Tuesday, July 01, 2025

W.2- Czechs and the Balance of Power in Asia


Long live the Czechs. For they will inherit the lawns. Oh, wait... they've already won the this thing the last two years.




Fittingly, on a day that saw the final Wimbledon match of two-time women's champion Petra Kvitova, it was a pair of *other* Czechs who starred on Day 2.

Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova have combined to win a slew of titles at the All-England Club over the years, from their 2013 girls' doubles championship together to two more in the women's competition as pros. Last year, they both lifted trophies on the final weekend, Krejickova in singles and Siniakova for the third time in doubles (this time w/ Taylor Townsend).

While the longtime doubles partners aren't a regular duo any more, on Tuesday they still managed to pull off a simultaneous "do si do" on two different courts. It wasn't supposed to be that way, but Siniakova's Monday match vs. #5-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China was postponed until today on Court 3, while #17 Krejcikova was honored with the traditional Day 2 Centre Court opening match reserved for the previous tournament's reigning women's champion (well, unless your name was Simona, I guess... yes, that belated slight will live forever).

Like her countrywoman, Krejcikova's opponent was a rising Asian star, Alex Eala, the 20-year old Filipina who broke out with a SF in Miami earlier this year and arrived off an appearance in her maiden tour final in Eastbourne (she'd held 4 MP for her first tour title, but fell short), looking to record her first MD victory in a major in her second slam appearance. By just being there, Eala was the first player from the Philippines to play in a Wimbledon singles match and, of course, the first given the opportunity to grace likely the most famous tennis court in the world.



A year ago, Zheng was the First Seed Out at SW19 (then as #8), ousted by Lulu Sun (who'd reach the QF), but *two* years ago it was Siniakova who pulled the 1st Round upset of the then-#24 seeded Zheng. Zheng's best results have come on clay and hard court in her early career, not grass, so clearly there was a chance for some shenanigans today, and sheninigans is what we got.

Zheng was seen recently with Nike attire with a specially designed logo featuring her "Queenwen" nickname, but while the Qinwen is the reigning Olypmpic Gold medalist in singles, Siniakova -- while she doesn't have her own logo -- is the reigning MX Gold winner and has *two* Olympic Gold medals (she and Krejcikova also won the WD in '21) in her trophy case. The current doubles #1, Siniakova is closing in on the third-largest total number of weeks atop the rankings in tour history.

And, you know, she's Czech and this is Wimbledon... so Zheng had every reason to worry.

Siniakova claimed a tight opening set, rallying from 5-3 down, and seemed on her way to possibly finishing off Zheng in straights. She held two BP at 4-3 in the 2nd, with a chance to serve out the win nearly on her racket. But Zheng got the crucial hold, broke Siniakova's serve, and then served out the set.

Considering that maybe Siniakova's biggest career issue, as far as ever really rising as high in singles as she probably should, isn't the rash of injuries that continually strike her counrtrywomen but is instead her propensity to suffer an emotionally negative blowout that turns a good day bad. Thus, one might think that failing to put away the match in the 2nd would mean a quick 3rd set. And it was that... only it was Siniakova who got off the court with the 6-1 victory, not Zheng.

Siniakova's 7-5/4-6/6-1 win made Zheng the first Top 5 women's seed sent out of this Wimbledon (oh, but she wouldn't be the last on this day), dropping her third straight 1st Round match at SW19.



Meanwhile, on Centre Court, Krejcikova was trying to avoid being the second straight defending champ to exit in the 1st Round, not wanting to again follow in the footsteps of Marketa Vondrousova -- who a year ago lost her opener to become just the second DC to go one-and-out in the Open era, thirty years after Steffi Graf had done so in 1994 -- as she had when she followed Vondrousova's '23 Wimbledon title run with one of her own in '24.

