribes once more picked up loads of respect from an all-time great and likely a whole lot of new fans.

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=============================================== 2. Bad Homburg 2nd Rd. - Victoria Azarenka def. Alize Cornet 6-4/3-6/7-6(7) ...just your typical Cornet match. Three hours. Cornet falling. Azarenka taking a medical time out mid-way through the 3rd, which she'd led 3-0, and then seemingly being moments away from a retirement before her treatment kicked in. Azarenka holding two MP at 5-4, then the Pastry with two of her own at 6-5 before things went to a deciding TB. There Cornet took a 5-3 lead, and ultimately held MP #3 and #4 before Azarenka finally won her hown own *third* MP to improve to 8-0 in the career head-to-head series. =============================================== 3. Wimbledon Final - Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens def. Veronika Kudermetova/Elena Vesnina 3-6/7-5/9-7 ...Vesnina served for the match as the Hordette pair led 6-3/5-4, holding two MP in the game. They failed to lock away the title, though, and back came Hsieh/Mertens, who swept the next last games to close out the set at 7-5.

In the 3rd, it was the #3 seeds who broke late, giving Mertens the chance to serve for the crown. She couldn't do it, as the two teams then traded momenum seemingly willy-nilly down the stretch. After getting things back on serve, Kudermetova/Vesnina held but didn't convert a BP chance at 5-5, nor any of three more at 6-6. Finally, on their fourth BP of the thirteenth game they took a 7-6 lead and once again served for the title. Again, the job was left uncompleted, as Hsieh/Mertens broke and then held at love. At 8-7, Hsieh/Mertens quickly took a 40/15 lead on the Russians' serve, finally winning and then collapsing onto the court.

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=============================================== 4. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Viktorija Golubic def. Veronika Kudermetova 3-6/6-1/11-9 ...after falling in the 2nd Round in Paris to Katerina Siniakova after having held a 5-1 3rd set lead and had two MP, Kudermetova lost a 2:45 battle with Golubic today after having been within two points of victory at 7-6, 8-7 and 9-8 in the 3rd set. The Russian saved two MP and then broke Golubic when she served for the match at 5-4, only to ultimately be bested in the closing games as Golubic rallied to win here and went all the way to the QF. =============================================== 5. Eastbourne QF - Elena Rybakina def. Anastasija Sevastova 2-6/7-6(7)/7-6(5) ...though she threw in a boatload of UE, and was out-pointed (121-113) on the day, Rybakina quickly made the transition to grass after reaching the QF at Roland Garros. Against Sevastova, she worked her way through a long match played deep into the 3rd set in fading light with disputed line calls, saving 2 MP at 6-4 down in the 2nd set TB. The Kazakh won the TB 9-7, then another (at 7-5) to finally put away the match after having previously failed to serve it out at 6-5. =============================================== HM- Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Coco Gauff def. Elise Mertens 0-6/7-6(4)/7-5 ...Mertens led this one 6-0/2-0, and had two chances to serve out the match in the 2nd set. Gauff rallied and took a TB to go to a 3rd. There, the Belgian served up 4-2, dropped serve and then saw Gauff hold after saving five BP in game #8. Come game #11, Mertens DF'd to break herself and give the 17-year old the chance to serve out the match. She did. ===============================================



=THUNDER ROAD= Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Ajla Tomljanovic def. Alona Ostapenko 4-6/6-4/6-2 ...on the same day that Emma Raducanu went down in Wimbledon lore, Tomljanovic/Ostapenko tried to live on in infamy. By the time this one was over both woman were contesting which of them was the most disrepectful and/or biggest liar of the two. Or something like that.

Things got off to the typical way an Ostapenko match might, with the Latvian being in-form and jumping out on top, taking the 1st set 6-4. In game #10 of the 2nd, Ostapenko was cruising and held a GP for 5-5, only to double fault. Well, you know what happened next. A point later, a wide unforced error on the forehand side suddenly had the Latvian down BP/SP, then she failed to get Tomljanovic's return back over the net and -- poof! -- the match was tied.

Tomljanovic took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd as Ostapenko's UE began to get the best of her, sending her game (and her) a bit off the rails. Increasingly frustrated, and down love/40 on serve, Ostapenko started arguing with the chair umpire about one thing or another, at one point telling her "you don't know the rules." After that moment, she began firing forehands and got the game to deuce, only to throw in another loose backhand error of her own to give Tomljanovic a fourth BP. Tomljanovic put in a backhand winner to go up 4-0. Then things got *really* interesting.

