Friday, July 04, 2025

W.5- The Power of Independent Thinking


Solana Sierra isn't supposed to be here. Yet, as this year's Wimbledon heads into the middle weekend of the fortnight, the 21-year old Argentine is *still* walking the AELTC grounds with future appointments to keep.




Having just two weeks earlier made her Top 100 debut, a little over a week ago Sierra lost in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying in a 7-5 3rd set to Aussie Talia Gibson. As Monday rolled around, she was still on the outside looking in. Then the call came. Anastasia Potapova had pulled out of the event, throwing Sierra a lifeline.

She had three hours to prepare for her Wimbledon debut.

The 2022 U.S. Open girls' champ, Sierra made her major (and tour-level) MD debut last summer in New York as a qualifier (she lost to Tatjana Maria). It was her only tour-level match of the '24 season. Early this year, she won a pair of $75K challenger titles, as well as her maiden 125 crown (in Antalya in March), running her current winning streak in pro finals to eleven going back to September '23 (she's 15-4 overall in her career). She qualified for her second slam in Paris, falling to #32-seeded Yulia Putintseva in the RG 1st Round in what was just the Argentine's *second* career tour-level MD match.

So when Sierra slipped into what was her *third* WTA/slam MD via the lucky loser route at SW19, not a great deal was expected to happen. She got a dose of revenge in the 1st Round with a win over Gibson's countrywoman, Australian Olivia Gadecki, earning her first career MD win above the challenger level; then she stunned Brit Katie Boulter with a three-set up upset to become the second LL (w/ Lauren Davis '19) to reach the 3rd Round at SW19 this century. All the unexpected victories were leading Sierra and her team to have to continually switch apartments after their original sign-up period was then out-lived by the Argentine's survival in the draw.

Well, it happened again on Friday, as Sierra once more made history.



Despite dropping the 2nd set to Cristina Bucsa, who was also seeking her maiden slam Round of 16 result, the Argentine (#101) rallied to win a 6-1 3rd, boosting her "live" ranking into the Top 75 while becoming the first woman from her nation to reach the Wimbledon Round of 16 since Paola Suarez in 2004.

Not only that, but Sierra is the first lucky loser to reach the Wimbledon 4th Round in the Open era. The seventh in the Open era to reach the second week at *any* major, she's the second (w/ Eva Lys at AO25) to do it just this year.



Now Solana might have to get another new apartment. Ah, second week worries. I think she'll manage.










=DAY 5 NOTES=
...elsewhere, recent trends continued to hold true to form. As in, #13 Amanda Anisimova won a match on grass, improving to 9-2 on the lawns this summer by following up her Queen's Club final and Berlin QF with her second Round of 16 at the All-England Club (she reached the QF in her last MD appearance in '22), and second straight at a major this year. Dalma Galfi proved to be a tougher out than the Bannerette's first two opponents this week, but she got through in three sets.

Anisimova has edged into the Top 10 (it'd be her debut) in the "live" rankings.



Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka has played well in recent weeks, but has had a tough time closing out wins. Well, it happened again today vs. Anastasia Pavyuchenkova.

Osaka had 15 aces, and led the Hordette 33-31 in winners (vs. 27 UE to Pavlyuchenkova's 35), but came up on the short end down the stretch after failing to get the break at 3-3 in the 3rd despite having a pair of BP in game 7. Based on what Osaka said after the match, her confidence likely took a hit there that she never really recovered from. Two games later, Pavlyuchenkova held at love, then broke Osaka to end the match, winning 3-6/6-4/6-4 to reach the second week at Wimbledon for the first time since 2016.



Just like last year, Sonay Kartal is having a lot of fun at Wimbledon. In 2024, she became the first British wild card since 1997 to reach the 3rd Round. Her straight sets win today over qualifier Diane Parry puts her into the second week for the first time, joining the likes of Laura Robson (2013), Johanna Konta (2017,'19), Emma Raducanu (2021,'23) and Heather Watson (2022) who've done so at SW19 since 2000. Only one other home favorite (Samantha Smith '98) has done it since 1985.



After a day of rest, the toppling of the top seeds picked up again on Day 5, as #6 Madison Keys' rocky grass court season finally came to an end.

