Saturday, July 05, 2025

W.6- A Dane with Designs to Reign?


You know what would be so very Wimbledon...?




Clara Tauson has been raising her hand since the very first moment she stepped on the slam stage. Back in 2020, the then 17-year old Dane -- the AO19 girls' champ -- began her major career with a qualifying run at Roland Garros and a 1st Round upset of a Top 25-ranked (before all the injuries) Jennifer Brady. It was one of the more brilliant debut slam match performances in recent memory.

Since then, the Dane has steadily risen, then often fallen back, sometimes due to injury, sometimes inconsistency, and for a bit even due to financial issues. But she's continued to improve, and maintained the look of a big-hitting player, if she could just get *everything* together at once, who could produce some very remarkable results. Having gradually improved her movement, and stabilized her coaching situation with Kasper Elsvad (also her boyfriend), Tauson has been climbing the WTA ladder over the past year-plus.

Through it all, the big stage has proven to be one where the Dane has thrived. Through the ups-and-downs, she continued to post big early-round upsets in slams. Over a #6-seeded Anett Kontaveit at the '22 AO (2r), #27 Anastasia Potapova at the '23 U.S. (1r), #9 Alona Ostapenko at RG in '24 (2r), and then #29 Linda Noskova earlier this year at the AO (1r).

In 2025, when her health has allowed, Tauson often *has* (or come close to it) at times put everything together. She opened '25 on a 16-4 run, winning a title in Auckland (her third at tour-level, but first since 2021), and reached her biggest final at 1000 Dubai, an event that included her first #1 win over Aryna Sabalenka before a loss in the final to Mirra Andreeva (against whom Tauson has often seemed *this close* to a big moment, only to see the teenager raise her game and again close the door in her face, to the tune of a 4-0 mark against her already this season).

After her maiden Round of 16 slam result last year in Paris, Tauson had consecutive 3rd Round runs in the first two majors this season, climbing as high as #21 in the rankings. She came into today having reached the same stage at a third straight slam, this time as the #23 seed despite having previously been 0-3 in her Wimbledon career. In fact, before her two wins this week, the Dane had never before won a MD match on grass in *any* pro tournament, with her only victories (2) coming during a Wimbledon qualfying attempt in 2023 that ended a round short of the MD.

But none of that mattered today.



Today against #11-seeded '22 Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina, in a match-up of the two top ace producers on tour, it was Tauson who appeared the more composed and prepared of the two. In fact, at times, the Kazakh appeared uncharacteristically scattered, with her 31 unforced errors sometimes shocking and usually very ill-timed, be it all the result of the pressure that Tauson's power shots put on her or the lingering issues revolving around her oft-troublesome coaching situation.



Tied at 4-4 when rain stopped play in the 1st set, the two were on serve with Rybakina up 5-4 with neither having lost serve. Rybakina had staved off three BP, and Tauson one, when the Kazakh had two BP/SP at 5-4. Tauson saved them both and got the hold. Rybakina tossed her racket in frustration.

Tauson often found herself winning points on the day not with her power, but with some ingenuity and hustle, employing lobs and drop shots on occasion as Rybakina's on-court movement became the sticking point that Tauson's sometimes has been in the past. In the 1st set tie-break, the Dane twice led by an early mini-break, only to see Rybakina twice get back on serve. Tauson dropped back-to-back serves to give the Kazakh a 4-3 lead, but Rybakina couldn't take advantage of her edge. Tauson got the TB back on serve and was the first to see a SP, converting on her second in the breaker when a second consecutive Rybakina UE gave the Dane an 8-6 win.

With Rybakina still shaken by the loss, Tauson raced out to a 4-1 led in the second. Another rain delay arrived with Tauson serving at 4-2, 40/30. When play resumed, she needed just one point to take a 5-2 lead. Fighting her nerves, Tauson faced a BP when serving for the win at 5-3. She saved it with a big serve, then followed up with a service winner. Another Rybakina UE gave the Dane a MP, and a final one on a short ball ended things.

Tauson won 7-6(6)/6-3, recording her sixth career win over a seeded player at a major, but her first as a seeded player *herself*. Her first second week run at SW19 puts her on equal par with *the* all-time great Dane, Caroline Wozniacki, whose career-best SW19 result was also the 4th Round. She went 0-6 in those matches, while Tauson now gets her first shot at breaking that losing string.



