Sunday, July 13, 2025

My Wimbledon top 10

Here are my top 10 Wimbledon happenings, in ascending order:

10. Exceeding your worst expectations: It was a pain to have ESPN cover Wimbledon in the U.S. In addition to the painfully bad commentating (nothing new), the app had to be constantly refreshed or it would display a message that the match I was trying to watch wasn't available in my area or package. And breaking into the women's doubles final to show us ATP players practicing was also offensively on brand for the network. And on top of all that, ESPN is still using the promotional voice-over of the man saying "WimbleDEN."

9. Slovakian spirit: Unseeded Mia Pohankova of the Slovak Republic became the 2025 junior girls' singles champion when she defeated 6th seed Julieta Pareja 6-3, 6-1 in Saturday's final. Pohankova, who is 16, is the second consecutive Slovakian player to win the title. In doubles, the USA's Thea Frodin, playing with Pareja (also from the USA), defeated Kristina Penickova (USA) and the Czech Repubic's Vendula Valdmannova to win the championship.

8. Remember me?: Emma Raducanu has been a "fan" punching bag for some time now, but it was kind of hard to punch her at Wimbledon (although I'm sure that didn't stop some people): The 2021 U.S. Open champion won her first round, then upset 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the seconde round. She then lost to world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated her 7-6 (6), 6-4, which is a very respectable losing scoreline. Raducanu played quite well; it was too bad that she didn't make it to the second week.

7. New faces: We became so accustomed to Diede de Groot's winning just about everything that--when she had to take some time off in order to undergo hip surgery, rehab and working her way back on the tour--it was a bit of an adjustment. Of course, Yui Kamiji--always second to de Groot in results--was the natural (if likely temporary) successor. And indeed, the Japanese player won both the Australian Open and the French Open. 

But Wimbledon was different in every way. 3rd seed Li Xiaohui--the woman who ended de Groot's 145-match win streak--defeated de Groot in the quarterfinals. Li then lost to top seed Kamiji in the semifinals, then Kamiji lost to 4th seed Wang Ziying in the final. Wang got as far as the semifinals in the Australian Open, but was defeated by Aniek van Koot.                                                

6. Believe in yourself!: Conchita Martinez and Mirra Andreeva turned the tables in a hilarious way at this event. Once Andreeva was out of the tournament, she became her famous coach's coach in the Legends competition, and she put her whole heart into it. There are a number of prize videos of Andreeva's coaching, and I can't stop watching them.

5.  When you can't catch a break: Last year, Barbora Krejcikova won Wimbledon. But things didn't go so well after that. She was out for six months with a back injury, she was ill, and then she had to withdraw from Eastbourne (after saving match point in her two matches) because of a thigh injury. She arrived in London full of the usual Krejcikova spirit, defeating the talented Alexandra Eala, then also winning her second round.

But during the third set of her third round match against Emma Navarro, the eternally calm Krejcikova appeared to be ill, and at one point, she went to the back of the court and wept. Then she pulled herself together and won the next game, which was nothing short of amazing, but she lost the match. It turned out that the Czech star had contracted a virus, and she was sick for several days. 

4. Time to add another shelf to the trophy case: Katerina Siniakova spends a lot of time in the winner's circle. She has won ten women's doubles titles (seven of them with Krejcikova), and now, she has also won a mixed doubles title. Siniakova and Sem Verbeek won the 2025 title, defeating Luisa Stefani and Joe Salisbury in the final. 

3: They were just here a moment ago: The first two rounds of this year's tournament were filled with carnage. 2nd seed Coco Gauff, 3rd seed Jessica Pegula, 5th seed Zheng Qinwen, and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova all went out in the first round, as did three of the warmup tournament champions. In the second round, 4th seed and 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini and 6th seed Madison Keys were upset, and 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova was also defeated.

2. Veronika gets her trophy: In 2021, Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina (making a brief comeback to the tour) lost the Wimbledon final to Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens. This year, Kudermetova--playing with partner Elise Mertens (the no. 8 seeds)--defeated 4th seeds Hsieh and AΔΌona Ostapenko 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to win the title. It was an entertaining match, and the last two points were stunning. This is Mertens' fifth major doubles title; she won two of those titles with Hsieh. This is Kudermetova's first major title.