Keys came into Wimbledon having gone 2-2 in warm-up events, losing to Tatjana Maria at Queen's Club and Marketa Vondrousova in Berlin. Both went on to win the titles in the event. At SW19, she barely escaped the early-round hunting of the seeds, edging by Gabriela Ruse before her surprising quick dispatching of Olga Danilovic in the 2nd Round. Such wasn't the case today against Laura Siegemund, yet another 37-year old German (like Maria) whose unorthodox game (in 2025) is perfectly tuned to vex players not accustomed to foes who don't go about straightforwardly retrieving-and-returning and/or smashing the ball back over the net.

Not being able to generate much pace off of Siegemund's shots, Keys was at the mercy of her fate, which wasn't good on this day. She fell 3 & 3, becoming the sixth Top 10 seed to exit in the opening week, as well as the second of 2025's two previous major champions.



The win gives Siegemund just her second career slam Round of 16 result (w/ 2020 RG QF), but her upset of Keys is her second victory over a Top 10 player at a major this year, having knocked off Zheng Qinwen in Melbourne back in January. It makes '25 the German's first multi-Top 10 win campaign since 2017, and her wins this year account for two of her three total Top 10 victories since that season (along w/ def. Sakkari in Stuttgart in '22).

Siegemund didn't make her slam MD debut until age 27 at Wimbledon in 2015, yet ten years later she'll play LL Solana Sierra for a berth in the QF.



Meanwhile, #30 Linda Noskova kept up the Czech presence into the second week with a 7-5/7-6 win over Kamilla Rakhimova, reaching her second major 4th Round (w/ '24 AO QF). She's 8-2 on grass this year, with a Nottingham QF and Bad Homburg SF.



#24 Elise Mertens continues her sneaky good year, improving today to 29-12 on the season with a 6-1/7-6 win over #14 Elina Svitolina.

The Belgian has won a pair of titles this season, reached three finals (behind only #1 Sabalenka and #3 Pegula), is close to returning to the Top 20 ("live" #21), and has also played in a pair of 1000 WD finals (w/ V.Kudermetova) in Madrid and Rome.



Mertens is the lone remaining of the six pre-Wimbledon singles title winners in the MD (along with three other pre-finalists: Ansimova, Swiatek and Yastremska), and assuming that she doesn't win the title will continue what has become a long tradition of winning *any* of the tune-up events NOT translating into a follow-up Wimbledon title run.

With a loss from Mertens, the Wimbledon title-less streak will stretch back over the last 85 pre-SW19 grass champs, with the last to win both before (at Birmingham) *and* at the AELTC being a 17-year old Maria Sharapova in 2004. In fact, since Jana Novotna pulled the Eastbourne/Wimbledon double in 1998, it's still only Sharapova who has carried the roll into a SW19 win over the last 102 pre-Wimbledon grass events. To go even further, to date only three more pre-finalists in that stretch -- 2001 Henin (Rosmalen), 2006 Henin (Eastbourne) and 2022 Jabeur (Berlin) -- even reached the Wimbledon final.

Mertens will next play her old doubles partner, #1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka drew the last Centre Court showcase match of the day against Emma Raducanu (imagine that... a women's match on the #1 court late in the day). And while the Brit put up a good fight, Sabalenka continued her pattern (at least until the final) of doing what she does in slam play, where no deficit is really looked at as a big problem to overcome.

Today, Raducanu led 4-2 in the 1st, then 4-1 in the 2nd, but it was Sabalenka who got off the court in straight sets with a 7-6(6)/6-4 victory to reach the Round of 16 at the last eleven majors at which she's appeared.

In the 1st, Sabalenka had turned 2-4 down into a 5-4 lead, and held seven SP on Raducanu's serve before the Brit got the hold, then broke to lead 6-5. But Sabalenka broke back to force a TB, where she saved a Raducanu SP (at 6-5) with a drop shot winner, then put away a volley winner on SP #8 to win 8-6, claiming her thirteenth straight TB victory.

Raducanu's one-break 4-1 lead in the 2nd was quickly erased, as well, with Sabalenka sweeping the final five games before finally putting away MP #3 (she'd led 40/love on serve) to secure the win.







*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. #24 Elise Mertens/BEL
(LL) Solana Sierra/ARG vs. Laura Siegemund/GER
#30 Linda Noskova/CZE vs. #13 Amanda Anisimova/USA
Sonay Kartal/GBR vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x







...THIS IS WHY POST-MATCH COMMENTS ARE BEST LEFT FORGOTTEN... ON DAY 5:



No player has made more progress on grass this summer (Iga included) than Osaka, and she recovered from a disappointing RG to win her first pro title on clay preceding the surface switchm, as well. Maybe it's just because I've come to expect *nothing* from Osaka on clay/grass, but to me her game has fit on her two most troublesome surfaces quite well this season (even with the 3rd sets that got away from her), and it seems that she *should* take that as a good sign heading into the hard court summer where her fitness and game form *should* produce -- at some point -- the type of result on which she can place a legitimate ladder atop the foundation she build for her comeback in recent months.