Suddenly, Ostapenko needed a medical time out. Well, Tomljanovic wasn't buying it for a second, and while Ostapenko sat on her chair rather than stay on the court to recieve the Aussie's serve, Tomljanovic refused to sit down and argued with the umpire about granting Ostapenko's MTO request in a non-changeover situation. "You know she's lying," the Aussie said of Ostapenko (within earshot of her opponent), considering the crucial stage of the match and the Latvian's poor play, and that she'd shown *no* signs of having issues until, convienently, just then. Tomljanovic asked for and got a supervisor to come to the court.

Eventually, a physio arrived and took Ostapenko off court, against Tomljanovic's objections. The Latvian's mom/coach Jelena jumped from her seat and followed, though rules say that they can't have any off-court contact in such a situation. As the clock ticked down on the scoreboard for the time allowed for Ostapenko to be away, the countdown suddenly froze at :27 and her absense far exceeded the time limit without explanation.

Ostapenko finally returned and play resumed, and it looked like it might get ugly. Tomljanovic opened with an UE and DF, though she leveled things at 30-all. After saving a BP, she dropped serve to cut her double-break lead in half. She broke back and served for the match two games later, only to be broken at 15 as Ostapenko clung to life in the match. At 5-2, Ostapenko lost the first two points of her service game. She got the game to 30/30, but couldn't keep up her momentum. An error gave Tomljanovic a MP, quickly saved by the Lavtian with a big serve. But another missed forehand gave the Aussie another MP, and another Ostapenko error converted it.

Then things got *especially* interesting, as everyone waited to see what would happen at the net... many likely with memories of the near-fight between Ostapenko and Naomi Broady in a testy encounter a few years ago (the one where the Latvian's tossed/slipped-from-her-hand racket hit a ball kid and the Brit argued vociferously that she should be defaulted).

While Tomljanovic took her time celebrating, Ostapenko set her racket down and then waited at the net. The two did clasp hands, and Ostapenko suggested the Aussie ask the physio whether she was faking or not. "I hope you feel better," Tomljanovic said with little sincerity, leading Ostapenko to fire back as her opponent walked away, calling Tomljanovic's behavior "terrible" and said that she showed "zero respect."

Tomljanovic refused to get into a shouting match, essentially ending things there. At least until next time...





1. Wimbledon QF - Veronika Kudermetova/Elena Vesnina def. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova 6-7(6)/6-5/9-7 Wimbledon SF - Veronika Kudermetova/Elena Vesnina def. Caroline Dolehide/Storm Sanders 7-6(6)/3-6/7-5 ...on their way to the Wimbledon final, the Russians twice pulled matches back from the edge of oblivion. The top-seeded Czechs served for the match at 5-4 in the 3rd, and had four MP at 7-6 in the QF, while Dolehide/Sanders led 5-2 in the deciding set and had 3 MP at 5-4.

As it turned out, though, Kudermetova/Vesnina lost in the final in a match in which *they* held MP. =============================================== 2. Birmingham SF - Ons Jabeur/Ellen Perez def. Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens 3-6/7-5 [10-3] ...still finding their way as a duo prior to their Wimbledon title run, Hsieh/Mertens led 6-3/5-0 and held 5 MP. =============================================== 3. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Kristie Ahn def. Heather Watson 2-6/7-6(3)/8-6 ...already a Wimbledon lucky loser, Ahn's MD shot saw her battle to push Watson to a 3rd set, winning a 7-3 TB that led to the Court 1 roof being closed the match playing on. In the deciding set, Watson led 4-2. After the Bannerette had knotted the match, the Brit broke back and served for the win at 5-4, holding a MP. But Ahn broke her again and they played on again. Down in the final games, Watson held from 5-6, but saw her time run out when Ahn got the match-ending break to win. =============================================== HM- Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Madison Brengle def. Christina McHale 3-6/7-5/10-8 ...in a two-day affair, Brengle survived McHale leading 5-3, serving for the match in both the 2nd and 3rd sets and holding four MP, before play was suspended with Brengle up 7-6. McHale came out hot again on the second day, winning back-to-back games and serving for the match a third time at 8-7. She was broken at love, and never won another game. ===============================================



Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Serena Williams 3-3 ret. ...Williams retires with a leg injury, exiting a slam in the opening round for just the second time (2012 RG) in her career.

