Saturday, July 12, 2025

And Just Like That


Clearly, this was Iga Swiatek's secret plan all along, right?




For years, the former #1 and four-time Roland Garros (as well as one-time U.S. Open) champion has played the game of lowered expectations when it came to her performances and prospects at Wimbledon. It made sense, to a point, as the grass surface didn't particularly suit her game (her clay and hard court game, at least), and her annual results at SW19 generally backed up the notion. Two recent first week exits, but also one QF (in 2023) that spoke to a bit of room for movement.

Of course, Swiatek has also often talked of her idolization of one Rafa Nadal, another clay court conqueror whose game best suited the dirt, but who made a point to work in the weeks prior to Wimbledon to change his game/tactics enough for the upcoming fortnight that he eventually prevailed in London, as well, picking up his first of two SW19 crowns after becoming a four-time RG champ in 2008 (after back-to-back Wimbledon finals after claiming his second and third titles in Paris the previous two years).

The thought from here was that, knowing that history, Swiatek would *one day* follow suit once she committed herself to doing something similar.

Turned out, it took the short-circuiting of her usual ongoing clay court dominance and in the City of Light that opened the door to such a possibility. After a year-long title and final drought became official in Paris last month, the grass court season awaited Swiatek like a proverbial oasis in a desert of bad breaks, if only she so chose to dip her toe into the water.

History has turned on things more minor.

Proper preparation for the surface change, as well as the follow-through once the shots were live, turned Swiatek into a first-time grass finalist in Bad Homburg days before the start of this Wimbledon, and then a nearly unparalled practitioner on the (dry, parched... likely greatly in her favor) lawns of the All-England Club, where she mostly breezed through the draw (losing just one set, to Caty McNally back in the 2nd Rd.) en route to her maiden final while also grabbing headlines/likes talking about her favorite "strawberries & pasta" dish and her addiction to making off with as many of the tournament's coveted towels as she could not-so-clandestinely stuff into her bags after matches.

Meanwhile, when it's come to bad breaks, Amanda Anisimova has walked the walk. A slam semifinalist at RG in 2019 as a 17-year old, the U.S. woman soon lost her father then, over the course of the several seasons that followed, her will to endure the grind of the tennis tour. Finally, in the spring of 2023 she fully stepped away from the sport, a sabbatical that lasted nine months.

In January of last year, Anisimova was ranked outside the Top 400, and at Wimbledon lost in the final round of qualifying as an unseeded, #189-ranked entrant just two years after she'd reached the QF in the women's event. With a more disciplined training schedule, Anisimova began her climb back up the rankings last summer, reaching the first final of her return in August, then picking up her first title in February. A Round of 16 run at RG (ended by Aryna Sabalenka) sent her into the grass season with momentum, where she immediately reached the Queen's Club title match. The #13 seed at SW19, she got a measure of revenge against Sabalenka in a dramatic semifinal clash, preventing the world #1 from reaching her first Wimbledon final, instead taking the honor herself.

While a competitive contest was expected in this one, what hovered over it pre-match was that #8-seeded Swiatek had never lost a slam final (5-0, with Monica Seles holding the women's record for the best career start in major finals, one behind Roger Federer overall), while Anisimova, though officially a Top 10 player for the first time next week, had never played in one.



The steep difference in big final experience was evident early on. Anisimova was clearly nervous, and it trickled down to her first serve. Swiatek took 40/love leads in both of the first two games, getting the break to open and then backing it up with a hold. Anisimova led 40/15 in game 3, but a series of first serve faults complicated matters greatly. She held four GP in all, but Swiatek continued her tournament-long pattern of playing with more aggression, and keeping rallies short. The Pole worked her way into a BP opportunity, and Anisimova double-faulted to hand Swiatek a double-break lead at 3-0.

Things didn't get much better for Anisimova down the stretch of the opener, as her UE total neared double-digits in just game 4. After falling behind 15/30, Swiatek held for 4-0, then went up love/40 on Anisimova's serve. A crosscourt backhand winner flew by Anisimova in the mid-backcourt and Swiatek was a hold away from a love 1st set, which would be the first in the opening set of the Wimbledon final since 1983 (Navratilova vs. Jaeger).