Remember, while she went 4-5 in clay/grass three-setters in '25, she's gone 5-1 in them on hard court.

She's not really in the position, unlike say "peak Serena," where she might expect to possibly win *every* event she plays, or come close to it, enough to be disappointed by what she's managed to do the last few months. Yet she's in a very negative head space.

Maybe she was right about not needing to do press conferences after a match (keep the post-match, on-court interviews, though, for big events). They don't really accomplish much.


...AELTC STUPIDITY... ON DAY 5:




...SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT... ON DAY 5:










A year ago, we experienced a world *without*, and it was not a pretty sight. But in 2025, all was right once more.

Like a knight clad in proverbially shining armor, he returned to the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues to reclaim his throne. And his honor. The long (well, a year-long) national nightmare was over. No, not that one... the one centered around the annual July 4th rite of gluttony at Coney Island, New York known as the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.



Over the years, sixteen-time champion Joey Chestnut had grown into an Independence Day folk hero of sorts, aside from setting the all-time hot dog eating mark of 76 (in ten minutes) in 2021. In 2022, he single-handedly subdued a stage-rushing protester, putting him in a headlock and leaving him for security -- in the middle of the competiton (which he still won easily, of course). In 2023, he emerged in Pope-like fashion from behind the scenes to seemingly rally efforts to get the men's event back on track several hours after a sudden and dangerous weather emergency had nearly caused it to be cancelled after a lightning strike, downpour, and the flooding of the streets caused the stage to be cleared and spectators to run for cover and huddle together anywhere they could find safety.

But Chestnut, "the greatest living eater," was "banned" from the 2024 event, the result of a contract "misunderstanding" that centered around his endorsement of a plant-based hog dog. The show went on outside Nathan's last July, with a "replacement champ" crowned in Patrick Bertoletti; while Chestnut couldn't stay away from the date, showing up hours later at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas for a hastily-arranged "competition" in which he actually nearly matched Bertoletti's winning dog-and-bun total (58 vs. 57) in half the length of time (just five minutes). But it just wasn't the same. None of it. "Pedestrian" was the word that came to mind.

But, have no fear, as the event drew close it was announced that both sides had some to an agreement that would open the door for Chestnut's return today for his belated attempt to win Mustard Belt #17.



Last year, in the absence of Chestnut, women's champ Miki Sudo had ruled the stage, winning her tenth pink belt while setting a women's dogs-and-buns record with 51 downed in ten minutes. She was the first woman to crack the 50 barrier.

Sudo had starred even while her competition continued to be relegated to streaming-only live status shown later on tape delay during the ESPN broadcast of the festivities. That continued to be the case in 2025, though for the second straight year the women's event was given far more of a spotlight (and earlier placement) in the telecast than had previously been the case.

Since 2014, the now 39-year old Arizona native has dominated the women's competition, winning every year in which she's participated (Sudo missed '21 due to being nine and a quarter months pregnant). This year, on a mild day under blue skies, Sudo was expected to challenge the historic numbers she established a year ago.

But that didn't happen. Instead, proving the true measure of a champion by winning (and still dominating) even when not at her best, Sudo's technique proved sluggish from the outset, and she finished having consumed only 33 dogs-and-buns, an 18-dog drop from 2024. Thing is, she didn't *need* to go any higher, what with last year's second place finisher, Tokyo's Mayoi Ebihara (who finished w/ an impressive 37), absent this year, Sudo could almost "call her shot." 2021 champ Michelle Lesco, who won in Sudo's absence three years ago, finished second this time around with 22.75, while newcomer Domenica Dee (a Westchester, New York native) posted a good rookie total of 21.5.

Thus, an eleventh pink belt belongs to Miki.



*NATHAN'S HOT DOG EATING WOMEN'S CHAMPS*
2011 Sonya Thomas
2012 Sonya Thomas
2013 Sonya Thomas
2014 Miki Sudo
2015 Miki Sudo
2016 Miki Sudo
2017 Miki Sudo
2018 Miki Sudo
2019 Miki Sudo
2020 Miki Sudo
2021 Michelle Lesco
2022 Miki Sudo
2023 Miki Sudo
2024 Miki Sudo
2025 Miki Sudo

[competition record]
51.0 - Miki Sudo, 2024
48.5 - Miki Sudo, 2020 (*-held indoors)
45.0 - Sonya Thomas, 2013
41.0 - Miki Sudo, 2017
40.0 - Sonya Thomas, 2011
40.0 - Miki Sudo, 2022

At sometime close to half past noon, it was time for the return of the king, aka "Joey Jaws," aka the "Michelangelo of Mastication," aka the "Caravaggio of Consumption."



With a field that included the usual collection of familiar names from the U.S. competitive eating circle, the men's competition also featured competitors from England, Brazil, the Czech Republic and Nigeria (by way of Georgia, but not the former Soviet state). Thankfully, the only ice in sight was contained within the cups of the fans looking for a way to enjoy a cold beverage that would satisfy their thirst and calm their sore throats after cheering so loudly for the return of the Greatest That Ever Was.

As it turned out, not surprisingly, there was no *real* competition for Chestnut, and the enjoyment was in watching him grace this particular stage yet again, and whether he could (again) break his own record. In the end, he won handily, but came up short of giving his seventeenth win an historic glow.

Chestnut once more broke the 70-dog barrier, finishing with 70.5 dog-and-buns consumed, handily defeating "replacement champ" Bertoletti by 24, as the reigning Nathan's winner finished with 46.5, coming in second to Chestnut for a third time (after runner-up results in 2011-12) on July 4th. Australian James Webb finished third with 45.5.



*NATHAN'S HOT DOG EATING MEN'S CHAMPS - since 2000*
2000 Kazutoyo Arai
2001 Takeru Kobayashi
2002 Takeru Kobayashi
2003 Takeru Kobayashi
2004 Takeru Kobayashi
2005 Takeru Kobayashi
2006 Takeru Kobayashi
2007 Joey Chestnut
2008 Joey Chestnut [def. Takeru Kobayashi in 5-dog "Eat-Off"]
2009 Joey Chestnut
2010 Joey Chestnut
2011 Joey Chestnut
2012 Joey Chestnut
2013 Joey Chestnut
2014 Joey Chestnut
2015 Matt Stonie
2016 Joey Chestnut
2017 Joey Chestnut
2018 Joey Chestnut
2019 Joey Chestnut
2020 Joey Chestnut
2021 Joey Chestnut
2022 Joey Chestnut
2023 Joey Chestnut
2024 Patrick Bertoletti
2025 Joey Chestnut

[competition record]
76 - Joey Chestnut, 2021
75 - Joey Chestnut, 2020 (*-held indoors)
74 - Joey Chestnut, 2018
72 - Joey Chestnut, 2017



Hmmm, so though the weather seemed to be cooperative, 2024 women's champ Sudo saw an 18-dog drop in her total, while men's winner Bertoletti fell 12. Makes you wonder if *something* pushed the totals up in the year without Chestnut (conspiracy theory, anyone?) in order to keep the competition in the news. Afterward, Sudo said that she felt off from the start, and thought that the Nathan's buns were "more filling" this year for some reason. If Chestnut reached nearly 71, just five off his record total, in the same condition, what number would *he* have put down a year ago with (maybe) "lighter" (less filling?) buns? 80? 85?

That'll have to remain a 'what if?," or, you know, we'll just see what happens *next* year. And there will be a next year for Chestnut. And seemingly many more after that.

Chestnut was proud of his seventeenth Mustard Belt, but said afterward that he'd wanted to push his dog total higher. The 70.5 number fell within the range he was aiming for, but he was hoping to break her own record upon his return. Still, he was happy to just be back on this stage on this day. Turns out, as much as the event was shown to need him a year ago, maybe we learned that he needed it, as well. It has, after all, come to define him just as he has defined it.

He vowed to return again next year to take another stab at the record, and has no plans to retire anytime soon. So, in these times of tension and outrage, at least the U.S. has *that* goin' for it.

In the immortal words of one Jimmy Connors, another all-time athlete who seemed perfectly suited for the New York sports stage, "this is what they want."

And no one delivers better than Chestnut.







These things become more and more relevent every year day anymore. And that's not a good thing.













Next year will be the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and the celebrations will take place while a would-be tyrant wraps himself in the flag. From the Spirit of '76 to the Tension of '26. This is where we are.