Serena retires!

Bad bad luck for Serena Williams who has to stop her match at 3-3 vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich after she slipped down

(GIF @tennis_gifs) pic.twitter.com/vJW2wnzrv3

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) June 29, 2021

=============================================== Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Emma Raducanu def. Sorana Cirstea 6-3/7-5 ...#338-ranked wild card Raducanu, 18, becomes the youngest Brit to reach the Wimbledon Round of 16 in the Open era.

the shotmaking was simply spectacular. Can't fault her for dropping the racquet from excitement @EmmaRaducanu #Wimbledon
(h/t @DVDSmith) pic.twitter.com/MSMnZWCDwO

— Tennis GIFs ???? (@tennis_gifs) July 3, 2021

Raducanu running forehand. #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/9y0pZTp8Ep https://t.co/eOGJffi3xE

— Tennis GIFs ???? (@tennis_gifs) July 3, 2021

Get used to seeing backhands like this when @EmmaRaducanu's in action ??#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/6vAj3vzLCO

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2021

===============================================

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*WIMBLEDON WHEELCHAIR SINGLES WINNERS*
2016 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2017 Diede de Groot, NED
2018 Diede de Groot, NED
2019 Aniek Van Koot, NED
2021 Diede de Groot, NED

*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - active*
19 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (8-11)
14 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (11-3)
13 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3-10)
6 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-2)
1 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1-0)
1 - KG MONTJANE, RSA (0-1)
1 - Momoko Ohtani, JPN (0-1)

*RECENT WC SINGLES SLAM FINALS*
[2017]
AO: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Jiske Griffioen/NED
RG: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
WI: Diede de Groot/NED def. Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
US: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Diede de Groot/NED
[2018]
AO: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Diede de Groot/NED
WI: Diede de Groot/NED def. Aniek van Koot/NED
US: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
[2019]
AO: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
WI: Aniek Van Koot/NED def. Diede de Groot/NED
US: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
[2020]
AO: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Aniek Van Koot/NED
US: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Momoko Ohtani/JPN
[2021]
AO: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
RG: Diede de Groot/NED def. Yui Kamiji/JPN
WI: Diede de Groot/NED def. KG Montjane/RSA

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM TITLES*
[singles/doubles]
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
25 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (8/17)*
21 - Diede de Groot, NED (11/10)*
20 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3/17)*
18 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4/14)*
13 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1/12)*

*RECENT MX SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2017]
AO: Abigail Spears/Juan Sebastian Cabal (USA/COL)
RG: Gaby Dabrowski/Rohan Bopanna (CAN/IND)
WI: Martina Hingis/Jamie Murray (SUI/GBR)
US: Martina Hingis/Jamie Murray (SUI/GBR)
[2018]
AO: Gaby Dabrowski/Mate Pavic (CAN/CRO)
RG: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
WI: Nicole Melichar/Alexander Peya (USA/AUT)
US: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray (USA/GBR)
[2019]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
RG: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
WI: Latisha Chan/Ivan Dodig (TPE/CRO)
US: Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Jamie Murray (USA/GBR)
[2020]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Nikola Mektic (CZE/CRO)
[2021]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
RG: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
WI: Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR)

*RECENT WIMBLEDON MIXED DOUBLES CHAMPS*
2013 Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor, FRA/CAN
2014 Samantha Stosur & Nenad Zimonjic, AUS/SRB
2015 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2016 Heather Watson & Henri Kontinen, GBR/FIN
2017 Martina Hingis & Jamie Murray, SUI/GBR
2018 Nicole Melichar & Alexander Peya, USA/AUT
2019 Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig, TPE/CRO
2021 Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski, USA/GBR

*SLAM MX TITLES - active*
5...Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
4...Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
3...Latisha Chan, TPE
3...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3...Sania Mirza, IND
3...Samantha Stosur, AUS
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
2...DESIRAE KRAWCZYK, USA
2...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2...Serena Williams, USA
2...Venus Williams, USA
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS

