Serena Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, suffers a shocking first-round defeat in an epic nightmare; Series leader Iga Swiatek becomes the first female player of the 21st century to win 36 games in a row after beating Croatian Jana Fett at center-back.
Last updated: 29/06/22 1:11 am
Serena Williams saw her Wimbledon dreams end with Harmony Tan
Serena Williams could not invoke the old magic as her return to Wimbledon ended in a first round defeat to the little known French Harmony Tan on the center court.
He went out on the court to play singles for the first time since he left the big stage prematurely and with tears after suffering a hamstring injury in the opening round 12 months ago, Williams was rusty and prone to mistakes.
The will was maintained and, encouraged by a supportive audience, it seemed he could stumble upon the finish line after coming out of a set below and then save a game point in the 12th game of the decisive.
But instead, Williams only suffered his third defeat in the first round in a Grand Slam, losing 7-5 1-6 7-6 (10-7) in a decisive tie-break at 10:35 p.m. and 10 minutes.
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At 40, the American’s time in the game is clearly running out, but he remained vague about his future plans and refused to rule out another inclination at Wimbledon next year.
“Like I said, to get into that, I’m just planning right now, seeing how I feel, just to go from here,” he said.
Asked if it was his All England Club farewell, Williams added, “This is a question I can’t answer. I don’t know. Who knows? Who knows where he’ll show up.”
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Williams bounced back from a very awkward start to lead 4-2 in the first set, but 21 unforced errors proved his downfall.
After a short break to close the roof, he calmed down and won the second set comfortably, and it looked like he could find a way to overcome himself when he led 3-1 in the deciding.
But here there was no certainty about Williams and he could not take advantage of a 4-0 lead in the tie-break, with Tan celebrating the best moment of his career.
“I think I did pretty well physically,” Williams said. “I think the last two points, I was suffering a lot there.
“But I get the feeling that just at these key points, winning some of those points is always something mentally you need. I’ve done pretty well in maybe one or two of them, but obviously it’s not enough. “.
“There’s definitely a lot of motivation to improve and play at home”
Williams indicates he will play in the U.S. Open
Asked if he could be pleased with Tuesday’s loss as his last Wimbledon record, he said: “Obviously not. You know me. Definitely not.
“But today I gave everything I could do. Maybe tomorrow I could have given more. Maybe a week ago I could have given more. But today was what I could do. At some point, you have to be able to be okay with that. . “
Silky Swiatek makes more history
Iga Swiatek became the first female player of the 21st century to win 36 games in a row
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek entered the record book in style as she won her 36th consecutive game with the victory over Jana Fett on the center court.
Swiatek’s startling streak, which dates back to February and has seen him win six tournaments, means it is the longest winning streak of the 21st century, surpassing the 2000 Venus Willams record.
The two-time French Open champion, one of the crown favorites, enjoyed the prestigious opening of the central court normally reserved for the defending champion and defeated Croatian Fett 6-0, 6-3.
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The withdrawal of defending champion Ashleigh Barty meant that Swiatek received the honor of opening the game on the main court and was seen at home, handing his opponent a 33-minute bagel.
This was the first match for the Pole since she beat Roland Garros and Fett, who has made an active warm-up on the pitch, threatened a comeback as she led 3-1 in the second set.
He had three break points to make it 4-1, but Swiatek escaped and that was the end, as the Pole quickly beat five games in a row to continue his invincible streak.
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11th American seed Coco Gauff returned from a set to beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Coco Gauff had a bumpy start and converted only four of the 25 break points, but those mistakes weren’t enough to deflect her as she reached the second round with a 2-6, 6-3 win. 7-5 on the Romanian Elena-Gabriela. Ruse.
The 18-year-old American is the youngest player in the singles draw and after her runner-up finish at this month’s French Open, many get her to go all the way to the All England Club.
He will then face Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu.
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No. 5 seed Maria Sakkari did a light job for Australian Zoe Hives, winning 6-1 6-4, but No. 14 seed Belinda Bencic is down, losing 6-4 5-7 6-2 against Wang Qiang in a match that was renewed on Monday.
Will Venus accompany Jamie Murray in mixed doubles?
Venus Williams has requested a late wildcard to play alongside Jamie Murray in mixed doubles
Venus Williams is set to make a surprise appearance at Wimbledon after asking for a late wildcard to play alongside Jamie Murray in mixed doubles.
The 42-year-old American is a five-time individual champion at the All England Club and has won doubles with her sister Serena on six occasions, but the last time she played in the WTA Tour was in August. last year and since then she has been down with one leg. injury.
Murray, 36, has twice won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon, in 2007 and 2017.
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