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*BEST 2025 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
RG 3rd Rd. - Victoria Mboko, CAN
WI 3rd Rd. - DIANE PARRY, FRA
AO 2nd Rd. - Destanee Aiava, AUS
AO 2nd Rd. - Gabriela Ruse, ROU
RG 2nd Rd. - Sara Bejlek, CZE
RG 2nd Rd. - Joanna Garland, TPE
RG 2nd Rd. - Nao Hibino, JPN
RG 2nd Rd. - Leyre Romero Gormaz, ESP
RG 2nd Rd. - Tereza Valentova, CZE
WI 2nd Rd. - Veronika Erjavec, SLO
WI 2nd Rd. - Elsa Jacquemot, FRA
WI 2nd Rd. - Aliaksandra Sasnovich, BLR
[lucky losers]
WI 4th Rd. - SOLANA SIERRA, ARG (active)
AO 4th Rd. - Eva Lys, GER
RG 3rd Rd. - Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR
AO 2nd Rd. - Harriet Dart, GBR
WI 2nd Rd. - Victoria Mboko, CAN

*WIMBLEDON 4th RD.-or-better RESULTS - ARG*
[Gabriela Sabatini]
1986 - SF
1987 - QF
1988 - 4th Rd.
1990 - SF
1991 - F
1992 - SF
1993 - QF
1994 - 4th Rd.
1995 - QF
[others]
1974 Racquel Giscafre - 4th Rd.
1994 Florencia Labat - 4th Rd.
1995 Ines Gorrochategui - 4th Rd.
2003 Paola Suarez - 4th Rd.
2004 Paola Suarez - QF
2025 Solana Sierra - in 4th Rd.

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "LAST BRIT STANDING"*
2015 Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
2016 Johanna Konta & Tara Moore (2nd Rd.)
2017 Johanna Konta (SF)
2018 Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta & Katie Swan (2nd)
2019 Johanna Konta (QF)
2021 Emma Raducanu (4th Rd.)
2022 Heather Watson (4th Rd.)
2023 Katie Boulter (3rd Rd.)
2024 Emma Raducanu (4th Rd.)
2025 Sonay Kartal (in 4th Rd.)

*BRITISH 4th RD.+ RESULTS AT WIMBLEDON - OPEN ERA*
1968 SF - Ann Jones
1968 4th Rd. - Joyce Williams
1968 4th Rd. - Shirley Brasher
1969 W - Ann Jones
1969 4th Rd. - Christine Janes
1969 4th Rd. - Nell Truman
1970 QF - Winnie Shaw
1970 4th Rd. - Virginia Wade
1971 QF - Winnie Shaw
1971 4th Rd. - Virginia Wade
1971 4th Rd. - Lindsey Beaven
1971 4th Rd. - Christine Janes
1972 QF- Virginia Wade
1972 4th Rd. - Winnie Shaw
1973 QF - Virginia Wade
1973 4th Rd. - Glynis Coles
1974 SF- Virginia Wade
1974 4th Rd. - Lesley Charles
1975 QF - Virginia Wade
1975 4th Rd. - Lindsey Beaven
1975 4th Rd. - Winifred Woolridge
1975 4th Rd. - Glynis Coles
1976 SF - Virginia Wade
1976 QF - Sue Barker
1977 W - Virginia Wade
1977 SF - Sue Barker
1978 SF- Virginia Wade
1978 4th Rd. - Sue Barker
1979 QF - Virginia Wade
1979 4th Rd. Deborah Jevans
1980 4th Rd. - Virginia Wade
1981 4th Rd. - Jo Durie
1981 4th Rd. - Anne Hobbs
1983 QF - Virginia Wade
1984 QF - Jo Durie
1984 4th Rd. - Anne Hobbs
1985 4th Rd. - Jo Durie
1998 4th Rd. - Samantha Smith
2013 4th Rd. - Laura Robson
2017 SF - Johanna Konta
2019 QF - Johanna Konta
2021 4th Rd. - Emma Raducanu
2022 4th Rd. - Heather Watson
2023 4th Rd. - Emma Raducanu
2025 Sonay Kartal (in 4th Rd.)

*WIMBLEDON "KIMIKO CUP FOR VETERAN ACHIEVEMENT" WINNERS*
2015 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Venus Williams, USA
2017 Venus Williams, USA
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Barbora Strycova, CZE
2021 Karolina Pliskova, CZE and Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
2022 Tatjana Maria, GER and Alize Cornet, FRA
2023 Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
2024 Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
2025 Laura Siegemund, GER

*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 (2nd)
2025 Solana Sierra, ARG (in 4th Rd.)