1. Bagels with a side of strawberries: Iga Swiatek, throughout her career, has had an issue with grass courts. The Polish star, who likes to have a little time to set up her shots, couldn't find that time on grass, and she appeared to have developed a mindset that she needed that time. But mindsets can be changed, and so can serves, and strategies. Now working with coach Wim Fissette, Swiatek has improved her serve, lifted her comfort level on grass, and very obviously changed her mindset. 

Known for dispensing bagel sets to her opponents, the former world number 1 saved her signature beat-down tactic for the final, defeating 13th seed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0. Anisimova, who had upset world number 1 Aryna Sabaenka in the semifinals, simply wasn't herself in the final. She was undoubtedly affected by the occasion (she had never before contested a major final), but she also appeared to be physically and mentally low on fuel. On the other hand, Swiatek was very much herself--with upgrades. 

Swiatek has now raised her ranking to number 3 in the world, and Anisimova enters the top 10 for the first time, as number 7. My educated guess is that the psychological boost of winning Wimbledon when she thought--for so long--that she couldn't (other than as a junior), will re-set Swiatek's already remarkable career, and make her more dangerous than ever.

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Saturday, July 12, 2025

Swiatek opens new bakery in London, complete with large plate

At Wimbledon, people eat strawberries and cream. Except for Iga Swiatek--Iga eats strawberries with pasta. However, strawberries on a bagel may be the next trend: At long last, the now-six time major champion opened one of her famous bakeries in London. Probably no one was prepared, however, for the flashy significance of this act--Swiatek won the Wimbledon final by defeating her opponent, Amanda Anisimova, 6-0, 6-0. 

Not since Steffi Graf defeated Natasha Zvereva 6-0, 6-0 in the 1988 French Open final, has a woman served a double-bagel match in a major final. Zvereva, seeded 13th, had upset 2nd seed Martina Navratiilova in the round of 16. Anisimova, seeded 13th, had upset world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. This demonstrates not only that context is important, but also that--in tennis--the past is the past. Whoever you defeated in the last match or whatever point you just played are now history.

Winning long, challenging matches in a draw is a double-edged sword. A player gains a lot of confidence from such a win (or wins), but the player's body, including her mental resources, can also just fade away--I've seen this happen several heartbreaking times. It was clear, from the beginning of the championship match, that Anisimova's resources were not what they had been earlier in the tournament. Add to that the fact that this was her first major final, which has to be very stressful. And add to that the fact that her opponent was on a tear such as we haven't seen from her in a while. 

The match lasted under an hour, and, during that time, Swiatek could do almost no wrong, while Anisimova could do little that was right. Anisimova had first and second serve win percentages of 26 and 35, which says it all. She also made 28 unforced errors and hit only six winners. It didn't even appear to be Anisimova on the court, but rather, a slim shadow of the woman who had knocked out Linda Noskova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka. 

Swiatek, as is her way, dictated play from the first moment, and her newly improved serve was on display throughout the match. The Polish star got 78% of her first serves in, and 72% of those were winning serves. Swiatek's victory gives her six wins in six major finals; she is the first tennis player from Poland to win a major singles championship. And to make all this even more dramatic, today's final marked Swiatek's 100th major match victory.

For several years, it's been clear to both Swiatek and tennis observers that the four-time French Open champion likes the clay because it gives her time to set up her shots. Swiatek won Wimbledon as a junior, but--as she pointed out in press the other day--by the time the juniors took to the court, the grass had worn down considerably--it was a surface that she liked. And while many wrote her off as a potential Wimbledon champion, Swiatek was on a mission. She hired coach Wim Fissette, who set about making some adjustments, which included improving Swiatek's serve (which hadn't been bad at all).

After the match, Swiatek told ESPN that people should "leave me alone," when it comes to her career goals and progress. Amen, sister. 

As for Anisimova--who was also smart enough not to listen to other people, and who chose the only path that she knew would save her career--does have some takeaways other than the terrible scoreline of the champoionship match. For one thing, she electrified the crowed throughout the tournament, and for another--she'll enter the top 10 next week.

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Thursday, July 10, 2025

"Comeback" is the theme of the day at Wimbledon

Serious tennis fans are familiar with Amanda Anisimova's story: She blasted into tennis fame as a 17-year-old in 2019 when she reached the semifinals of the French Open, then, in 2023, citing burnout, she took an indefinite leave from the tour. Eight months later, she returned. In 2022, Anisimova reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and today, she reached the final. 

Anisimova, seeded 13th, did what few can do these days--she upset world number 1 and top seed Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Sabalenka was going for a third major final in a row; she made the finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open, though she lost both of them. Sabalenka can hit a lot of players off the court, but she couldn't do that with Anisimova, who is also a big hitter, with a killer backhand. 

