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Tuesday, June 30, 2026

W.2- Time Out of Joint













=DAY 2 NOTES=
...the women's "home team" at Wimbledon have had a few points of light over the past half-century or so.

Virginia Wade won the title back in 1977 (and she and Sue Barker reached semis the next two years). Since then, though, there's rarely been a home player who's posed more than a nominal threat. Most notably, Aussie-born transplant Jo Konta reached a SF in '17 and QF in '19, the only last eight runs by a Brit at Wimbledon since 1984.

But other than a pair of Round of 16 results from Emma Raducanu (in '21 and '23, one before her U.S. Open win and one after), aside from the occasional few-and-far-between second week appearances, most instances have been early-round "Cinderella" runs whose clocks were ticking loudly from the moment they were first wound.

Still, over the past five Wimbledons, one British woman has managed to reach the second week at SW19 (every year since 2021, save for '24). The problem this year has been that *none* of the four women who put up those results was in the '26 MD. Heather Watson ('22) lost in qualifying, Sonay Kartal ('25) is out injured, and #30-seeded Raducanu withdrew with an injury hours before her opening match.

None of the seven Brits in the Wimbledon qualifying rounds made it through to the MD (only Watson reached the final round), and the women's contingent at SW19 went 0-6 on Day 1. Then...



18-year old Italian qualifier Tyra Grant made it 0-7 with her 6-4/6-2 upst of Katie Boulter (the highest-ranked Brit in the draw), winning in her slam MD debut. Grant hadn't played a pro match on grass until Wimbledon qualifying, and now she's won four straight.

That left wild card Katie Swan, without a MD slam win for eight years and having played in *no* major in her career other than her home event (where she'd gone 1-6, but been absent in the MD since '23), as the Last Hope. She played Irina-Camelia Begu, the Romanian veteran who'd outlasted Venus Williams in a tight three-setter in Bad Homburg.

Remarkably, Swan actually got the job done, winning 6-4/6-4 to avoid a complete British shutout (and probably ensuring herself wild cards in every grass event in England in from 2027-29, even if it's at the expense of the defending champion, I suspect).



The only of sixteen British women in the qualifying and (original) MD to reach the 2nd Round, Swan's "Last Brit Standing" result was delayed *a bit* at the end, as she served for the win, taking a 40/love lead but needing five total MP to finally make things official.

Of course, alas, even with Swan's win it goes without saying that the "Nation of Poors Souls" at this Wimbledon is the host nation itself.

...meanwhile, it's been more than two decades since a woman rode a pre-Wimbledon tour-level singles titles to an additional win at SW19: Maria Sharapova in 2004, the only one to do it since Jana Novotna in 1998. Through last season, that's an 0-for-85 champions streak, and 1-for-101 since 1999.

There were six pre-event title winners this grass season, and "the curse" has already started to befall those involved.



#13-seeded Jasmine Paolini, a suprise Wimbledon finalist in '24, sent the first champion packing today, corrupting Rosmalan winner Robin Montgomery's previously spotless (9-0) '26 grass season with a comeback 0-6/6-4/7-5 victory over the Bannerette qualifier.

After dropping the 1st set at love, the Italian rode an early break to a 2nd set win, then rallied from 4-2 down in the decider, holding in game 7 at love and then breaking Montgomery to turn the tables. Paolini saved three BP at 4-4, and after Montgomery denied a MP in game 10, two games later broke serve at love to win and avoid a MTB.

The win allows Paolini, holding onto her '26 season by a thread (just like this match), to once again edge above .500 on the year at 13-12. Injury and inconsistencies have pushed her nearly out of the Top 20, as she's so-far final-less after reaching title matches every season since winning her maiden title in 2021. Since the start of '24, Paolini has played in two slam fianls and in three more at 1000 events (last year winning Rome).



A *second* '26 grass champion nearly joined Montgomery on the sideline, as #26 Madison Keys, days after winning her third Eastbourne crown, had to avoid a crushing defeat vs. another U.S. qualifier, Kayla Day.

Keys served at 5-4, 40/love in the 1st set, but somehow managed to drop the opener in a TB (which she'd led 5-4). Keys forced a 3rd set, staving off another collapse by saving four BP in game 8 when leading 4-3. Taking a 5-3 lead in the decider, Keys put away her second MP to win 6-7(5)/6-4/6-3.