As expected, the arrival of Eala dominated the headlines for the the match rather than the return of the reigning champion. While the Czech arrived quietly, like Zheng, Eala had been gifted with a personalized item by Nike, having recently opened a box that included a special hair tie with the national flower of the Philippines for her to wear during her Wimbledon matches.



The tennis media and sponsorship machine is notorious for trying (sometimes successfully, while some newcomers avoid the fate) to eat its young stars before they really *accomplish* anything (see "Gauff will win 20 majors!"), and also famous for spitting out its veteran, "less marketable" (not that the tour itself knows anyting about such things) or non-newsworthy (enough) national icons who HAVE done what they're betting on the *next* generation to do.

Yeah, that'd be Krejcikova, a 12-time major champion (2 ws, 7 wd, 3 mx), Career Golden Doubles slam winner and former Fed Cup champion, i.e. one of the more "invivisble" future Hall of Famers in the estimation of the sport's great establishment. No one was sending any special gifts to commemorate the Czech's accomplishment, no matter that there is likely no player on tour who'd more appreciate and understand the honor and context of such a thing than Krejcikova, a self-aware and self-professed tennis addict who also sometimes doubles as a semi-historian when given a mic.

The item worked like a good luck charm for Eala in the opening set, as she won it 6-3.



But Krejcikova's "good luck" Jana (as in Novotna, the Czech's late mentor and former SW19 champ) proved to be more powerful, just as she'd been from her position on Barbora's shoulder throughout her title run a year ago. Novotna's long trip to the Wimbledon title finally came to fruition in 1998, and one year later the future Hall of Famer returned to this same Centre Court (on June 22, 1999) for *her* turn to be honored as the returning women's champion opening play on the court on Day 2. Novotna won that day, and would reach the QF in what was her final appearance in the women's draw at SW19. Jana wasn't going to let Krejcikova fall short on her own day to be honored.

That Krejcikova's two matches last week in Eastbourne featured the Czech rallying from MP down to get the victory provided evidence that a simple *set* deficit was mere child's play.

Krejcikova quickly assumed control of the match in the 2nd set, winning 3-6/6-2/6-1 to record her eighth straight win at the All-England Club.



It's as it should have played out. While Eala's time will (hopefully) come, Krejickova got to enjoy and appreciate hers on *this* day.










=DAY 2 NOTES=
...Czechs are interwoven into the fabric of this major, as the only woman not named Williams this century to win the title more than once is Czech (Kvitova), and both Vondrousova and Krejcikova have risen from the field with little pre-tournament preparation to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish over consecutive summers. Both (like so many of their countrywomen) are ticking time bombs injury-wise every time they hit the court, but both are also accomplished grass court players. Both are also still in the draw. Forget them at your own risk, as well as any other Czech that remains.

Of course, we also saw the *other* side of the Czech equation on this day, as #15 Karolina Muchova went down and out in the 1st Round for the fourth straight year, after having reached the QF in her first two SW19 appearances in 2019 and '21.

Muchova, who has been playing for weeks with an injury that has limited her to slice backhands, lost to Wang Xinyu 7-5/6-2. And a limited Muchova who cannot access her full arsenal of magical toys is, quite simply, not the same. Wang reached the Berlin final two weeks ago, losing to (of course) another Czech, Vondrousova.

And then there was Kvitova...



Recent first-time mother Kvitova returned to the tour earlier this season after having a baby, and just a short while ago announced that she'll end her career later this season, likely at the U.S. Open. So that meant that her wild card berth into this tournament was more than likely a parting farewell gift from the AELTC to a player who reached her career apex at Wimbledon, winning a pair of titles in 2011 and 2014, often leaving spectators and former champions as in awe of the grass game she displayed on the court as they would also ultimately be by her winning personility off it.

Facing off with #10 Emma Navarro, a quarterfinalist a year ago, seemed like it would go as nearly all of Kvitova's matches have in 2025 (she came in with a 1-6 record). But when she took a 3-1 lead in the 1st, hope suddenly sprang eternal. It wasn't, though. Navarro won handily, 6-3/6-1.

