Friday, July 10, 2026

W.12- The Day Before the Day


Czech, please...










via GIPHY




=DAY 12 NOTES=
...there was the usual, relatively light(-ish) schedule on Friday as we charge toward the weekend, with most of the final match-ups set as of today (save for the 14u juniors).

The doubles final will pit #2 Gaby Dabrowski/Luisa Stefani against #10 Guo Hanyu/Kristina Mladenovic.

Dabrowski/Stefani have picked up five titles together over the years, switching partners before ultimately coming back together this year (and winning three titles so far, on all three surfaces). But they've never won a major together. They claimed the Eastbourne title before this Wimbledon, and will try to add what what would be the first Wimbledon crown in any discipline for both.

Dabrowski has a pair of U.S. Open WD wins (w/ Erin Routliffe) to her credit, as well as two MX wins (AO/RG). She lost in the '19 and '24 Wimbledon WD finals with Xu Yifan and Routliffe, respectively. Stefani has an AO MX win, but has never played in a major WD final. She played in last year's MX final at SW19, but came up short.



Mladenovic, a former WD #1, will be looking to end her multi-year slam title drought with what would be her seventh major doubles win, and her first at Wimbledon. The Pastry has won two AO and four RG crowns, but is 0-1 in Wimbledon finals (2014). She *has* won a MX title at SW19, though, all the way back in 2013 (one of three career MX crowns). Guo will be playing in her first career slam final. They were the Auckland champs back in January.

...the junior final will pit #1 Sun Xinran against #14 Anna Pushkareva.

Sun lost to a junior Hordette (Alisa Oktiabreva) in this year's RG girls' final, but gets another chance here vs. another young Russian in Pushkareva. Sun would be the first Chinese girl to win at Wimbledon, while Pushkareva would be the first Hordette to take the SW19 crown since Anastasia Potapova (now repping AUT, of course) in 2016.



The top-seeded Brazilian duo of Victoria Luiza Barros & Nauhany Vitoria Leme da Silva will try to become the first duo from that nation to win a junior doubles slam. They are already the first to reach a major girls' slam final.

They'll face #5-seeded Czechs Jana Kovackova & Katerina Zajickova, who'll be looking to make history, as well. A win by the Crushers will make them the first team to win RG/WI (aka the "Channel Slam") in the same season since 2013 (Czechs Krejcikova/Siniakova), and would give Kovackova the first Career Junior Doubles Slam (w/ her *fourth* straight major win, after the first two came with sister Alena).

...and the wheelchair final will feature the *19th* slam title match clash between #1 Yui Kamiji (who def. DC/#4 Wang Ziying in a MTB) and #2 Diede de Groot (def. #3 Li 4 & 2). De Groot is 16-2 in the previous eighteen meetings.

A win from Kamiji would allow her to join de Groot as the only woman to have won all eight slam s/d titles. They've both also won the year-end WC Masters s/d and Paralympic Gold in both disciplines, as well.

De Groot, who this year won her first major since her '24 hip surgery (at RG), is seeking her seventh Wimbledon title. Kamiji was RU to de Groot in the '22 Wimbledon final, and again last year in the title match vs. Wang.

It'll be the 32nd slam singls final for Kamiji (11-20) and 29th for de Groot (24-4).







*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#10 Karolina Muchova/CZE vs. #9 Linda Noskova/CZE

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#10 Guo/Mladenovic (CHN/FRA) vs. #2 Dabrowski/Stefani (CAN/BRA)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 Ostapenko/Arevalo (LAT/ELS) def. Hunter/Polmans (AUS/AUS) 4-6/7-5/6-2

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN vs. #2 Diede de Groot/NED

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Kamiji/Zhu (JPN/CHN) vs. #2 Li/Wang (CHN/CHN)

*GIRLS' SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Sun Xinran/CHN vs. #14 Anna Pushkareva/RUS

*GIRLS' DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Barros/Leme da Silva (BRA/BRA) vs. #5 J.Kovackova/Zajickova (CZE/CZE)

*GIRLS' 14-and-UNDER SF*
Isha Manchala/USA vs. Lyubov Pronenko/RUS
Eduarda Gomes/BRA vs. Mariia Kocherzhenko/UKR










...CRACKING THE CODE... ON DAY 12:




...THE CENTER OF THE CZECH CRUSHER COLLECTIVE... ON DAY 12:




...HMMM... ON DAY 12:




...OSTAPENKO BEING OSTAPENKO... ON DAY 12:



Naturally, 95% percent of the comments on this post were of the "active... so it's been done before," "that's because serious players don't play doubles," "no one cares, only singles matter," "but she didn't win the Olympics" variety or, get this, pushing how Krejcikova has had a better career (of course she has, and what's the point?), marking maybe the first time what I suspect isn't really a *real* Krejcikova fan pumping up *her* resume (I mean, it was only to tear down *another* player, but does that still count as "progress?") when most tend to ignore the ridiculous numbers of things she's won over the years.