Meanwhile, Rybakina exits Wimbledon earlier than she ever has (she'd had W-QF-SF results since her debut 4r in '21), and will only face more questions about her current headspace and future as the summer wears on.

Next up for the Dane? Another big stage moment against a big-named player. After several seasons waiting for it to become a reality, has Tauson's *moment* finally arrived?








=DAY 6 NOTES=
...the women's 3rd Round wrapped up on Saturday, and women from twelve different nations fill the Final 16, the most at any slam this season. Ten nations are one-woman shows, while the U.S. managed to slip in a second with a late-in-the-day victory over the defending champion (more on that in a moment). The other four slots? All occupied by Hordettes.

Yesterday, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova made it 93 of 105 majors with at least one Russian in the 4th Round, and she was joined by three of her countrywomen on Day 6.



In a match-up against a former Hordette, #16-seeded Aussie Dasha Kasatkina, #19 Liudmila Samsonova made it two consecutive second week runs at majors this season (and a third in the last four slams) with a straight sets victory, reaching her first 4th Round at SW19 since her 2021 debut. Samsonova's seasons generally begin to heat up about this time of year and, right on cue, after a 10-11 start to '25 she's gone 13-4 since the middle of May (w/ a Strasbourg RU, RG 4r, Berlin SF and now this).

Joining Samsonova was #7 Mirra Andreeva, who reached the second week at her third straight slam with a 6-1/6-3 victory over Hailey Baptiste. The match was more entertaining than the scoreline would suggest, as Baptiste pushed Andreeva into often finding her best to keep ahead. The Bannerette had chances to push the 18-year old in the 2nd, which might have been interesting considering Andreeva's emotional responses (and often corresonding losses) to such things of late. Baptiste had five BP in game 7 at 4-2, looking to get back on serve. But Andreeva prevailed in two sets, reaching her second Wimbledon 4th Round in three years.

Andreeva has a pair of second week runs at three different majors on three different surfaces, but is still oh-fer at the U.S. Open, where she's gone out in the 2nd Round both of the last two years.



#18 Ekaterina Alexandrova rounded out the quartet of second week Hordettes, ending Zeynep Sonmez's historic run with a 6-3/7-6 win that gives her back-to-back 4th Rounds in majors. The 30-year old didn't reach her first slam second week until her 26th career major MD, at the '23 Wimbledon (she missed last year's edition with an injury).



...last year, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro made a big statement in just her third career slam MD match, knocking off defending Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova in the 1st Round. The Spaniard ultimately retired in the 3rd Round vs. Barbora Krejcikova, who'd go on to win the title. Since then, Bouzas Maneiro has often played some great tennis, but just as often has had a hard time holding big leads in matches and/or following up her best wins with another to pull off a deep event run (she's 0-3 in tour-level QF).

In Paris, she got her second Top 10 slam victory in less than a year with a win over Emma Navarro in the 1st Round, and in her Wimbledon return she's now strung together three straight wins, including over former slam champ #28 Sofia Kenin and today vs. former slam semifinalist Dayana Yastremska, who upset #2 Coco Gauff earlier in the week. Bouzas Maneiro's 6-1/2-6/6-3 gets her over the "3rd Round hump" after being 0-3 in 3rd Round matches at three of the last four majors.



...Belinda Bencic got off to a great start in '25. After returning last October from having a baby, the Swiss reached the AO 4th Round in January and won a 500 title in Abu Dhabi, part of a 13-3 opening record that included a pair of Top 5 wins. But an arm injury has recently slowed her roll, keeping her out of RG and coming into Wimbledon she'd gone 4-6 since reaching the Indian Wells QF in March.

Against Elisabetta Cocciaretto today, Bencic rallied from 4-2 down in 3rd set, pushing things to a MTB and winning it 10-7.

Around her year-long absence from a major MD in '24, as well as missing this year's RG, Bencic has reached the 4th Round at the last four majors she's played and at five of six back to the start of '23.



...#8 Iga Swiatek's grass court season continues to bear fruit, this time with a 6-2/6-3 win over Danielle Collins that joins the Pole with just Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva with second week runs at all three slams thus far in 2025. But even with the win, this still isn't her best Wimbledon result. She reached the QF in 2023.

She'll face the big-hitting Tauson next. It'll be just their second meeting, with the other a while ago at Indian Wells in 2022. The Dane won the 1st set in a TB, but lost in three.