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From rejecting a monarchy to installing an autocracy anntelnaes.substack.com/p/in-1776-we...

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 10:38 PM


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ROUBAIX, FRANCE: In ???? the country that gave us the Statue of Liberty ??, a mural was unveiled yesterday showing “the values the statue once stood for have been lost for many” ??????

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— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) July 4, 2025 at 12:26 PM












TOP QUALIFIER: Carson Branstine/CAN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #13 Amanda Anisimova/USA (7 games lost 1r/2r, double-bagel win in 1st)
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): 1st Rd. - #6 Madison Keys/USA def. Gabriela Ruse/ROU 6-7(4)/7-5/7-5 - Ruse fights off Keys' comeback to claim 1st, then Keys fights off Ruse's comeback in 3rd, serves out on second try
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, Zeynep Sonmez/TUR
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: Diane Parry/FRA (3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: no wins (0-8)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Caty McNally/USA (2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSERS: in 4r: Solana Sierra/ARG (2r: Victoria Mboko/CAN)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Sonay Kartal (in 4th Rd.)
Ms./Mrs. OPPORTUNITY: Nominee: Sierra, Noskova, Pavlyuchenkova
IT "Turk": Zeynep Sonmez/TUR (first TUR player into slam 3r)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Anisimova
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: Yastremska (2r- Zakharova led by set and 5-3, served for win at 5-4); Sierra (first LL into WI 4th Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Laura Siegemund/GER (oldest to 3r since 1970; in first WI 4th Rd.)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Petra Kvitova/CZE - plays final Wimbledon match







All for Day 5. More tomorrow.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:13 PM  2 comments

Thursday, July 03, 2025

W.4- The Art of Avoidance (and the Thrill of Survival)













=DAY 4 NOTES=
...perhaps the "fever" has been broken at SW19, as after three days of seeing seeded players be left by the wayside seemingly en masse, Day 4 featured a resurgence of the "favorites." With the collective task of not being the *next* to fall, seeded women opened the day at 7-0, and ended it at 9-1, with only a low-ranking seed coming out on the wrong side of a scoreline.

Things began in a somewhate worrisome fashion for #8 Iga Swiatek, who lost a 4-1 opening set lead to Caty McNally, the Bannerette with whom the Pole won the 2018 RG junior crown. Playing with a protected ranking after returning late last year following elbow surgery that cost her nine months of the '24 season, McNally stole away with a 7-5 opener. But she couldn't keep up with the former #1, who though she hasn't flown nearly as high at Wimbledon as she has at the other majors *has* managed to reach at least the 3rd Round at (now) each of her five SW19 appearances since her one-and-done debut in 2019 (the year after she won the girls' title).



Swiatek will next meet up with her "old friend," Danielle Collins.

Two days ago, #10 Emma Navarro ended the Wimbledon career of Petra Kvitova. Today she quickly dispensed of Veronika Kudermetova, winning 1 & 2 to become one of the five Top 10 seeds to survive to reach the Final 32.



Navarro has dropped just seven games through three rounds, tied with two other women for the fewest lost so far. The other two? #13 Amanda Anisimova and #11 Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh took out Maria Sakkari in short order on Thursday, and will next face off with #23 Clara Tauson for a spot in the second week.



After having eliminated one former Czech Wimbledon winner in Kvitova, Navarro will next get a shot at a second in the form of the defending champion, #17 Barbora Krejcikova.

Krejcikova had a bit more trouble in her match with Caroline Dolehide, but she rallied from 3-1 down to take the 1st, then broke the Bannerette for 4-2 in the 3rd en route to a 6-4/3-6/6-2 victory. Recently back from an early season back injury, and having pulled out of Eastbourne with a thigh injury, Krejcikova has now played four straight three-setters over the past two weeks. She's won them all, but one wonders if that'll be a sustainable pattern for very much longer going forward. Still, she's won her last nine matches at Wimbledon.



...meanwhile, #16 Dasha Kasatkina continued to live her best slam life, improving to 8-2 in majors this season with a 6-2/4-6/6-1 win over Irina-Camelia Begu. Despite being just 8-14 in any events other than the three '25 slams this season, the Aussie is one of nine women who've reached at least the 3rd Round of this year's AO, RG and Wimbledon.