Although, I *do* remember the ESPNers, of all people, actually highlighting Krejcikova's all-around, Hall of Fame-worthy career resume during her match with Muchova the other day. Well, check that, I think it was Caroline Wozniacki who led the way on that... so maybe the usual lot over there don't deserve the same pat on the back. I mean, they would (probably) never unless forced into it.





























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kosova-font

*WON MOST DIFFERENT WHEELCHAIR SLAM TITLES (#-active)*
8 - Diede de Groot, NED [completed set w/ '19 RG singles]#
7 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (US Open singles)#
7 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (Wimbledon singles)#
7 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (RG singles)#
7 - Esther Vergeer, NED (DNP Wimbledon singles)
[men 8/8]
8 - Shingo Kunieda, JPN [completed set w/ '22 WI singles]
8 - Alfie Hewett, GBR [completed set w/ '24 WI singles]
--
NOTE: 6/8 - Tokito Oda, JPN - needs RG/WI doubles (is in WI doubles F)








TOP QUALIFIER: Robin Montgomery/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (two straight sets wins; extends slam TB win streak to 21)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #10 Karolina Muchova/CZE (def. consecutive multi-slam winners in Krejcikova/Osaka)
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1 - Anastasia Gasanova/RUS def. Varvara Lepchenko/USA 2-6/6-1/7-6(12-10) - Lepchenko led 5-3 in the 3rd, twice served for the match, led 5-1 in MTB and at 9-6 held four MP over a 5-point stretch. Gasanova wins 12-10.
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - Maya Joint/AUS def. Serena Williams/USA 6-3/6-7(6)/6-3 - 20-year old Aussie, 1-13 in her last 14 matches, defeats returning 44-year old Williams in her first singles match since 2022
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3rd Rd. - #9 Linda Noskova/CZE def. #17 Sorana Cirstea/ROU 2-6/6-3/7-6(11-9) - Noskova 4-2 lead in 3rd, Cirstea MP at 5-4 and Noskova 2 MP before deciding MTB; Noskova wins 11-9)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #11 Belinda Bencic/SUI (def. Stojsavljevic/GBR)
FIRST SEED OUT: #20 Maja Chwalinska/POL (1st Rd. - hurt ankle/foot on MP up 6-2/5-2 vs. Sawangkaew/THA)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Anastasia Gasanova/RUS (2nd MD), Tyra Grant/ITA (1st MD), Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA (2nd MD), Lanlada Tararudee/THA (2nd MD)
UPSET QUEENS: Czech Republic
REVELATION LADIES: Southeast Asians
NATION OF POOR SOULS: GBR (1-7 1st Rd., after 0/7 through qualfiying; Kartal DNP, Raducanu w/d and started 0-7 in MD play)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Ashlyn Krueger/USA (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Katie Swan/GBR (2nd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Karolina Pliskova/CZE, Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP (both 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSERS: Darja Semenistaja/LAT(L)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Katie Swan/GBR (2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Karolina Muchova/CZE and Linda Noskova/CZE
IT "Filipina": Alex Eala/PHI (first PHI woman to slam Round of 16)
COMEBACK PLAYER: Jasmine Paolini/ITA
CRASH & BURN: #2 Elena Rybakina/KAZ, #3 Iga Swiatek/POL and #6 Amanda Anisimova/USA ('22 champ and both '25 finalists lose in 3rd Round on middle Saturday)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Linda Noskova/CZE (3r- saved MP vs. Cirstea)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: J.Kovackova, Dabrowski/Stefani
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Mertens, Kamiji(WC), Mladenovic, (Invitational WD)
LAWN COURT ROLLER: Nominee: Kamiji, Li/Wang, de Groot
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Nominees: J.Kovackova, Sun X., Pushkareva
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREES: Maja Chwalinska/POL (devastating loss in 1st Rd. after having MP at 6-2/5-2 before fall injures ankle); Karolina Muchova/CZE and Linda Noskova/CZE (first all-CZE Wimbledon F)








All for Day 12. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 6:45 PM 

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