The final moments simply set the stage for the goodbye to a great champion that always comes, be they big or small. Eventually.



And maybe Petra's not *totally* gone. Remember, Wimbledon still holds its annual Invitational tournament during the second week of play. Nearly all the greats, many of them Czech-born (Martina, Jana, etc.), have made their way there at some point. So, hope can still spring *a little* eternal.


"The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship" (Petra's 2011 Wimbledon title)
"Petra, Take 2" (Petra wins her second title in 2014)



...meanwhile, #5 Zheng wasn't the first Top 5 seeded woman to lose on Tuesday, or even the *highest* seeded. In fact, she was the *third*-highest seed to be upset, as both #2 Coco Gauff and #3 Jessie Pegula were sent packing within hours of each other, marking the first time (per ESPN, just to cover that base) that two of the top three women's seeds have lost in the 1st Round of a major in the Open era.

Pegula was the first to go, ousted by Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto, 6-2/6-3.



Two years ago, Pegula defeated Cocciaretto 6-4/6-0 in the Wimbledon 3rd Round, but while the Bannerette has gone on to win a pair of grass court titles since then (including last week in Bad Homburg), the Italian has also showed still more grass court ability. She reached the Birmingham SF last year, and the final four at Rosmalen just a few weeks ago.

The result ends Pegula's streak of seventeen consecutive 1st Round wins in majors.

Later, Gauff's memorable slam debut at Wimbledon in 2019 (at age 15, she defeated Venus Williams in the 1st Round, then reached the Round of 16) got just a little big more lost in the memory bank, as the two-time slam champ (including at this year's RG) was taken out 7-6(3)/6-1 by Dayana Yastremska, a former major semifinalist (AO24) and proficient grass court player. The Ukrainian reached the SW19 junior final in 2016, the Wimbledon 4th Round in 2019 and arrived having gone 6-2 on the surface in recent weeks with a final in Nottingham and Eastbourne QF.



This is Gauff's second 1st Round loss at Wimbledon in three years. The last time in happened, in 2023, she soon had her Summer of Coco run and won the U.S. Open.

...maybe it's time for Dasha Kasatkina to petition the tour to *only* play majors. The new Aussie won today by a 7-5/6-3 score over Emiliana Arango, improving to 7-2 in slams in 2025. Thing is, she's gone just 8-14 everywhere else this season, and was 0-3 on grass until today.

Kasatkina was the only one of seven Aussie women in the MD to reach the 2nd Round.



19-year old Maya Joint, who just won the title in Eastbourne, was the last Aussie with a chance to join Kasatkina in the next round, but she fell 6-3/6-2 to #19 Liudmila Samsonova.

The result continues to stamp Joint as the best *the week before a major* player, as she's had the best results of her young career in the days before the open of all three 2025 slams. In Hobart, she reached her first WTA semifinal, then lost in the AO 1st Round. In Rabat, she claimed her maiden tour titles in both s/d in her first finals in either, then lost in the RG 1st Round. Last week, Joint reached the Eastbourne s/d finals, winning her first grass court singles title, then... well, you know.

...elsewhere, #26 Marta Kostyuk was at it again, employing the ol' underarm serve on a big point...



Meanwhile, the Karma Division of the Tennis Gods Establishment didn't waste any time keeping their records updated, either...



After Kostyuk had successfully utilized the underarm serve on MP in a blowout win over Anna Blinkova in Miami in March, rubbing things in against an opponent she wouldn't have to meet at the net afterward, she was 10-5 in her last fifteen matches. Since then, she's gone 7-8 (w/ those two crushing straight sets losses to Sabalenka), and has now dropped her last five matches.

Oh, and BTW, this was Slovenian qualfier Veronika Erjavec's first career MD slam victory.

...so that's what winning Queen's Club will get you, I guess...