Sabalenka hit 31 winners and made 37 unforced errors. Anisimova hit 30 winners and made 42 unforced errors. But those numbers tell only part of the story. Anisimova saved four set points in the second set, but Sabalenka prevailed on her fifth set point, then went on to break her opponent in the first game of the third set. Anisimova broke back, then played her way to a third set score of 5-2. But Sabalenka broke back, then held, but it was the 13rh seed, who--on her fourth match point--won the match.

In the second semifinal of the day, 8th seed Iga Swiatek overwhelmed Belinda Bencic. The former world number 1 took charge from the first game; the only break points that Bencic saw appeared in the second set, and she was unable to convert them. Swiatek hit 26 winners and made only 13 unforced errors. She defeated Bencic 6-12, 6-0. 

Given that scoreline, and the way that Swiatek played, it seems odd to apply the term "comeback" to her performance at Wimbledon. But Swiatek, who has won five majors and held the world number 1 spot for a long time, failed to win a tournament after her 2024 French Open victory (her fourth), and she failed to win the 2025 French Open. But now, not only has the Polish star made it to the final of another major--it's the major in which she is generally considered to be at her weakest. 

Paths to the final:

AMANDA ANISIMOVA 
round 1--def. Yulia Putintseva
round 2--def. Renata Zarazua
round 3--def. Dalma Galfi
round of 16--def. Linda Noskova (30)
quarterfinals--def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
semifinals--def. Aryna Sabalenka (1)

IGA SWIATEK
round 1--def. Polina Kudermetova
round 2-- def. Caty McNally
round 3--def. Danielle Collins
round of 16--Clara Tauson (23)
quarterfinals--def. Liudmila Samsonova (19)
semifinals--def. Belinda Bencic 

And--we already have a champion! Katerina Siniakova, with partner Sem Verbeek, defeated Luisa Stefani and Joe Salisbury 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) to win the mixed doubles title. Siniakova has won ten women's doubles titles; this is her first mixed doubles title. 

In the wheelchair singles quarterfinals, Li Xiaohui defeated defending champion Diede De Groot  7-6 (6), 6-4. It was Li who ended de Groot's 145-match win streak at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup event in 2024. de Groot underwent hip surgery last year and is working on making her way back to the top of the sport.

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Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Just here for the towels--Iga stays cool and dry

It's a running joke at Wimbledon that Iga Swiatek "steals" the official tournament player towels after her matches. A collector by nature--legos, major tennis titles, etc.--the Polish star collected a towel today that has eluded her for some time. For the first time, Swiatek has advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals. She defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 7-5 in today's first* quarterfinal.

Samsonova is a talented, big-hitting player who, until this week, had never made it past the fourth round of a major. And--given Swiatek's career difficulties for the past several months, and her history of struggling somewhat on grass--this looked, on paper, like a big chance for Samsonova to surge forward. But the Swiatek we've seen in London this year has looked more comfortable and confident, and she was able to easily take the first set, 6-2. The second set was much more competitive, and fans got to see more of Samsonova's game. The Russian player broke Swiatek twice, but--as close as the set was--Swiatek won it and advanced to the semifinals.

*And speaking of running jokes: Wimbledon scheduled both women's semifinal matches at approximately the same time, which is inexcusable (and right on brand for Wimbledon).

In the other semifinal, another "first" occurred. For the first time in her career, Belinda Bencic has reached the Wimbledon semifinals. Bencic had a tough opponent in Mirra Andreeva, who not only had the home advantage, but also the advantage of her considerable talent and early success. But the Swiss star, who gave birth to a daughter last year, was off of the tour for thirteen months, but has made a rather smooth re-entry, reaching the round of 16 at the 2025 Australian Open, then going on to win the title in Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately, Bencic sustained an injury in the spring.

The Olympic gold medal winner won her very close (7-6, 7-6) quarterfinal by serving cleverly, keeping the ball low, and remaining strategic throughout the match.

Singles semifinal draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Amanda Anisimova (13)
Belinda Bencic v. Iga Swiatek (8)A

Anisimova has a 5-3 record against Sabalenka; they have never played each other on grass. Swiatek has a 3-1 record against Anisimova. One of her victories occurred in the 2023 round of 16 at Wimbledon.