...meanwhile, when you see an image like this, you know it ain't good.



Although, the way things started when #17-seeded defending champ Barbora Krejcikova faced off with #10 Emma Navarro, that moment seemed a long way off. The Czech opened in fine form, while the reticent Navarro resembled the player who'd been ridden rather hardly out of the last two majors, to the tune of 6-1/6-2 by Swiatek at the AO and 6-0/6-1 by Bouza Maneiro at RG.

Krejcikova arrived at SW19 lightly played, having (maybe) recovered from a back injury just long enough to retire from the QF in Eastbourne with a thigh injury after having saved MP in back-to-back match wins there. Still, she arrived at Wimbledon and extended her AELTC winning streak to nine matches with her third and fourth straight three-set wins this grass season. After opening with a 6-2 1st set win over Navarro today, the hope that she'd get off the court quicker this time was alive and well.

But everything caught up with Krejcikova the rest of the way. Her health, her lack of match play, and a more aggressive, better-centered Navarro all produced Thunderdome conditions for Krejcikova when it came to keeping her SW19 experience (at least in singles, as she's still alive in doubles) going as she grew and more tired down the stretch, took an MTO (she seemed ill, in addition to everything else) and often hunched over and pushed the serve clock to its limit between points.

Able to keep herself alive in the 3rd with her return game, as the two combined for five straight breaks of serve in the middle of the final set, Krejcikova's serve ultimately became the last straw that broke the camel's back. A 1st set first serve percentage of 70% (winning 81%) devolved to 50% and 57% in the final two sets, and the Czech finally could see the writing on the wall. Not as she cried into it the closing moments, but proverbially, in general.

Navarro finally served out the 2-6/6-3/6-4 win, ending Krejcikova's reign. We're now assured of a ninth different Wimbledon champ in nine years, and a first-time SW19 winner for an eighth straight summer.

Navarro is the only woman to repeat her '24 run to the Wimbledon 4th Round this year, but there *are* four others in the remaining sixteen who missed the tournament last year but got at least that far in their previous most recent MD appearance at SW19.



...I kind of got caught slow-on-the-uptake with this past week's junior and wheelchair events, since they wrapped up on *Friday* at Roehampton in order to get to Wimbledon early for the start of the competitions there. The winners were noteworthy.

Bannerette Julieta Pareja rallied from a set and a break down to defeat Bulgaria's Elizara Yaneva. The 16-year old, remember, reached the Bogota SF during the spring in her maiden *tour-level* MD appearance.

The Kovackovas won the doubles.

As for as the wheelchair event...



Yui Kamiji's second straight Roehampton win was the fourth at the event in her career (she's still looking for the one major title that's eluded her with the Wimbledon singles crown), coming with a 6-0/6-4 victory in the final over Aniek Van Koot. The bigger news came earlier in the event, though.

In the 2nd Round, Kamiji faced off with Diede de Groot for the first time since the Dutch woman's return, and she got the win (again), taking the match 6-0/4-6/7-6(1) to notch her *third* straight victory over de Groot (the last two years at Roehampton, with the Paralympics in between before de Groot's hip surgery).

If and when de Groot gets herself right post-surgery, she'll have a revenge tour to plan (vs. Kamiji, Li Xiaohui, and Angelica Bernal, as of now). De Groot arrives at SW19 as the #3 seed, having won the last four Wimbledon titles, and six of the last seven.

Manami Tanaka & Zhu Zhenzhen won the doubles.



...the Wimbledon junior action began on Saturday, and while #7 Mika Stojsavljevic fell to Mia Pohanka, and #11 Jelina Vandromme to Neus Torner Sensano, the upset bug didn't spread. The #1 (Emerson Jones), #2 (Hannah Klugman), #3 (RG champ Lilli Tagger) and #4 (Kristina Penickova) seeds all moved on.








