A second #Wimbledon quarter-final awaits @iga_swiatek 👏 pic.twitter.com/Mqlhk6BOrR
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment