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 Sam 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„a Ostapenko (4)
Olivia Gadecki/Desirae Krawczyk v. Veronika Kudermetova/Elise Mertens (8) 

Siniakova is already in the doubles final. She and Sam 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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Tuesday, July 1, 2025

First round blues: 2nd seed, 3rd seed, 5th seed, and beloved champion all out of Wimbledon

Today, 3rd seed and Bad Homburg champion Jessica Pegula lost in the first round at Wimbledon, defeated 6-2, 6-3 by Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Some upsets--when you apply reality to them--aren't that surprising; this one was. It took the Italian player, who is ranked number 116 in the world, less than an hour to send Pegula out of the tournament. Cocciaretto's strategic, aggressive play was just too much for Pegula.

But that wasn't all. Pegula's countrywoman, 2nd seed Coco Gauff, also lost in straight sets--to Dayana Yasmstremska, who defeated her 7-6, 6-1. This one, I found not as surprising--Yastremska has looked good lately, playing with more consistency. Yastremska and Gauff had played three times before, and Gauff had won all of those matches, which were played on clay.

Then there was 5th seed Zheng Qinwen, who was defeated 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 by Katerina Siniakova. On Saturday, in anticipation of this match, I wrote that "Zheng is the clear favorite, but Siniakova, an elite doubles player, knows her way around a grass court--and she's Czech." And there you have it.

As dramatic as those upsets were, the event of the day was the first-round defeat of wild card Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion who is retiring from pro tennis at the end of the season. Kvitova, who had decided to retire when she gave birth to her son, changed her mind and returned for one more year. She lost today to 10th seed Emma Navarro, who defeated her 6-3, 6-1. After she match achieved match point, Navarro--instead of celebrating--simply stood and applauded her opponent, as the crowd gave Petra a loud and extended send-off. Meanwhile, in the broadcasting booth, Martina Navratilova was in tears--and so was I. 

As a poet, I tend to avoid writing haikus; I don't know why. But I wrote one for Petra Kvitova several years ago, just as Wimbledon was about to begin, and I wrote another one when she returned to the tour unexpectedly early after having been attacked by a home invader. The perpetrator sliced her precious left hand and left some doctors thinking that her career was over, but she showed up in Paris and won her first round.

Today, I wrote one last haiku for her:

 (Yet Another) Haiku for Petra

Last look at the lawns
A champion walks away
Grass wet with our tears

Yesterday, we saw the 9th seed, Paula Badosa, go out, also. Badosa was defeated 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 by Katie Boulter of Great Britain. And two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur had to retire in her match against Viktoriya Tomova. 15th seed Karolina Muchova, a player who I think could win Wimbledon, also went out yesterday, to Wang Xinyu. This wasn't a surprise. Not only is Muchova playing with a one-handed backhand (she plays two-handed) to compensate for her ongoing wrist problem--Wang recently reached the Berlin final. To get there, she defeated Daria Kasatkina, 2nd seed Coco Gauff, 8th seed Paula Badosa (retired), and Liudmila Samsonova.

There's more: Queen's Club champion Tatjana Maria went out in the first round (def. by Katie Volynets) , as did Nottingham champion McCartney Kessler (def. by Marketa Vondrousova) and Eastbourne champion Maya Joint (def. by Liudmila Samsonova). 

Eastbourne runner-up Alex Eala faced defending champion Barbora Krejcikova and took the first set easily. But then Krejcikova appeared to turn on some type of switch and win the next two sets. In addition to hardly having any match play this season, the defending champion also recently sustained a right thigh injury and had to withdraw from Eastbourne.  

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Saturday, June 28, 2025

Challenges for Czechs as Wimbledon draws near

Last year, Barbora Krejcikova won Wimbledon. However, in November, she sustained a back injury that kept her off the tour for six months. She returned in May, and--as she was headed for the quarterfinals in Eastbourne earlier this month--she sustained a left hip injury and withdrew from the tournament. It sounds like this was a precautionary move, but--between the long break and the new injury--it isn't exactly a good time for Krejickova to compete in London.

Her countrywoman, the piece of dynamic art known as Karolina Muchova, has never won Wimbledon, but I certainly believe that she could. But Muchova's career has been wrecked, again and again, by a chronic wrist injury. The Czech player's temporary solution to that problem is her conversion to a one-handed backhand (which certainly suits her elegant game), but she hasn't had a lot of experience hitting her backhand with one hand, and--well, Wimbledon is almost here.

The other chronically injured Czech is Marketa Vondrousova (she's had two wrist surgeries), who won Wimbledon in 2023, and was the first unseeded woman to do so in history. Things look good for Vondrousova, however; she recently won Berlin, defeating the likes of Madison Keys, Diana Shnaider, Ons Jabeur, top seed and world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and Wang Xinyu. We can only hope that she stays healthy for the next couple of weeks.

It doesn't feel right to have this conversation without mentioning two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who intended to retire after she had her baby, but has come back (with a wild card) for one more year. I don't think that anyone expects Kvitova to be in the conversation for Wimbledon, but it would be nice to see her do well there. One way or the other, just having her there is special.

Other grass court winners this season include Elise Mertens ('S-Hertogenbosch--her first grass title), Tatjana Maria (in an absolutely stunning run at Queen's Club), McCartney Kessler (Nottingham), Jessica Pegula (Bad Homburg), and Maya Joint (Eastbourne). Berlin, Queen's Club and Bad Homburg are all WTA 500 tournaments. 

Notable during Wimbledon qualifying was Canadian player Carson Branstine, who defeated both French Open breakout star Lois Boisson and Bianca Andreescu. But the tennis gods never tire of performing their tricks. Branstine's first round opponent?--world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka,

Other first round matches of interest:

Marketa Vondrousova v. McCarney Kessler (32)--The former champion (and now the Berlin champion) will face the Nottingham champion.

Katerina Siniakova v. Zheng Qinwen (5)--Zheng is the clear favorite, but Siniakova, an elite doubles player, knows her way around a grass court--and she's Czech.

Barbora Krejcikova (17) v. Alexandra Eala--The Eastbourne runner-up probably isn't the player Krejickova wants to face in the first round (I doubt that anyone wants to face her in the first round.)

Petra Kvitova (wc) v. Emma Navarro (10)--This isn't an easy first round draw for Kvitova; it should be interesting to watch.

Karolina Muchova (15) v. Wang Xinyu--Wang's grass breakout occurred in Berlin, where she defeated Daria Kasatkina, 2nd seed Coco Gauff, Paula Badosa (via retirement), and Liudmila Samsonova. She was stopped by Vondrousova in the final, but it was quite a run, and Wang exhibited a number of impressive moves and shots. She'll have her work cut out for her with Muchova, the current queen of impressive moves and shots.

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