Another player (a little surprisingly, as well) who is also on that short list is Dayana Yastremska. The 1st Round conqueror of #2 Coco Gauff managed to just survive today, and that was all that she needed to do.



Neither Yastremska nor Anastasia Zakharova saw a break point through the first ten games of today's match, but it was the Hordette who carved out (and won) the first in game 11, breaking to go up 6-5. In the following game, Zakharova saved a pair of BP and held to take the 1st 7-5. She led 5-3 in the 2nd, and served for the win at 5-4. But Yastremska held firm, sweeping the final four games of the set to force a decider.

Yastremska went out to a 4-2 lead, and had a MP at 6-5. But this time it was Zakharova who forced a MTB, then rallied from 4-1 down to lead 6-5 before the Ukrainian staged a final surge to win 10-8 on her fourth MP.

...lucky loser Solana Sierra advanced to the 3rd Round yesterday, but fellow LL Victoria Mboko didn't follow today, falling 7-6(6)/6-3 to Hailey Baptiste, who has now posted her two best career slam results (w/ RG 4r) at the last two majors.



Making not just personal, but also national, history on Day 4 was Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez. The 23-year old from Istanbul defeated Berlin finalist Wang Xinyu 7-5/7-5, becoming the first Turkish player to ever reach the 3rd Round of a major, topping countrywoman Cagla Buyukakcay's best-ever collection of three 2nd Round results in slams from 2016-17.



...the lone women's seed to fall of the nine in action on Thursday? That'd be #28 Sofia Kenin, who became the latest slam victim of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, the 22-year old Spaniard who a year ago ushered then-defending champ Marketa Vondrousova (then ranked #6) out in the 1st Round, and just a few weeks ago upset #9 Emma Navarro in the 1st Round of Roland Garros (allowing just 1 game).

Bouzas Maneiro won 6-1/7-6 today, advancing to the 3rd Round at Wimbledon for a second straight year. In 2024, she followed up her win over the Czech with another over countrywoman Cristina Bucsa (who's still alive in the 3r this year) before retiring in the 3rd Round vs. Krejcikova, who'd then go on to win the women's title.



She'll face Yastremska this time around.





...TOMORROW, THE RETURN... ON DAY JULY 4:











RIP to veteran character actor Michael Madsen. He's best known for his film roles in Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Thelma & Louise and Species. With a hulking frame and deep voice, Mr. Madsen usually dominated the hundreds of movies, tv and video game roles he inhabited. He was 67. #RIP

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— Anthony S. (@sevensoldiers.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 1:35 PM

BREAKING ?? ?? ?? Michael Madsen, 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Kill Bill: Vol. 2' actor, dies at 67 In an acting career spanning over 40 years, Madsen racked up dozens of screen credits. But he was best known for his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

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— Lauren Ashley Davis (@laurenmeidasa.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 1:23 PM

If you were sat in a theater in 1992 as RESERVOIR DOGS unspooled, Michael Madsen was an absolute revelation. Sad news of his passing.

— Phil Nobile Jr. (@philnobilejr.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 1:26 PM

Reports say Michael Madsen is gone. This Mr. Blonde scene in Reservoir Dogs is one of the most haunting and harrowing ever captured on film, although technically even the camera looks away. Is there a more coldblooded line than “hey, what’s going on?”??

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— Anthony Breznican (@brezwrites.bsky.social) July 3, 2025 at 2:08 PM














kosova-font

*WIMBLEDON 3rd ROUND*
ARG (1) - Sierra
AUS (1) - Kasatkina
BEL (1) - Mertens
BLR (1) - Sabalenka
CZE (2) - Krejcikova, Noskova
DEN (1) - Tauson
ESP (2) - Bouzas Maneiro ,Bucsa
FRA (1) - Parry
GBR (2) - Kartal, Raducanu
GER (1) - Siegemund
HUN (1) - Galfi
ITA (1) - Cocciaretto
JPN (1) - Osaka
KAZ (1) - Rybakina
POL (1) - Swiatek
RUS (5) - Alexandrova, M.Andreeva, Pavlyuchenkova, Rakhimova, Samsonova
SUI (1) - Bencic
TUR (1) - Sonmez
UKR (2) - Svitolina, Yastremska
USA (5) - Anisimova, Baptiste, Collins, Keys, Navarro
[NOTES]
TOTAL NATIONS (AO 19, RG 17): 17
SEEDS: 15
UNSEEDED: 17
...1 qualifier (Parry)
...0 wild cards
...1 lucky loser (Sierra)
...0 protected ranking
FIRST-TIME SLAM 3r: 2 (Sierra, Sonmez)
FIRST-TIME WI 3r: 8
...Baptiste, Bucsa, Noskova, Rakhimova, Sierra, Siegemund, Sonmez, Tauson
TEENS: 1 (Andreeva)
30+: 6
...Alexandrova, Collins, Keys, Pavlyuchenkova, Siegemund, Svitolina
2024 WI 3r REPEATS: 13
...Bouzas Maneiro, Collins, Kartal, Kasatkina, Keys, Krejcikova, Navarro, Raducanu, Rybakina, Samsonova, Svitolina, Swiatek, Yastremska
...(3 in last two app. 2023/25: Alexandrova, Bencic, Cocciaretto)
2025 AO-RG-WI 3rd Rd.: 9
...Andreeva, Kasatkina, Keys, Rybakina, Sabalenka, Svitolina, Swiatek, Tauson, Yastremska