The semifinals have also been set in doubles:

Kateriina Siniakova/Taylor Townsewnd (1) v. Hsieh Su wei/ AloΕ„ae Ostapenko (4)
Olivia Gadecki/Desirae Krawczyk v. Veronika Kudermetova/Elise Mertens (8) 

Siniakova is already in the doubles final. She and Sem Verbeek will face Luisa Stefani and Joe Salisbury for the title. Siniakova and Townsend defeated Stefani and Temea Babos in their quarterfinal match.

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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Sabalenka survives Siegemund

Eight years ago, Laura Siegemund defeated Venus Williams 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 in the second round in Charleston. Later, in press, Williams remarked that the match "...could be the best match she’ll ever play in her life." I have no idea how that match rates with Siegemund. That same year, she won Stuttgart, defeating Zhang Shuai, 8th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2nd seed Karolina Pliskova, 4th seed Simona Halep, and Kiki Mladenovic. Unfortunately, I can't recall whether one or more of those matches was exceptional.

If Siegemund had played the third set in today's Wimbledon quarterfinal the way that she played the first set, she would surely have proven Williams wrong. Few players are as good at flummoxing big hitters as Siegemund is, and she went about flummoxing top seed Aryna Sabalenka with her drop shots, chips, line-skidding shots, and tricky serves in an almost businesslike way--until she didn't. 

Siegemund pulled all of her tricks successfully in the opening set, and in the second set--as one would expect--Sabalenka improved her service game, while--at the same time--her opponent's serve was less effective than it had been earlier. It was also at this point that Siegemund began to make repeated backhand errors.

In the final set, Siegemund, after a while, appeared to be suffering from fatigue. Despite going up 3-1 and--a bit later--4-3, she wasn't able to get far enough ahead of Sabalenka to defeat her. She said later that she had indeed become tired, and that she didn't take the risks that she should have taken. It should also be noted that Sabalenka is an excellent doubles player and has some net savvy of her own.

After the match, Sabalenka said that of her opponent's game: "It's a smart game. She's really making everyone work against her....It doesn't matter if you're a big server, a big hitter, you have to work. You have to run, you have to earn the win. I didn't want her to see that I was annoyed or anything by her--even if I was a little bit at some points--but I was trying not to give her that energy."

Sabalenka won the match, which lasted just shy of three hours, and was highly entertaining. Her 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory puts her in the semifinals, in which she will play 13th seed Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9) in the second quarterfinal of the day.

Anisimova has always impressed with her tennis. Ever since her run to the semifinals of the French Open in 2019, when she was just 17 years old, she's been someone to watch. In 2022, she reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals. Her career was interrupted, however, when she made a smart decision to leave the tour for a while in order to strengthen her mental health. It's been a tough climb back up the rankings, but today, Anisimova reached the semifinals of Wimbledon.

The first set was all about Anisimova, who needed less than half an hour to win the first set 6-1 over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. However, the Russian player, a tour veteran who has played her share of big matches, made the second set more competitive, though Anisimova led at 4-2. At 5-3, when Anisimova served for the match, she was broken. Pavlyuchenkova saved two match points and forced a tiebreak, in which she held four set points. She then saved another match point, but Anisimova prevailed.

There was a major upset in doubles today. 2nd seeds Gaby Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe were upset, 7-5, 7-6 (4), by 8th seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens. And in the first round of wheelchair singles, Diede De Groot defeated Lucy Shuker 6-1, 6-1.

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Monday, July 7, 2025

Two Russians, two U.S.A. players, and one Iga remain in the draw

The Wimbledon round of 16 was completed today, with minimal drama, except for one match, and especially one final game. Belinda Bencic, after making nine tries, finally advanced to the quarterfinals, with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova. Alexandrova saved five match points, and the final game was pretty much a microcosm of the match, which most commentators would refer to as a "roller coaster." 

Mirra Andreeva easily defeated a somewhat flat Emma Navarro in straight sets. In the on-court interview after the match, Andreeva said that her coach, Conchita Martinez, would be playing in the Legends competition, and that she, Mirra, would be Martinez's coach. "I think that's my time to get back at her," Andreeva said, while Martinez was cracking up in the stands. 

Iga Swiatek defeated a somewhat sick Clara Tauson. The Danish player took a medical timeout after the first set, but she was obviously not herself after that (much like Barbora Krejcikova a few days ago). This is Swiatek's second time to advance to the Wimbledon quarterfinals. 

Also today, Liudmila Samsonova defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5. I believe that we'll be seeing more and more of Bouzas Maneiro in the future.