*WIMBLEDON "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS*
2006 Yan Zi & Zheng Jie, CHN
2007 Cara Black, ZIM
2008 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2009 Serena & Venus Williams, USA
2010 Vania King & Yaroslava Shvedova, USA/KAZ
2011 Kveta Peschke, CZE
2012 Lisa Raymond, USA
2013 Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2014 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2015 Sania Mirza, IND
2016 Heather Watson, GBR
2017 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)
2018 Diede de Groot & Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN (WC)
2019 Hsieh Su-wei & Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
2021 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)

*WIMBLEDON GIRLS FINALS - since 2010*
2010 Kristyna Pliskova/CZE d. Sachie Ishizu/JPN
2011 Ashleigh Barty/AUS d. Irina Khromacheva/RUS
2012 Genie Bouchard/CAN d. Elina Svitolina/UKR
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI d. Taylor Townsend/USA
2014 Alona Ostapenko/LAT d. Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK
2015 Sofya Zhuk/RUS d. Anna Blinkova/RUS
2016 Anastasia Potapova/RUS d. Dayana Yastremska/UKR
2017 Claire Liu/USA d. Ann Li/USA
2018 Iga Swiatek/POL d. Leonie Kung/SUI
2019 Daria Snigur/UKR d. Alexa Noel/USA
2021 Ane Mintegi del Olmo/ESP d. Nastasja Schunk/GER

*GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS - ESP*
1999 RG: Lourdes Dominguez Lino
2015 RG: Paula Badosa
2021 WI: Ane Mintegi del Olmo
-
NOTE: Rebeka Masarova, ESP ('16 RG) won while rep. SUI

*RECENT GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2017]
AO: Marta Kostyuk, UKR
RG: Whitney Osuigwe, USA
WI: Claire Liu, USA
US: Amanda Anisimova, USA
[2018]
AO: Liang En-shuo, TPE
RG: Coco Gauff, USA
WI: Iga Swiatek, POL
US: Wang Xiyu, CHN
[2019]
AO: Clara Tauson, DEN
RG: Leylah Annie Fernandez, CAN
WI: Daria Snigur, UKR
US: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano, COL
[2020]
AO: Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
RG: Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
[2021]
RG: Linda Noskova, CZE
WI: Ane Mintegi del Olmo, ESP

*RECENT WIMBLEDON GIRLS DOUBLES CHAMPS*
2010 Timea Babos & Sloane Stephens, HUN/USA
2011 Genie Bouchard & Grace Min, CAN/USA
2012 Genie Bouchard & Taylor Townsend, CAN/USA
2013 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2014 Tami Grende & Ye Quiyu, INA/CHN
2015 Dalma Galfi & Fanni Stollar, HUN/HUN
2016 Usue Arconada & Claire Liu, USA/USA
2017 Olga Danilovic & Kaja Juvan, SRB/SLO
2018 Wang Xinyu & Wang Xiyu, CHN/CHN
2019 Savannah Broadus & Abigail Forbes, USA/USA
2021 Kristina Dmitruk & Diana Shnaider, BLR/RUS

*RECENT GIRLS DOUBLES SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2018]
AO: Liang En-Shuo/Wang Xinyu (TPE/CHN)
RG: Caty McNally/Iga Swiatek (USA/POL)
WI: Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu (CHN/CHN)
US: Coco Gauff/Caty McNally (USA/USA)
[2019]
AO: Natsumi Kawaguchi/Adrienn Nagy (JPN/HUN)
RG: Chloe Beck/Emma Navarro (USA/USA)
WI: Savannah Broadus/Abigail Forbes (USA/USA)
US: Kamilla Bartone/Oksana Selekhmetova (LAT/RUS)
[2020]
AO: Alex Eala/Priska Madelyn Nugroho (PHI/INA)
RG: Eleonora Alvisi/Lisa Pigoti (ITA/ITA)
[2021]
RG: Alex Eala/Oksana Selekmeteva (PHI/RUS)
WI: Kristina Dmitruk/Diana Shnaider (BLR/RUS)