Maria's 3-6/7-6(4)/6-1 loss to Katie Volynets not only makes her 0-2 since winning her title in London last month, but with this loss she's now lost in the 1st Round three straight years since her SF run at Wimbledon in 2022. 5-1 that year at SW19, she's gone 5-12 in all the other years she's played the event.

The 37-year old German was so close to turning over the table on those numbers, though. Maria served for the match at 5-4 in the 2nd set today.

...Victoria Mboko had faith, and it all worked out for her.

The 18-year old Canadian had five MP in the final round of qualifying last week, but lost to Patricia Hon. She stuck around through the weekend, though, hoping for a Lucky Loser spot. Just a few hours before she hit the court today, she still wasn't in the MD. But Anastasia Potapova's late withdrawal opened the door, and Mboko forced her way through, getting a win over #25 Magdalena Frech. Meanwhile, Hon lost her 1st Round match today.



Mboko reached the 3rd Round at this year's Roland Garros in her major debut.

...with the 1st Round complete, some awards.

More U.S. women (11) reached the 2nd Round than any nation, but it's still tempting to go there with "Nation of Poor Souls" with the draw-high three seeded losses (Gauff, Pegula and Kessler) and #2/#3 exits (aka "Crash & Burn"). But the Aussies went 1-6.

The Brits and Czechs had the most seeded *wins* with two, but I'll go with the home team for "Upset Queens," leaving "Revelation Ladies" for the Italians, the only group to go undefeated (3-0) with multiple players in the women's MD.





...UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN... ON DAY 2:




...EVERYONE'S A TOWEL THIEF AT SW19 (yet they crack down on people showing "unauthorized" 10-second clips of action/weird moments from matches on social media)... ON DAY 2:



BTW, Swiatek's win today extends her streak of tournaments with at least one victory to 59. She's also done so in 71 of 72 tournaments dating back to the 2020 Roland Garros (which ended in early October, and concluded Swiatek's season).

By comparison, since the start of the 2021 season, Aryna Sabalenka has been one-and-out fourteen times (but only once this year), while Gauff's loss today means she's failed to win a match thirteen times over the stretch (four times in '25).


...WIMBLEDON (and nail, I guess) GOALS... ON DAY 2:




...IN LIEU OF A VICTORY FROM A BRITISH WOMAN... ON DAY 2:




...HAIKU FOR PETRA (and more)... ON DAY 2:




...MAYBE HER OPPONENT WILL LEARN A LESSON ABOUT HOW TO... yeah, I doubt it... ON DAY 2:

















































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*WI 1st ROUND*
[highlights]

TOTAL MD NATIONS: 39
IN 2nd RD. (31 nations; AO-29,RG-26): 11-USA, 9-RUS, 5-CZE, 3-GBR/ITA/UKR
"BEST" 1st RD (W/L): 3-0 (ITA), 9-2 (RUS), 3-1 (UKR)
UNDEFEATED 1st RD.: 3-0 (ITA); 1-0 (7 nations)
WORST 1st RD. (2+): 0-2 (COL/LAT), 1-6 (AUS), 1-4 (CHN/ROU), 0-1 (6 nations)
SEEDS OUT: 10 (3-USA, 2-POL, 1-CHN/CZE/ESP/LAT/UKR)
WINS OVER SEEDS: 2-CZE/GBR, 1-CAN/CHN/FRA/ITA/SLO/UKR
[BY NATION - alphabetical]
1-0 - ARG
0-1 - ARM
1-6 - AUS
1-1 - BEL
2-1 - BLR
1-0 - BRA
1-0 - BUL
2-1 - CAN
1-4 - CHN
0-2 - COL
1-1 - CRO
5-3 - CZE
1-0 - DEN
0-1 - EGY
2-1 - ESP
2-1 - FRA
3-7 - GBR
2-2 - GER
1-0 - GRE
1-1 - HUN
3-0 - ITA
1-2 - JPN
1-1 - KAZ
0-2 - LAT
1-0 - MEX
1-1 - NED
0-1 - NZL
0-1 - PHI
1-2 - POL
1-4 - ROU
9-2 - RUS
1-1 - SLO
1-1 - SRB
1-2 - SUI
0-1 - SVK
0-1 - TUN
1-0 - TUR
3-1 - UKR
11-8 - USA