*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
#7 Mirra Andreeva/RUS vs. #10 Emma Navarro/USA
#18 Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS vs. Belinda Bencic/SUI
#8 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. #23 Clara Tauson/DEN
#19 Liudmila Samsononva/RUS vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro/ESP

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
#1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) vs. #15 Melichar-Martinez/Samsonova (USA/RUS)
#10 Bondar/Stefani (HUN/BRA) vs. #7 L.Kichenok/Perez (UKR/AUS)
#4 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT) vs. #14 Alexandrova/Zhang (RUS/CHN)
Cirstea/Kalinskaya (ROU/RUS) vs. #5 M.Andreeva/Shnaider (RUS/RUS)
Birrell/Joint (AUS/AUS) vs. Gadecki/Krawczyk (AUS/USA)
#16 Dolehide/Kenin (USA/USA) vs. Chan H-c./Krejcikova (TPE/CZE)
#8 V.Kudermetova/Mertens (RUS/BEL) vs. #11 Haddad Maia/Siegemund (BRA/GER)
#13 Khromacheva/Stollar (RUS/HUN) vs. #2 Dabrowski/Routliffe (CAN/NZL)

*MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16*
Siniakova/Verbeek (CZE/NED) vs. Mihalikova/Gonzalez (SVK/MEX)
(WC) Silva/Paris (GBR/GBR) vs. (Alt) Sutjiadi/Galloway (INA/USA)
#3 Errani/Vavassori (ITA/ITA) vs. Khromacheva/Withrow (RUS/USA)
(WC) Lumsden/Stevenson (GBR/GBR) vs. #8 Babos/Pavic (HUN/CRO)
Stefani/Salisbury (BRA/GBR) vs. Muhammad/Molteni (USA/ARG)
Hsieh/Zielinski (TPE/INA) vs. #4 Townsend/King (USA/USA)
Panova/Lammons (RUS/USA) vs. Krawczyk/Skupski (USA/GBR)
Jiang/Bhambri (CHN/IND) vs. #2 Zhang/Arevalo (CHN/ELS)








...A GOOD WALK SPOILED... ON DAY 6:




...BELATED DAY 5 SNARK TRUTH ON DAY 6:



...and six of the eight women's matches would have been the first-up at the start of the day, with the other two second-up behind men's matches. So if the right combination of quick men's matches and long women's matches happened, seven (and maybe even all eight) would have been taking place simultaneously for a short period of time.

(In French...) "Just get off the court so the real matches can start!"


...MEANWHILE... ON DAY 6:



WIMBLEDON "PROP PICK" PREDICTIONS
1. The Wimbledon champion will be a former SW19 finalist, or an unnamed first-time Czech Wimbledon finalist. With Krejcikova and Rybakina's exits today, that leaves just Linda Noskova as the last remaining hope for a "W." Not feelin' good for this one, but I guess *stranger* things have happened.
2. The runner-up will be a first-time Wimbledon finalist who *has* reached a final at another major. Still alive: Sabalenka, Pavlyuchenkova and Swiatek
3. Dark horse: Amanda Anisimova For a "YES" she'd need to reach the QF, and she plays Noskova next. So one pick is going to pull the rip cord soon.
4. A final four member will be a first-time slam semifinalist, and be outside the Top 20 seeded players (possibly unseeded, and probably more likely so). Still w/ a shot: Sierra/Siegemund (one will reach QF), #30 Noskova, Kartal, #23 Tauson and Bouzas Maneiro
x- I really should have made the pick about Top 10 seeds reaching the QF. I figured just *two*, with definitely no more than three. There are four left (#1 Sabalenka, #7 Andreeva, #8 Swiatek, #10 Navarro), and two play each other in the 4th Round... so 2 or 3, probably.

























kosova-font




Might have to try this, actually.













kosova-font

*TAUSON SLAM WINS OVER SEEDS*
2020 RG 1st Rd.: #21 Jennifer Brady (lost in 2r)
2022 AO 2nd Rd.: #6 Anett Kontaveit (lost in 3r)
2023 US 1st Rd.: #27 Anastasia Potapova (lost in 2r)
2024 RG 2nd Rd.: #9 Alona Ostapenko (lost in 4r)
2025 AO 1st Rd.: #29 Linda Noskova (lost in 3r)
2025 WI 3rd Rd.: #11 Elena Rybakina
--
OVERALL GS MD: 20-15
...AO 5-3 / RG 9-5 / WI 3-3 / US 3-4
...vs. seeded players: 6-11
...vs. unseeded players: 14-4
...as seeded player (2 events): 5-1

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "ZOMBIE QUEEN" WINNERS*
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Dominika Cibulkova/SVK & Aga Radwanska/POL
2017 Arina Rodionova, AUS
2018 Katerina Siniakova, CZE
2019 Elina Svitolina, UKR
2021 Kristie Ahn, USA
2022 Elise Mertens, BEL
2023 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR
2024 Marta Kostyuk, UKR
2025 Solana Sierra, ARG (LL)