Later, a second of the "Fateful Six" did exit, as qualifier Ashlyn Krueger continued on her resurgent grass season path by adding a come from behind upset of #31 Donna Vekic, who a few weeks ago won the Queen's Club title as a lucky loser.

Vekic led 6-3/4-1 (w/ a GP for 5-1), then 5-3. She twice served for the win at 5-4 and 6-5, but Krueger forced and won a 7-3 TB and went up 4-2 in the 3rd en route to a 3-6/7-6(3)/6-4 victory.

At the end of her career-best 2025 season -- in which she reached a 500 final (Abu Dhabi), notched her first Top 10 (Rybakina in Miami) and cracked the Top 30 -- Krueger ended her year on a 1-6 slide. It carried over into '26, as she began this year at a similar 1-5.

Though she reachd the 3rd Round in Indian Wells in March, Krueger stood at just 5-11 on the season heading into RG qualifying. She won the necessary three matches to reach the MD, then lost in the 1st Round, but the run triggered a turnaround on the grass. Playing in an early 125 on the surface during the second week of RG, Krueger qualified and reached the SF, then won the Ilkey 125 a week later.

Her qualifying run and 1st Round win at SW19 gives her nine straight wins, improving her grass mark to 14-1 (17-2 overall going back to what turned out to be her kick-starting RG Q-run).



...so, #3 Iga Swiatek got her turn in the Day 2 women's defending champion spot on Centre Court today against Taylor Townsend, a dangerous though mostly part-time singles player who shines brightest in the doubles. If Swiatek was going to signal that she posed any real threat to repeat in her return to the All-England Club, it was suspected that we'd see it here, or if not her run might end before it even begins.

Well, she won... but was it enough to believe that she's ready to contend with much more during this fortnight? Umm, it's hard to tell, but I'd personally step into the "no" line if faced with the choice at the moment.



Still high on the "favorites" list though nothing she's done since last summer (a three-month that stretch that saw her reach a grass final, win Wimbledon, Cincinnati and, after the U.S. Open, the Seoul 250, by far her best run since winning RG in 2024) would even remotely lead one to believe that might be true, Swiatek came into the match nonetheless having going 26-0 in the 1st Rounds of majors since losing at SW19 in 2019. She lost in her opening match last week in Bad Homburg, a year after reaching the final in a revelatory result that, had it not occurred, probably wouldn't have led to her good results immediately afterward.

But that stretch has proven to be a one-off, as she's failed to reach a final since. Against the best competition, she's been at her least productive, this year going 1-5 vs. the Top 10 (1-7 in the last eight), and 3-7 against the Top 20. In 2026, Swiatek has changed coaches (again), jettisoning the one (Wim Fissette) this spring who'd last summer finally gotten her to alter her game enough to win on grass, seemingly hoping that by adding a former coach (Fransico Roig) of Rafa Nadal that the Spaniard's past aura will somehow re-inject into her a little of her own. So far, results have been mixed (at best, and probably worse).

After Townsend got the early 1st set break today, Swiatek took control and won the set at 6-1. But she then experienced another of her recent, suddenly error-prone stretches, falling behind 4-0 in the 2nd as Townsend knotted the match with a 6-2 win. At this point, *any* result wouldn't have been a surprise.

Swiatek saved four BP and held in the opening game, finally taking a significant lead with a break for 4-2. But Swiatek then gave the break back in the next game. Swiatek surged last, going up 15/40 on Townsend's serve in game 8, and getting the break. She served out the 6-1/2-6/6-3 win, firing off an ace on MP.

Swiatek will next face Karolina Pliskova, a former Wimbledon finalist and world #1 experiencing an under-the-radar nice comeback campaign in '26. The Czech, who defeated countrywoman Tereza Valentova today, is 6-2 on grass, with a Nottingham SF and Queen's Club QF, and has an overall 20-9 mark. Alex Eala is a potential 3rd Round opponent, along with the loud fans that follow her across the tour schedule.

Afterward, Swiatek cried about having been able to pull this one out... which, from this corner, doesn't feel like the "triumph" some seek to portray it as, but rather maybe an indication that even she doesn't think she's lasting very long in this event and is just glad it wasn't a *complete* disaster of a return. Just an observation from the peanut gallery.