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "CRASH & BURN" WINNERS*
2015 Genie Bouchard, CAN & Simona Halep, ROU (both 1st Rd.)
2016 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (RG champ; 2nd Rd.)
2017 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (1st Rd; 7 MP)
2018 Petra Kvitova, CZE (1st Rd.)
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN (1st Rd.)
2021 Serena Williams, USA & Petra Kvitova, CZE (both 1st Rd.)
2022 Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA & Garbine Muguruza, ESP (both 1r)
2023 Tatjana Maria, GER ('22 SF to 1st Rd.)
2024 Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (first DC 1r since 1994)
2025 Coco Gauff & Jessie Pegula, USA (#2/#3 seeds; first slam two Top 3 out 1r)

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "REVELATION LADIES" NATIONS*
2015 Switzerland
2016 Russia
2017 Great Britain
2018 Great Britain
2019 Russia
2021 South America
2022 Poland
2023 The Return of the Hordettes
2024 Great Britain
2025 Italy

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "UPSET QUEENS" NATIONS*
2015 United States
2016 Germany
2017 United States
2018 United States
2019 Slovenia
2021 Czech Republic
2022 France
2023 Romania
2024 Spain
2025 Great Britain

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"*
[2017]
CZE (0-6 2nd Rd., Kvitova/Pliskova lose; no CZE in 3r since '09)
[2018]
UKR (1-4 1st/2nd Rd., Svitolina/1st Rd. worst major result since 2014)
[2019]
BLR (1-3 1st; 3/4 of "Dream Team" lose, #10 Sabalenka FSO)
[2021]
CAN (0-2 1st; #5 Andreescu & Fernandez lose; Bouchard DNP)
[2022]
AUS (1-5 1st; DC Barty retired in March)
[2023]
ITA (1-6 1st)
[2024]
ROU (1-5 1st; #29 Cirstea, Bogdan 2 MP, no Halep)
[2025]
AUS (1-6 1st; only new AUS Kasatkina w/ win)


*2025 FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS (w/ career slam MD)
-AUSTRALIAN OPEN (4)-
Destanee Aiava, AUS (6th)
Talia Gibson, AUS (2nd)
Suzan Lamens, NED (1st)
Rebecca Sramkova, SVK (5th)
-ROLAND GARROS (7)-
Emiliana Arango, COL (1st)
Sara Bejlek, CZE (6th)
Lois Boisson, FRA (1st)
Joanna Garland, TPE (1st)
Victoria Mboko, CAN (1st)
Leyre Romero Gormaz, ESP (1st)
Tereza Valentova, CZE (1st)
-WIMBLEDON (3)-
Veronika Erjavec, SLO (2nd)
Solana Sierra, ARG (3rd)
Zeynep Sonmez, TUR (4th)

*MAIDEN CAREER SLAM MD WINS - 2020-25*
-WIMBLEDON (25)-
2020 DNP 2021 Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, NED
2021 Maria (Camila Osorio) Serrano, COL
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR
2022 Maya Chwalinska, POL
2022 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA
2022 Dalma Galfi, HUN
2022 Catherine Harrison, USA
2022 Mai Hontama, JPN
2022 Katarzyna Kawa, POL
2022 Jule Niemeier, GER
2022 Panna Udvardy, HUN
2023 Bai Zhuoxuan, CHN
2023 Jodie Burrage, GBR
2023 Tamara Korpatsch, GER
2023 Natalija Stevanovic, SRB
2024 Erika Andreeva, RUS
2024 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP
2024 Sonay Kartal, GBR
2024 Robin Montgomery, USA
2024 Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR
2024 Lulu Sun, NZL
2024 Anca Todoni, ROU
2025 Veronika Erjavec, SLO
2025 Solana Sierra, ARG
2025 Zeynep Sonmez, TUR