*2025 WI FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#1 - Aryna Sabalenka
#4 - Iga Swiatek
#7 - Mirra Andreeva
#10 - Emma Navarro
#12 - Amanda Anisimova
#17 - Ekaterina Alexandrova
#19 - Liudmila Samsonova
#22 - Clara Tauson
#23 - Elise Mertens
#27 - Linda Noskova
#35 - Belinda Bencic
#50 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
#51 - Sonay Kartal
#62 - Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
#101 - Solana Sierra
#104 - Laura Siegemund

[by age]
18 - M.Andreeva
20 - Noskova
21 - Sierra
22 - Anisimova, Bouzas Maneiro, Tauson
23 - Kartal
24 - Navarro, Swiatek
26 - Samsonova
27 - Sabalenka
28 - Bencic
29 - Mertens
30 - Alexandrova
34 - Pavlyuchenkova
37 - Siegemund

[by nation]
4...RUS (Alexandrova, M.Andreeva, Pavlyuchenkova, Samsonova)
2...USA (Anisimova, Navarro)
1...ARG (Sierra)
1...BEL (Mertens)
1...BLR (Sabalenka)
1...CZE (Noskova)
1...DEN (Tauson)
1...ESP (Bouzas Maneiro)
1...GBR (Kartal)
1...GER (Siegemund)
1...POL (Swiatek)
1...SUI (Bencic)

[by career slam Round-of-16s]
19 - Swiatek
16 - Sabalenka
15 - Mertens
12 - Pavlyuchenkova
11 - Bencic
8 - Anisimova
6 - M.Andreeva
5 - Navarro, Samsonova
3 - Alexandrova
2 - Noskova, Siegemund, Tauson
1 - Bouzas Maneiro, Kartal, Sierra

[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16s]
4 - Sabalenka (last 11 played, DNP Wimb.'24)
4 - Swiatek
3 - M.Andreeva
2 - Alexandrova
2 - Anisimova
2 - Samsonova
1+2+4 - Bencic (AO/WI '25, DNP RG; in last 4 slam MD played starting w/ WI '23)

[w/ multiple career WI Round of 16s]
4 - Bencic
3 - Mertens, Sabalenka, Swiatek
2 - Alexandrova, M.Andreeva, Anisimova, Navarro, Pavlyuchenkova, Samsonova

[w/ consecutive WI Round of 16s]
2 - Navarro
1+2 - Sabalenka (last 3 MD: 2021,'23,'25; DNP '24)
1+1 - Alexandrova (last 2 MD: 2023,'25; DNP '24)
1+1 - Anisimova (last 2 MD: 2022,'25; DNP '24)
1+1 - Bencic (last 2 MD: 2023,'25; DNP '24)

[WTA career slam Round of 16s - active]
30...Victoria Azarenka
23...Petra Kvitova
[23...Caroline Wozniacki]
22...Madison Keys
20...Elina Svitolina
19...Iga Swiatek
16...Aryna Sabalenka
16...Sloane Stephens
[16...Vera Zvonareva]
15...Coco Gauff
15...Elise Mertens
14...Karolina Pliskova
12...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
11...Belinda Bencic

[WTA slam Round of 16s since 2020 (of 22) - active]
18 - Swiatek
16 - Sabalenka
13 - Gauff
10 - Jabeur, Mertens, Svitolina
9 - Pegula, Rybakina
8 - Badosa, Keys, Krejcikova
7 - Azarenka
6 - M.Andreeva, Anisimova, Bencic
6 - Muchova, Pavlyuchenkova
5 - Kasatkina, Kvitova, Navarro
5 - Paolini, Sakkari, Samsonova
5 - Vekic, Vondrousova, Zheng Q.
4 - Collins, Garcia, Kasatkina
4 - Kenin, Ostapenko, Ka.Pliskova
3 - Alexandrova, Cirstea, Cornet
3 - Haddad Maia, V.Kudermetova
3 - Raducanu, Stephens, Tomljanovic, Zhang Sh.
2 - Avanesyan, Bouzkova, Danilovic
2 - Fernandez, Kalinskaya, Kostyuk, Martic
2 - Niemeier, Noskova, Osaka, Putintseva
2 - Riske-A., Siegemund, Tauson, Trevisan
2 - Tsurenko, Wang Xinyu, [Wozniacki]