Swiatek (again) went up 40/love on serve in game 6, reaching SP with a dramatic reflex volley and Anisimova desperation lob that sailed past the baseline. An Anisimova forehand error (UE #14, vs. 2 for Swiatek) mercifully ended the set at love a point later, just 25 minutes after it had begun. Swiatek won 27 of 36 points.

Anisimova didn't leave the court between sets (Swiatek surely would have had she lost the opener), which didn't exactly foster much hope that the plotline would change on her side of the net.

In the 2nd, any Anisimova uptick was soon followed by a slide back down the hill. She rallied from love/30 to 30/30 in the opening game, but followed with an error to fall BP down. A missed forehand down the line started the same unfortunate pattern yet again. Things were close at 30-all on Swiatek's serve, but the Pole swept the next two points, ending with a volley drop shot for her 16th straight game won at Wimbledon (8 in the SF, 8 in the final).

Anisimova flashed some of the big shots in game 3 that had gotten into her maiden major final, firing a forehand winner down the line to knot the game at 30/30. But she followed with a DF and fell BP down. She saved it with a forehand winner, but a forehand error followed. A DF gave Swiatek her third BP chance of the game, and a netted Anisimova backhand made the edge a double-break one at 3-0 once again.

With little opportunity left to get back into the match, Anisimova had one at 30/30 in game 4, but in the middle of a rare long rally on the day tried to fire a forehand down the line, missing it as the moment passed. Meanwhile, Swiatek never had a letdown. A DF on GP was immediately followed by an ace. On her next GP chance, a deep shot behind Anisimova wrong-footed the Bannerette at the baseline, eliciting another error that put the lead at 4-0.

Now it was just a matter of whether Anisimova would get on the board at all, with the 1988 RG final between Steffi Graf and Natasha Zvereva (6-0/6-0 in 34 minutes, two of which were due to a break for rain) looming in the shadows as the only major women's final in the Open era to feature a double-bagel scoreline. It'd be the first at Wimbledon in 114 years (1911).

A Swiatek backhand passing shot to break Anisimova in game 5 set the stage.

With Swiatek serving for the Wimbledon title at 5-0, at 15/15, Anisimova missed a swing backhand volley from the edge of the service box, losing her only chance to take a lead in the game. Swiatek then fired an ace to reach MP.

A missed forehand down the line on her first MP delayed the inevitable, but only for a few moments. A Swiatek backhand winner down the line ended it, after just 57 minutes, with an historic 6-0/6-0 final scoreline.

Swiatek dropped to her back in astonishment at the reality of pulling off the one tennis accomplishment that she didn't think had just recently still oddly refused to believe was possible for her.



Considering that Swiatek's Roland Garros ended with the continuation of what was a "bad" season (by her standards), with no titles or finals to her credit, with her long reign in Paris over and the luster of her weeks at #1, slam wins and great record in finals smudged a bit by a series of eye-popping, sometimes-not-close matches, often on her best surface, how did she suddenly get *here*?

Well, maybe it was *due* to what happened in Paris.

Looking back, while she lost at RG, when Swiatek took a literal step back on the court vs. big hitters during the tournament, going against a past practice that had led to her not giving herself enough time to prepare to hit groundstrokes and ceding control of rallies to various opponents. It worked in the form of a SF run to end what had been a discouraging clay campaign, and with it something seemed to click in Swiatek's competitive brain, shutting off the stubborness (and resistence to change) about steadfastly sticking to her usual routines. It allowed her to entertain the notion of change. Then came the grass.



She played a somewhat different game on the grass this year, with more of a focus on her serve and a intentful aggression that didn't try to turn every point into the sort of long clay court (or hard court) rally in which she's always thrived.

If coach Wim Fissette, who oversaw her slip from #1 to #8 without a final appearance for over a year until Bad Homburg three weeks ago, is to be commended it's for breaking through that longtime resistence from Swiatek to alter course from what had worked for her for so long. Of course, all those (sometimes embarrassing) losses, often in blowouts, on her favorite surface played a large part, as well. If Iga didn't say "what the heck, I'll try it" then, she *never* would.