*BEST WIMBLEDON LL RESULTS SINCE 2005*
2005 Severine Beltrame, FRA (2nd)
2007 Alize Cornet, FRA (2nd)
2009 Kristina Kucova, SVK (2nd)
2011 Stephanie Dubois, CAN (2nd)
2016 Duan Yingying, CHN (2nd)
2019 Lauren Davis, USA (3rd)
2021 Kristie Ahn, USA (2nd)
2022 Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, NED (2nd)
2023 Tamara Korpatsch, GER (2nd)
2024 Erika Andreeva, RUS (2nd)
2025 Victoria Mboko, CAN (in 2nd Rd.)
2025 Solana Sierra, ARG (in 2nd Rd.)




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BACKSPINNER ANSWER: Honestly, an old Jack Benny radio show episode or a classical music station (both stimulate, but also soothe, the mind)...




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TOP QUALIFIER: Carson Branstine/CAN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - #30 Priscilla Hon/AUS def. Victoria Mboko/CAN 4-6/7-6(4)/6-1 - Mboko led love/40 at 6-5 in the 2nd on Hon's serve, holding five MP
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #14 Elina Svitolina/UKR (def. Bondar/HUN)
FIRST SEED OUT: #20 Alona Ostapenko/LAT (1st Rd. to Kartal/GBR)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Veronika Erjavec/SLO, Solana Sierra/ARG
UPSET QUEENS: Great Britain
REVELATION LADIES: Italy
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Australia (1-6 1st Rd.; only new Aussie Kasatkina w/ win)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 2r: Erjavec/SLO, Jacquemot/FRA, Parry/FRA, Sasnovich/BLR
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: no wins (0-8)
PROTECTED RANKING: in 2r: Caty McNally/USA
LUCKY LOSERS: in 2r: Mboko/CAN, Sierra/ARG
LAST BRIT STANDING: in 2r: Boulter, Kartal, Raducanu
Ms./Mrs. OPPORTUNITY: x
IT "??": x
COMEBACK PLAYER: x
CRASH & BURN: #2 Coco Gauff/USA & #3 Jessie Pegula/USA - first slam w/ two Top 3 out in 1st Rd. (Gauff won RG, Pegula won grass title pre-Wimb.)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Nominees: Mboko (didn't convert 5 MP in Q3 vs. Hon; in as LL and first WI win); Sasnovich (saved MP vs. Gracheva/1r)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Nominees: Kvitova plays final Wimbledon match; Krejcikova wins in DC Centre Court showcase on Day 2 (26 years after Novotna did the same in final Wimbledon MD app.)







All for Day 2. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:28 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

Surely no Czech women ain't winning Wimbledon this year.

LOL! Winning Bad Homburg has turned out to be a bad omen for Pegula at Wimbledon.

Tue Jul 01, 11:09:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

I read something about it being *many* years since any of the pre-event singles champions won the title. Maybe I'll check out the details on that.

Wed Jul 02, 07:25:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

I looked into this, and the numbers are kind of amazing.

So far, five of the six pre-Wimbledon grass winners are out, with only Mertens remaining. Assuming Mertens doesn't win the whole thing, when she goes out this is what the numbers will look like:

1) the last 85 grass title winners will have failed to win Wimbledon
2) the last to win a pre title *and* Wimbledon: 2004 Sharapova (Birmingham)
3) going back to everything since Novotna won both Eastbourne and Wimbledon in 1998, pre winners will be 1/102 when it comes to winning both
4) only three other pre champions have even reached the Wimbledon final: 2001 Henin (Rosmalen), 2006 Henin (Eastbourne) and 2022 Jabeur (Berlin)

Wed Jul 02, 11:59:00 PM EDT  

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