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "IT" WINNERS*
2016 [First WC Champ] Jiske Griffioen, NED
2017 [Next WC Great?] Diede de Groot, NED
2018 [GenPDQ Pole] Iga Swiatek, POL
2019 [Kid] Coco Gauff, USA
2021 [Teen Brit] Emma Raducanu, GBR
2022 [Groundbreakers] Ons Jabeur/TUN and Elena Rybakina/KAZ
2023 [Teen Phenom] Mirra Andreeva, RUS
2024 [Kiwi] Lulu Sun, NZL
2025 [Turk] Zeynep Sonmez/TUR

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING"*
=2019=
Coco Cauff, USA (4th Rd.)
=2021=
Maria (Camila Osorio) Serrano, COL (3rd Rd.)
=2022=
M.Chwalinska/POL, C.Harrison/USA, M.Hontama/JPN, K.Kawa/POL, Y.Wickmayer/BEL (all 2nd Rd.)
=2023=
Mirra Andreeva, RUS (4th Rd.)
=2024=
Lulu Sun, NZL (QF)
=2025=
Diane Parry, FRA (in 3rd Rd.)

*RECENT SLAM "EARLY-ROUND TOP PLAYER" WINNERS (w/ finish)*
=2022=
AO: Ash Barty (W)
RG: Iga Swiatek (W)
WI: Simona Halep (SF)
US: Serena Williams (3rd)
=2023=
AO: Jessie Pegula (QF)
RG: Mirra Andreeva (3rd)
WI: Madison Keys (QF)
US: Coco Gauff (W)
=2024=
AO: Aryna Sabalenka (W)
RG: Aryna Sabalenka (QF)
WI: Dasha Kasatkina (3rd)
US: Aryna Sabalenka (W)
=2025=
AO: Aryna Sabalenka (RU)
RG: Aryna Sabalenka (RU)
WI: Amanda Anisimova

*BEST SLAM RESULTS BY TURKISH WOMEN*
3rd Rd. - Zeynep Sonmez (2025 WI...)
2nd Rd. - Cagla Buyukakcay (2016 RG)
2nd Rd. - Cagla Buyukakcay (2016 US)
2nd Rd. - Cagla Buyukakcay (2017 RG)




kosova-font









TOP QUALIFIER: Carson Branstine/CAN
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #13 Amanda Anisimova/USA (7 games lost 1r/2r, double-bagel win in 1st)
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): 1st Rd. - #6 Madison Keys/USA def. Gabriela Ruse/ROU 6-7(4)/7-5/7-5 - Ruse fights off Keys' comeback to claim 1st, then Keys fights off Ruse's comeback in 3rd, serves out on second try
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, Zeynep Sonmez/TUR
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: Diane Parry/FRA (in 3rd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: no wins (0-8)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Caty McNally/USA (2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSERS: in 3r: Solana Sierra/ARG (2r: Victoria Mboko/CAN)
LAST BRIT STANDING: in 3r: Kartal, Raducanu
Ms./Mrs. OPPORTUNITY: x
IT "Turk": Zeynep Sonmez/TUR (first TUR player into slam 3r)
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: Yastremska (2r- Zakharova led by set and 5-3, served for win at 5-4); Sierra (LL into 3rd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominee: Siegemund (oldest to 3r since 1970)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Petra Kvitova/CZE - plays final Wimbledon match







All for Day 4. More tomorrow.

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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:50 PM  2 comments