If Coco Gauff's 1st Round loss at Wimbledon in 2023 served as a "last straw" that led to change in her coaching situation, and the subsequent taking off of her big-result career (she's won two majors since), then maybe that disconcerting clay season this past spring was equally useful for Swiatek. It finally made her open to listening to something new. It could prove to be a big lesson that could play out over the rest of career, and help her avoid the sort of downturn that this grass season managed to lift her from.

So, what's next?

With the stunning success of the "Why Not Me?" chapter of her "Świątek Śwolstice" era, the year-long stretch after the recently concluded RG during which she won't have to defend a title (or even a final appearance) and "protect her house," Iga next heads off into the hard court summer on a pressure-free high that she hasn't experienced for quite some time.

Could we see a super-charged version of the Pole for the rest of 2025, leading to a fight for "Player of the Year" down the stretch? Remember, Swiatek will now be ranked #3 behind Sabalenka and Gauff, has SF-SF-W slam results, and the world #1 has yet to win a major this season. The odds don't seem too bad right now that Swiatek might put up the best season of the lot from Wimbledon until the final week of 2025.

Okay, then what about the season-ending #1 ranking (with Sabalenka with a U.S. Open crown to defend, as well as two 1000 titles)?

It didn't seem possible not that long ago, and Sabalenka's points lead over Swiatek is still more than 5600 (and almost 4800 over Gauff).

But Iga Swiatek just won Wimbledon... there should no raised eyebrows -- even from the Pole herself -- about the potential of what's "possible" for the foreseeable future.










=DAY 13 NOTES=
...about Wimbledon's new final weekend Centre Court schedule. Imagine playing doubles finals *before* the singles final, thereby ensuring an audience and people paying a bit more attention than doing so *after* the singles final when people's eyes are elsewhere.

Yeah, imagine that.

It can't beat doing the MX during qualifying week before the real tournament even starts, though. Yep.



...in the first of her two junior finals at this Wimbledon, Roehampton champ Julieta Pareja didn't follow up her pre-SW19 win with another at the All-England Club. Instead it was Mia Pohankova who starred in the singles title match, as the 16-year old Slovak won 6-3/6-1 to become the second straight Wimbledon girls' winner from Slovakia and the third at the last seven majors.

Renata Jamrichova won both the AO and Wimbledon in 2024.



...Yui Kamiji had history within her grasp in the wheelchair singles final on Saturday, but came up short in a 6-3/6-3 match against Wang Ziying, who instead became the first Chinese WC slam singles champion less than six months after she become (w/ Li Xiaohui) the first from her nation to win a major doubles title at the AO.

Wang goes for the sweep in the doubles tomorrow, again alongside Li vs. Angelica Bernal & Ksenia Chasteau. Bernal would become the first Colombian slam winner, while Chasteau would be the first French woman to win a WC major since 2010 (and the first ever at Wimbledon)



Kamiji had been seeking the only major title she's never won, and with a win would have become the fourth wheelchair player to win all eight slam titles (w/ Diede de Groot, Shingo Kunieda and Alfie Hewett), and the third (de Groot, Kunieda) to have won all eight majors, s/d Paralympic Gold and the s/d year-end Masters titles. On the WTA/ATP tours, the only players with all twelve equivalent singles titles are Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.

With Kamiji's loss, and the absence of both her and de Groot in Sunday's doubles final, it means that this Wimbledon will be the first slam in which at least one of the two didn't claim either of the s/d titles since the 2015 U.S. Open. Wang's win makes this just the second major (w/ '19 Wimbledon, won by Aniek Van Koot) in the last 33 to have not crowned either Kamiji or de Groot as the singles champion.

...Wimbledon has not joined the other three majors in putting on a junior wheelchair competition, but does have a 14u non-WC event. The girls' final will feature Sofiia Bielinska (UKR) against Sakino Miyazawa (JPN). Czech Jana Kovackova won last year.