In yesterday's round of 16 play, the indefatigable Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Sonay Kartal, and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in nine years. Laura Siegemund defeated Solana Sierra, and Amanda Anisimova defeated Linda Noskova, the last surviving Czech in the draw.

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka was tested, not surprisingly, by her former doubles partner, Elise Mertens. Mertens gets better with age, and she gave Sabalenka all that she could handle. Nevertheless, the world number one prevailed with a 6-4, 7-6 victory.

Here is the quarterfinal draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Laura Siegemund
Amanda Anisimoa (13) v. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Mirra Andreeva (7) v. Belinda Bencic
Iga Swiatek (8) v. Liudmila Samsonova (19)

Three of the above-listed women are tried-and-true tour veterans. Siegemund, who is 37 years old, left the tour in 2012 because of some torn ligaments. She earned a degree in psychology and she also obtained her trainer's certificate. Siegemund didn't believe that she would return to the tour full-time, but she did. The German player, a drop shot/lob trickster (like her 37-year-old countrywoman, Tajana Maria) is capable of making her opponents' lives miserable. But if Swiatek serves like she did in the second set of her match against Tauson, the trickster will have her work cut out for her.

Pavlyuchenkova, who is 34, was the junior number 1 in the world, back in the day. I remember the day that I met her, many years ago. I just happened to be walking by the platform where the draw was about to take place in Charleston, and she saw me, walked over, put out her hand, and said, "hi, I'm Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova."  Of course, I already knew who she was, but I was impressed by her persona. 

The Russian veteran was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in February, and has spent the last few months working to recover her form. 

Then there's 28-year-old Belinda Bencic (also a junior world number 1), who left the tour for six months last year after she gave birth to a daughter. Bencic, who won Olympic gold in 2021, said that she "always got stuck in the fourth round" before. 

In doubles, the big upset so far occurred in the second round, when 3rd seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini were defeated by Chan Hao-Ching and Barbora Krejcikova, who gave their opponents a walkover in the next round.  

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Saturday, July 5, 2025

Wimbledon will get a new champion in 2025

< p>Today, an obviously ill, running-on-fumes, Barbora Krejickova was unable to take the next step in defending her 2024 Wimbledon title. There were, in fact, moments in the third set of her third round match against 10th seed Emma Navarro that she was unable to take the next step--period. Krejcikova took a medical time-out, but that didn't help. Known for her calm demeanor on court, the defending champion stood and wept at one point near the end of the match. She then skillfully served and won the ninth game of the set. But that miracle surge was short-lived--Navarro defeated her 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

This victory makes Navarro the official Czceh champion-killer of 2025 Wimbledon. Earlier, she defeated two-time champion Petra Kvitova.

Yesterday, Emma Raducanu gave top seed Aryna Sabalenka everything she could handle. Sabalenka won, 7-6(6), 6-4, in a match that was very exciting to watch. 

6th seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys didn't fare as well; she was beaten in straight sets by one of the tour's veteran tricksters, Laura Siegemund. The German player sliced and lobbed Keys repeatedly, not allowing her to develop any kind of rhythem. Siegemund's 6-3, 6-3 victory puts her into the Wimbledon round of 16 for the first time in her career.

Also gone is 11th seed and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, defeated 7-6(6), 6-3 by Clara Tauson.  

Dayana Yastremska has looked very good at this year's tournament; she knocked out 2nd seed Coco Gauff in the first round. But today, Yastremska was defeated 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 by an under-the-radar Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. And 16th seed Elena Svitolina, who has historically done quite well in London, was upset today by the always dangerous 24th seed, Elise Mertens. 

With Petra Kvitova, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova out, all of the former champions (all Czechs) have been eliminated from play. Thee will be a first-time champion, and--of course--all eyes are on world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka lost the Australian Open final to Madison Keys, then she lost the French Open final to Coco Gauff. So far, at Wimbledon, she has defeated notable qualifier Carson Branstine, a very in-form Marie Bouzkova and Raducanu.

Here is the round of 16 draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Elise Mertens (24)
Solana Sierra (LL) v. Laura Siegemund
Linda Noskova (30) v. Amanda Anisimova (13)
Sonay Kartal vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Mirra Andreeva (7) v. Emma Navarro (10)
Ekaterina Alexandrova (18) v. Belinda Bencic
Iga Swiatek (8) v. Clara Tauson (23)
Liudmila Samsonova (19) v. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 

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