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - youngest]
17 - Mirra Andreeva (AO)
18 - Mirra Andreeva (RG)
18 - Mirra Andreeva (WI)
20 - Coco Gauff (AO)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - oldest]
37 - Laura Siegemund (WI)
34 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenokva (WI)
33 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (AO)
31 - Jessie Pegula (RG)
30 - Ekaterina Alexandrova (WI)
30 - Ekaterina Alexandrova (RG)
30 - Madison Keys (RG)
30 - Elina Svitolina (RG)
30 - Elina Svitolina (AO)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - unseeded]
=AO (4)=
Bencic(PR), Danilovic, V.Kudermetova, Lys(LL)
=RG (2)=
Baptiste, Boisson(WC)
=WI (6)=
Bencic, Bouzas Maneiro, Kartal, Pavlyuchenkova, Siegemund, Sierra(LL)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.; w/ MD #]
AO - (1) Lys (6th)
RG - (2) Baptiste (8th), Boisson (1st)
WI - (3) Bouzas Maneiro (7th), Kartal (6th), Sierra (3rd)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - completed "Career Round of 16 Slam"]
AO - Dasha Kasatkina (36th slam MD), Emma Navarro (9)
RG - none
WI - none

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - lowest-ranked]
#361 - Lois Boisson (RG)
#294 - Belinda Bencic (AO)
#128 - Eva Lys (AO)
#104 - Laura Siegemund (WI)
#101 - Solana Sierra (WI)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s]
3 - M.Andreeva (AO/RG/WI)
3 - Sabalenka (AO/RG/WI)
3 - Swiatek (AO/RG/WI)
2 - Alexandrova (RG/WI)
2 - Anisimova (RG/WI)
2 - Bencic (AO/WI)
2 - Gauff (AO/RG)
2 - Kasatkina (AO/RG)
2 - Keys (AO/RG)
2 - Navarro (AO/WI)
2 - Pavlyuchenkova (AO/WI)
2 - Rybakina (AO/RG)
2 - Samsonova (RG/WI)
2 - Svitolina (AO/RG)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - by nation]
11 = 4/3/4/- = RUS (Alexandrova,M.Andreeva,Pavlyuchenkova,Samsonova)
10 = 3/5/2/- = USA (Anisimova,Navarro)
3 = 1/1/1/- = BLR (Sabalenka)
3 = 1/1/1/- = POL (Swiatek)
2 = 1/0/1/- = ESP (Bouzas Maneiro)
2 = 1/0/1/- = GER (Siegemund)
2 = 1/1/0/- = KAZ
2 = 1/0/1/- = SUI (Bencic)
2 = 1/1/0/- = UKR
=
1 AO: CRO,SRB
1 RG: AUS,CHN,FRA,ITA
1 WI: ARG(Sierra),BEL(Mertens),CZE(Noskova),DEN(Tauson),GBR(Kartal)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - by region]
17 = (6/3/8/-) - W.Europe/Scandinavia (BEL-CZE-DEN-ESP-GBR-GER-POL-SUI)
16 = (6/5/5/-) - Eastern Europe/Russia (BLR-RUS)
10 = (3/5/2/-) - North America/Atlantic (USA)
4 = (1/3/0/-) - Asia/Oceania
1 = (0/0/1/-) - South America (ARG)
0 = (0/0/0/-) - Africa/Middle East/Mediterranean





kosova-font

The fact we have secret police whisking people off the streets doesn’t get enough attention. It ain’t normal and we’re further down the road to authoritarianism than you think.

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 4, 2025 at 10:52 PM


kosova-font

For context, this was in late October...




Then this was less than a month later...




And then the bleepin' kicker missed the extra point.


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 (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: Bouzas Maneiro, Noskova, Pavlyuchenkova, Tauson, (WC)
IT "Turk": Zeynep Sonmez/TUR (first TUR player into slam 3r)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Anisimova, Bencic, Swiatek
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: Solana Sierra/ARG (LL, first 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 6. More tomorrow.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 9:18 PM  1 comments

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. Greet Minnen had pulled out of the event, throwing Sierra a lifeline.

She had fifteen minutes to prepare for her Wimbledon debut.

A 2022 RG girls' finalist, 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.












kosova-font












kosova-font

*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.)




kosova-font


kosova-font

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

[image or embed]

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


kosova-font


kosova-font


kosova-font

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” ??????

[image or embed]

— 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  3 comments