...#2 Elena Rybakina, the '22 champ, managed a win today, as well, but also didn't inspire much confidence that a deep run is in the works, having to go *three sets* against what is essentially (at this point) a clay court specialist in Lois Boisson, who has won just *one* match this season (she's 1-7) since returning from another injury layoff.

Boisson has never won a grass match in her career (0-3), yet took a 6-1 2nd set off Rybakina, who came into SW19 having lost on the surface to both Yuliia Starodubtseva and Katie Boulter in what was a 1-2 pre-Wimbledon grasscourt stint.



...later, while they never faced a MP, both qualifier Leolia Jeanjean and #23 Emma Navarro were fortunate to survive in the draw.

Facing Veronika Erjavec, Jeanjean had a devil of a time closing out the Slovenian. She didn't convert a MP at 5-3 in the 3rd on serve, nor four more at 6-5 on return. Forced to a deciding MTB, things were tied up 5-5 before the Pastry finally ran off wins in five of six points and converted on her sixth MP attempt to get the 6-4/4-6/7-6(10-6) victory.



Navarro, a finalist this month in Nottingham and semifinalist in Bad Homburg (where she defeated Swiatek), arrived having put together a 12-4 mark since recently fully returning to action after a health-related break. She'd started 5-11 on the year (including 2-9 in a stretch), finally forcing her own hand and making the decision to take some time off in March. She returned in May after getting things sorted, winning a title in Strasbourg in her third tournament back.

Still playing her way back into shape, Navarro has at times looked special, but sometimes suddenly instantly beatable. Today she played both sides of the equation and came out on top vs. Paula Badosa.

The Spaniard took the opening set, and led 5-2 in the 3rd, serving at 5-3. But Navarro seized upon Badosa's final dip in play, breaking her in her final two service games to take a 6-5 lead, then saving a pair of BP on her own serve in game 12 to avoid a deciding MTB. She converted on her fourth MP chance in the game, winning 4-6/6-3/7-5.

She's 8-3 (now w/ more wins at SW19 than any other major) in her Wimbledon career, with QF/4r results the last two years.



...#8 Elina Svitolina wasn't as lucky.

In the midst of a tremendous season, Svitolina has climbed back into the Top 10, winning two titles (including the Rome 1000, her biggest since 2018) and reaching a SF (AO) and QF (RG) in majors. Her six SF and nine QF both lead the tour, while her seven Top 10 wins are tied (for now) for the most this year.

But she withdrew from her Bad Homburg QF last week, and one wonders if whatever impacted that decision lingered into this Wimbledon, as after getting off to a great start (up 4-0, 30/love vs. fellow Ukrainian Daria Snigur) she was quickly shown the exit, falling 7-5/6-2, losing thirteen of the last sixteen games.



Of course, big upsets aren't a new experience for the 24-year old Snigur. She's notched two Top 10 wins in majors (w/ Simona Halep at the '22 U.S. Open, after which everything went to hell for what remained of the Romanian's career), and is 3-1 vs. Top 10 opponents in her career. She won her bigget career title at a 125 event in February, finally cracked the Top 100 in March, and should now emerge from this Wimbledon at a new career high (likely inside the Top 75, at least).

Snigur already had good memories of the AELTC. Seven years ago, she was the junior champion.



...meanwhile, did The Moment happen today? No, not *that* one, the one where Liudmila Samsonova flips the switch on a bad start to her season and scrambles down the stretch with enough good resuts that she finishes above .500 and with a ranking inside the Top 30? I mean, it's happened every single year since 2022.

Samsonova's poor starts:

2022: 10-14 (until winning Washington in August)
2023: 8-9 (until a Madrid 4th Round)
2024: 5-11 (until a Strasbourg SF)
2025: 10-11 (until a Strasbourg RU)

Even with those starts, she's not had a sub-.500 season in the bunch. Here are her season finishes:

2022: 20-3 (for 30-17; #20)
2023: 26-15 (for 34-24; #16)
2024: 21-12 (for 26-23; #27)
2025: 20-12 (for 30-23; #17)

The Hordette came into Wimbledon at 8-16 on the year, looking for the port in the storm that would make everything right once again.