...the Invitational Doubles finals are set, with Martina Hingis looking to win her fourth straight title in the annual tournament, this time alongside Cara Black after winning from 2022-24 with Kim Clijsters. Hingis (w/ 6) already has the most overall titles in the exhibition tourney's history, while Black will be looking to add her third "Legends" win to a career at Wimbledon that already includes additional titles in women's doubles (3), mixed doubles (2), junior singles (28 years ago in 1997) and junior doubles (2).

Black/Hingis will face Dominika Cibulkova & Barbora Strycova. Cibulkova won the Invitational MX event last year (w/ Mark Woodforde) and could join Rennae Stubbs as the only women to win both.

This year's I-MX final features Iva Majoli/Sebastien Grosjean against Katie O'Brien/Thomas Johansson.

...tomorrow the women's doubles final (held before the men's singles on Centre Court) sees Hsieh Su-wei going for her fourth Wimbledon WD title in the last six events, and her fifth overall at SW19 (w/ a fourth different partner). Next to her will be Alona Ostapenko, whose maiden Wimbledon crown (other than her 2014 junior win) would make her the new WTA doubles #1 on Monday.

They play Elise Mertens & Veronika Kudermetova.

...and in Newport, Rhode Island, Tatjana Maria on Sunday will look to end the grass court season as she began it, with a title run.

The 37-year old German, the Queen's Club winner in the first women's event held there since 1973, has reached the final on the grass in the Newport 125. It's the first women's version of the longtime men's event held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where Maria Sharapova and the Bryan brothers will soon be celebrated upon their enshrinement.

Her opponent? Well, none other than Caty McNally. Yes, *that* Caty McNally. The Caty McNally who was the only player to take a set off of Iga Swiatek at this Wimbledon.

Hmmm, you don't think that if McNally had won that... nah. Not even at Wimbledon.

Odds are that *this* final will be more intriguing in practice than the one that took place today. But who knows.








*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#8 Iga Swiatek/POL def. #13 Amanda Anisimova/USA 6-0/6-0

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#4 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT) vs. #8 V.Kudermetova/Mertens (RUS/BEL)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Siniakova/Verbeek (CZE/NED) def. Stefani/Salisbury (BRA/GBR) 7-6(3)/7-6(3)

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#4 Wang Ziying/CHN def. #1 Yui Kamiji/JPN 6-3/6-3

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
Bernal/Chasteau (COL/FRA) vs. #2 Li/Wang (CHN/CHN)

*GIRLS' SINGLES FINAL*
Mia Pohankova/SVK def. #6 Julieta Pareja/USA 6-3/6-1

*GIRLS' DOUBLES FINAL*
#5 Frodin/Pareja (USA/USA) vs. #8 K.Penickova/Valdmannova (USA/CZE)

*GIRLS' 14-and-UNDER FINAL*
Sofiia Bielinska/UKR vs. Sakino Miyazawa/JPN

*INVITATIONAL DOUBLES FINAL*
Dominika Cibulkova/Barbora Strycova vs. Cara Black/Martina Hingis

*INVITATIONAL MIXED FINAL*
Katie O'Brien/Thomas Johansson vs. Iva Majoli/Sebastien Grosjean







...THE NAME UNVEILING HAD MORE SUSPENSE THAN THE MATCH... ON DAY 13:




...CHRIS EVERT CALLED THIS THE "EVITA MOMENT" FOR THE CHAMP. Yeah, that sounds good... ON DAY 13:




...THE DUO OF THE TOURNAMENT... ON DAY 13:




...KING AND THE FUTURE QUEEN... ON DAY 13:




...ASH BARTY SPOILED US WITH THE FLASHBACK PHOTO COMPARISONS, BUT THIS IS GOOD, TOO... ON DAY 13:




...TO BE CONTINUED... ON DAY 13:










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*RECENT WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS*
2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Serena Williams, USA
2017 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Simona Halep, ROU
2021 Ash Barty, AUS
2022 Elena Rybakina, KAZ
2023 Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
2024 Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
2025 Iga Swiatek, POL