*2021 WTA CHAMPIONS BY RANKING*
#1 - Ash Barty (Yarra Valley Melb.)
#1 - Ash Barty (Miami)
#1 - Ash Barty (Stuttgart)
#1 - ASH BARTY (WIMBLEDON)
#3 - Naomi Osaka (Australian Open)
#7 - Aryna Sabalenka (Madrid)
#10 - Aryna Sabalenka (Abu Dhabi)
#10 - Petra Kvitova (Doha)
#15 - Iga Swiatek (Rome)
#16 - Garbine Muguruza (Dubai)
#18 - Iga Swiatek (Adelaide)
#20 - Elise Mertens (Gippsland Melb.)
#20 - Johanna Konta (Nottingham)
#24 - Ons Jabeur (Birmingham)
#28 - Angelique Kerber (Bad Homburg)
#30 - Coco Gauff (Parma)
#33 - Barbora Krejcikova (Roland Garros)
#38 - Veronika Kudermetova (Charleston 500)
#38 - Barbora Krejcikova (Strasbourg)
#43 - Alona Ostapenko (Eastbourne)
#44 - Paula Badosa (Belgrade)
#61 - Dasha Kasatkina (Saint Petersburg)
#67 - Sorana Cirstea (Istanbul)
#71 - Sara Sorribes Tormo (Guadalajara)
#75 - Dasha Kasatkina (Phillip Island Melb.)
#88 - Leylah Fernandez (Monterrey)
#106 - Liudmila Samsonova (Berlin)
#139 - Clara Tauson (Lyon)
#154 - GABRIELA RUSE (HAMBURG)
#165 - Astra Sharma (Charleston 250)
#180 - Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Bogota)
-
vacant - Kontaveit (#23) vs. Li (#99) [Grampians Melb. not played]

*2021 WTA CHAMPIONS BY AGE*
17 - Coco Gauff (Parma)
18 - Clara Tauson (Lyon)
18 - Leylah Fernandez (Monterrey)
19 - Maria Camila Osorio Serrano (Bogota)
19 - Iga Swiatek (Adelaide)
19 - Iga Swiatek (Rome)
22 - Aryna Sabalenka (Abu Dhabi)
22 - Liudmila Samsonova (Berlin)
23 - Paula Badosa (Belgrade)
23 - Dasha Kasatkina (Phillip Island Melb.)
23 - Dasha Kasatkina (Saint Petersburg)
23 - Veronika Kudermetova (Charleston 500)
23 - Naomi Osaka (Australian Open)
23 - Aryna Sabalenka (Madrid)
23 - GABRIELA RUSE (HAMBURG)
24 - Ash Barty (Yarra Valley Melb.)
24 - Ash Barty (Miami)
24 - Alona Ostapenko (Eastbourne)
24 - Sara Sorribes Tormo (Guadalajara)
25 - Ash Barty (Stuttgart)
25 - ASH BARTY (WIMBLEDON)
25 - Barbora Krejcikova (Strasbourg)
25 - Barbora Krejcikova (Roland Garros)
25 - Elise Mertens (Gippsland Melb.)
25 - Astra Sharma (Charleston 250)
26 - Ons Jabeur (Birmingham)
27 - Garbine Muguruza (Dubai)
30 - Johanna Konta (Nottingham)
30 - Petra Kvitova (Doha)
31 - Sorana Cirstea (Istanbul)
33 - Angelique Kerber (Bad Homburg)
-
vacant - Kontaveit (25) vs. Li (20) [Grampians Melb. not played]

*2021 FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPIONS*
Lyon - Clara Tauson, DEN (18/#139)
Guadalajara - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP (24/#71)
Monterrey - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (18/#88)
Bogota - MC Osorio Serrano, COL (19/#180)
Charleston - Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (23/#38)
Charleston 250 - Astra Sharma, AUS (25/#165)
Belgrade - Paula Badosa, ESP (23/#44)
Strasbourg - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (25/#38)
Birmingham - Ons Jabeur, TUN (26/#24)
Berlin - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS (22/#106)
HAMBURG - GABRIELA RUSE, ROU (23/#154)

*2021 OLDEST WTA FINALISTS*
35 - Kaia Kanepi, EST (Gippsland-L)
33 - Angelique Kerber, GER (Bad Homburg-W)
33 - ANDREA PETKOVIC, GER (Hamburg-L)
32 - Zhang Shuai, CHN (Nottingham-L)
31 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU (Strasbourg-L)
31 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU (Istanbul-W)
30 - Petra Kvitova, CZE (Doha-W)
30 - Johanna Konta, GBR (Nottingham-W)

*2021 QUALIFIERS IN FINALS*
Lyon - Clara Tauson, DEN (W)
Lyon - Viktorija Golubic, SUI
Monterrey - Viktorija Golubic, SUI
Belgrade - Ana Konjuh, CRO
Berlin - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS (W)
HAMBURG - GABRIELA RUSE, ROU (W)

*2021 FIRST-TIME SINGLES FINALISTS*
Abu Dhabi - Veronika Kudermetova, RUS (#46, 23)
Grampians - Ann Li, USA (#99, 20) - DNP
Lyon - Clara Tauson, DEN (#139, 18) - W
Guadalajara - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP (#71, 24) - W
Bogota - MC.Osorio Serrano, COL (#180, 19) - W
Belgrade - Paula Badosa, ESP (#44, 23) - W
Berlin - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS (#106, 22) - W
HAMBURG - GABRIELA RUSE, ROU (#154, 23) - W

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TOP QUALIFIER: Ana Konjuh/CRO
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #25 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #25 Angelique Kerber/GER
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): #1 Ash Barty/AUS
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - Lesley Pattinama Kerhkove/NED def. Jule Niemeier/GER 6-4/2-6/9-7 (saved 2 MP)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #25 Angelique Kerber/GER def. Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP 7-5/5-7/6-4 (3:19; wins on MP #2 1:20 after first MP)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3rd Rd. - #21 Ons Jabeur/TUN def. #11 Garbine Muguruza/ESP 5-7/6-3/6-2 (first Arab woman to reach Wimbledon QF)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): WD SF: (PR) V.Kudermetova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) def. #1 Krejcikova/Siniakova (CZE/CZE) 6-7(6)/6-5/9-7 (saved 4 MP)
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (def. Niculescu - first official match at AELTC in 715 days)
FIRST SEED OUT: #10 Petra Kvitova/CZE (1st Rd.-Stephens)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove/NED, Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL, Emma Raducanu/GBR
UPSET QUEENS: Czech Republic
REVELATION LADIES: South America
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Canada - 0-2 1st Rd. (#5 Andreescu, Fernandez), while Bouchard (injured) DNP
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL (3rd Rd.) (LL 2r: Ahn)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Emma Raducanu/GBR, Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (both 4th Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Andrea Petkovic/GER, CoCo Vandeweghe/USA, Elena Vesnina/RUS (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Emma Raducanu (4th Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR and KG Montjane/RSA (WC)
IT "Teen Brit": Emma Raducanu/GBR
COMEBACK PLAYER: Angelique Kerber/GER
CRASH & BURN: #6 Serena Williams, USA & #10 Petra Kvitova, CZE (both 1st Rd;. won 6 of last 11 Wimbledon; Williams ret. for second career 1r slam exit)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON (early-round): Kristie Ahn/USA (already a lucky loser, also saved MP vs. Watson/GBR in 1st Rd.)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON (mid/late-round): --
DOUBLES STAR: Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Karolina Pliskova/CZE and Hsieh Su-wei/TPE
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Ane Mintegi del Olmo/ESP and Nastasja Schunk/GER
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREES: --
RAD REMEMBRANCE DAY malevolent activity notes...
=June 26 official= All quiet, but on 25th Ula Radwanska loses in final qualifying round and on 27th top-ranked Brit Konta w/d due to COVID quarantine
=Day 3 observed= After two days of rain following a 715-day break since the last Wimbledon, the Day 3 schedule includes 39 women's (23 1r/16 2r) and 41 men's (27 1r/14 2r) singles matches. Slips and falls that led to back-to-back Centre Court retirements (including S.Williams) on Day 2 continued, and the day began with the unusual news that a pair of lucky losers -- Astra Sharma and Tsvetana Pironkova -- were being added to the draw three days into the event due to injuries (both former semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova and Astra Sharma lost, the latter after holding a 4-2 3rd set lead). In all, three Top 10 women's seeds (#4 Kenin, #5 Andreescu and #9 Bencic) were ousted, longtime Wimbledon "marathon" man John Isner *lost* a five-setter, and 41-year old five-time champ Venus Williams was defeated a day after her sister left the tournament due to injury (marking just the fourth time in their long slam history that neither reached the 3rd Round of a major, and the first time ever at Wimbledon, where Venus became the first Williams to make her debut 24 years ago).






All for now.