*SWIATEK IN SLAM FINALS*
2020 RG - Swiatek def. Kenin 6-4/6-1
2022 RG - Swiatek def. Gauff 6-1/6-3
2022 US - Swiatek def. Jabeur 6-2/7-6(5)
2023 RG - Swiatek def. Muchova 6-2/5-7/6-4
2024 RG - Swiatek def. Paolini 6-2/6-1
2025 WI - Swiatek def. Anisimova 6-0/6-0

*AGE OF 2020s SLAM WINNERS*
18 = Emma Raducanu, GBR (2021 US)
19 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2020 RG)
19 = Coco Gauff, USA (2023 US)
21 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2022 RG)
21 = Sofia Kenin, USA (2020 AO)
21 = Coco Gauff, USA (2025 RG)
21 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2022 US)
22 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2023 RG)
22 = Naomi Osaka, JPN (2020 US)
23 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2024 RG)
23 = Naomi Osaka, JPN (2021 AO)
23 = Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2022 WI)
24 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2023 AO)
24 = Marketa Vondrouosva, CZE (2023 WI)
24 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2025 WI)
25 = Ash Barty, AUS (2021 WI)
25 = Ash Barty, AUS (2022 AO)
25 = Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2021 RG)
25 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2024 AO)
26 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2024 US)
28 = Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2024 WI)
29 = Madison Keys, USA (2025 AO)

*MAJOR FINALS WITH 6-0/6-0 SCORELINES*
1911 Wimbledon - Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers def. Doro Boothby
1988 Roland Garros - Steffi Graf def. Natasha Zvereva
2025 Wimbledon - Iga Swiatek def. Amanda Anisimova

*MOST SLAM SINGLES FINALS - active*
6 - IGA SWIATEK (6-0)
6 - Aryna Sabalenka (3-3)
5 - Victoria Azarenka (2-3)
4 - Naomi Osaka (4-0)
3 - Petra Kvitova (2-1)
3 - Coco Gauff (2-1)
3 - Ons Jabeur (0-3)
--
ALSO: 16-V.Williams (7-9), 3-Wozniacki (1-2)

*BEST STARTS TO SLAM FINAL CAREER - OPEN ERA*
6-0 - Monica Seles
6-0 - Iga Swiatek (active)
4-0 - Naomi Osaka (active)
[men]
7-0 - Roger Federer
5-0 - Carlos Alcaraz (5-0, to play final)

*GIRLS/WOMEN'S WIMBLEDON CHAMPS*
Ann Haydon Jones - 1956 Jr. Champion; 1969 Ladies Champion
Martina Hingis - 1994 Jr. Champion; 1997 Ladies Champion
Amelie Mauresmo - 1996 Jr. Champion; 2006 Ladies Champion
Ash Barty - 2011 Jr. Champion; 2021 Ladies Champion
Iga Swiatek - 2018 Jr. Champion; 2025 Ladies Champion

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2025*
7 - Aryna Sabalenka (3-4)
5 - Jessie Pegula (3-2)
3 - McCartney Kessler (2-1)
3 - Elise Mertens (2-1)
3 - AMANDA ANISIMOVA (1-2)
3 - Coco Gauff (1-2)
2 - Mirra Andreeva (2-0)
2 - Maya Joint (2-0)
2 - Madison Keys (2-0)
2 - Alona Ostapenko (1-1)
2 - IGA SWIATEK (1-1)
2 - Clara Tauson (1-1)
2 - Dayana Yastremska (0-2)

*RECENT WIMBLEDON GIRLS FINALS*
2011 Ash Barty/AUS def. Irina Khromacheva/RUS
2012 Genie Bouchard/CAN def. Elina Svitolina/UKR
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Taylor Townsend/USA
2014 Alona Ostapenko/LAT def. Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK
2015 Sofya Zhuk/RUS def. Anna Blinkova/RUS
2016 Anastasia Potapova/RUS def. Dayana Yastremska/UKR
2017 Claire Liu/USA def. Ann Li/USA
2018 Iga Swiatek/POL def. Leonie Kung/SUI
2019 Daria Snigur/UKR def. Alexa Noel/USA
2021 Ane Mintegi del Olmo/ESP def. Nastasja Schunk/GER
2022 Liv Hovde/USA def. Luca Udvardy/HUN
2023 Clervie Ngounoue/USA def. Nikola Bartunkova/CZE
2024 Renata Jamrichova/SVK def. Emerson Jones/AUS
2025 Mia Pohankova/SVK def. Julieta Pareja/USA

*JUNIOR SLAM SINGLES CHAMPS - SVK*
2007 US: Kristina Kucova
2015 AO: Tereza Mihalikova
2024 AO: Renata Jamrichova
2024 WI: Renata Jamrichova
2025 WI: Mia Pohankova

*WIMBLEDON WHEELCHAIR WINNERS*
[singles]
2016 Jiske Griffioen, NED
2017 Diede de Groot, NED
2018 Diede de Groot, NED
2019 Aniek Van Koot, NED
2021 Diede de Groot, NED
2022 Diede de Groot, NED
2023 Diede de Groot, NED
2024 Diede de Groot, NED
2025 Wang Ziying, CHN

*WIMBLEDON INVITATION DOUBLES WINNERS - SINCE 2007*
[1992 Wendy Turnbull & Virginia Wade]
2007 Jana Novotna & Helena Sukova
2008 Jana Novotna & Kathy Rinaldi
2009 Martina Navratilova & Helena Sukova
2010 Martina Navratilova & Jana Novotna
2011 Lindsay Davenport & Martina Hingis
2012 Lindsay Davenport & Martina Hingis
2013 Lindsay Davenport & Martina Hingis
2014 Jana Novotna & Barbara Schett
2015 Magdalena Maleeva & Rennae Stubbs
2016 Martina Navratilova & Selima Sfar
2017 Cara Black & Martina Navratilova
2018 Kim Clijsters & Rennae Stubbs
2019 Cara Black & Martina Navratilova
2020-21 DNP
2022 Kim Clijsters & Martina Hingis
2023 Kim Clijsters & Martina Hingis
2024 Kim Clijsters & Martina Hingis
2025 ...
[most wins]
6...Martina Hingis
5...Martina Navratilova
4...Kim Clijsters
4...Jana Novotna
3...Lindsay Davenport
2...Cara Black
2...Rennae Stubbs (+1 MX)
2...Helena Sukova
1...Magdalena Maleeva
1...Kathy Rinaldi
1...Barbara Schett
1...Selima Sfar
0...Marion Bartoli (+1 MX)
[MX Invitational]
2022 Marion Bartoli & Nenad Zimonjic
2023 Rennae Stubbs & Nenad Zimonjic
2024 Dominika Cibulkova & Mark Woodforde
2025 ...

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "Ms. OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2015 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2016 Elena Vesnina, RUS
2017 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
2018 Julia Goerges, GER
2019 Simona Halep, ROU and Alison Riske, USA
2021 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR and Kgothatso Montjane, RSA (WC)
2022 Harmony Tan, FRA
2023 Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
2024 Jasmine Paolini, ITA and Donna Vekic, CRO
2025 Iga Swiatek, POL and Wang Ziying, CHN (WC)





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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): #8 Iga Swiatek/POL (to first Wimbledon SF)
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): #8 Iga Swiatek/POL (complete Career Surface Slam)
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): QF - #1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. Laura Siegemund/GER 4-6/6-2/6-4 - down a break bk twice in 3rd, GP for 5-3 led
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: Solana Sierra/ARG (4th Rd.); 2r: Victoria Mboko/CAN
LAST BRIT STANDING: Sonay Kartal (in 4th Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Iga Swiatek/POL (W) and Wang Ziying/CHN (first CHN WC singles champion)
IT "Turk": Zeynep Sonmez/TUR (first TUR player into slam 3r)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Amanda Anisimova/USA
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: Nominees: Siniakova, Ostapenko
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Laura Siegemund/GER (oldest first WI QF at 37)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Julieta Pareja/USA (jr. s/d finals after Roehampton win)
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Petra Kvitova/CZE - plays final Wimbledon match







All for Day 13. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:02 PM 

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