There'd been *signs* that The Flip might be close, as she ended her five-match losing streak last week in Bad Homburg with her first win since Rome, taking the opening set from Svitolina before falling in three. She arrived at SW19, where she reached the QF last year, with a 1-3 grass record, but having dropped a trio of three-setters. It showed, at least, that her inch-by-inch progress was real. She hadn't had a three-set loss since Indian Wells, as her next six defeats after I.W. came in straight sets before the schedule turned over to the grass.

But time is getting short. Samsonova's ranking dropped outside the Top 40 last week, and with her QF points evaporating she found herself outside the "live" Top 80 heading into her 1st Round match against qualifier Polina Kudermetova today. She needed a win... and she got one, defeating Kudermetova 6-3/6-3.

She'll play countrywoman, #15 Diana Shnaider, next. The Flip might be closer, but she'll need *that* win for it to officially appear as if the moment has arrived.

...late in the day, of course, the moment that the *entirety* of Day 2 revolved around -- at least according to ESPN, which made the entire day's coverage an essential pre-game show -- the return of 44-year old Serena Williams in her first singles match since losing to Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 U.S. Open.

As it turned out, there was another Aussie, 20-year old Maya Joint, waiting for her on Centre Court.



Considering Joint's woeful season to date, though she *had* played a three-setter and a close two-setter this grass season (she lost them both, but still), it was easy to see Williams as the "favorite." Joint stood at 3-15 on the year, 1-13 in her last fourteen, and 0-11 in her last eleven tour-level outings.

But, good on ya, Maya. The kid actually came out and played her best match of the season when the most people were watching, holding off a clearly-rusty and not really *fully* match-ready, but still super-dangerous, Williams in a three-set victory that proved that, no, a 44-year old -- even if she might the best player ever -- can't just walk in off the street and beat anyone, even a player who has lost to almost everyone she's faced this season.

Joint held up well all match, denying Williams' multiple BP chances as she claimed the opening set at 6-3. Williams picked up steam in the 2nd, overcoming a 3-1 deficit. After Williams converted her first BP (on try #6), having been set up by a vintage low forehand passing shot, to knot the score 3-3, Joint immediately broke back. They traded off three straight breaks to get to 4-4, and Williams held from love/40 to go up 6-5. Joint forced a TB, where she rallied 5-4 down to hold a MP at 6-5. But Williams pushed back, taking the breaker 8-6 and sending things to a 3rd.



Williams got the early break to lead 2-1, but it wasn't meant to be. Not this time. Not yet, anyway. Joint didn't let negativity, or her lost chance in the 2nd, to take her down. She broke back, and after taking a break lead at 4-2 never let (a likely tiring) Williams turn the tide back, winning 6-3/6-7(6)/6-3.






Joint goes on to face #29 Alex Eala in a match that will have fewer eyes gazing upon it (but not by too many), while Williams looks to the doubles, where she'll re-team with Venus for doubles team with a combined *90* years of experience.



...as far as early-round awards, there are a lot of contenders for "Upset Queens" and "Revelation Ladies" -- with the Bannerettes, Crushers and Hordettes a combined 26-11 so far -- so I'm going to only award one at the moment.

Since one of the large contingents will be better as the "RL" honoree, whichever nation it goes to, I'll give the "UQ" title to a *region*, as the Southeast Asians combined to wreak havoc in the 1st Round. The Philippines' Eala's win was expected, but she will be joined in the 2nd Round by Indonesia's Janice Tjen (def. #22 Fernandez) and a pair of Thai players who both recorded their maiden slam MD wins, Lanlana Tararudee (def. Tagger) and Mananchaya Sawangkaew (the beneficiery of #20 Chwalinska's unfortunate slip-and-fall incident).

The "RL" will likely be a race between the U.S., Czech Republic and Russia, with possible "upsets" by the smaller groups from Spain (w/ three left, though Badosa *should* have made it four) or Uzbekistan (w/ 2 in the Final 64, with Polina K. missing out due to Samsonova's belated '26 rise).






...ALL RIGHT, BUT IF YOU'RE A FORMER #1, SIX-TIME MAJOR WINNER AND THE DEFENDING CHAMP... ON DAY 2:

...is surviving a 1st Rounder vs. the world #79, who has reached exactly one tour singles final (a 250) in her career and who came into the day with a 2-6 mark in a Wimbledon history that began a dozen years ago, *really* something spectacular to write home about? I'm just sayin'.



As usual with Iga, she scrapes by in one match and people treat it as evidence that she's somehow deep in the thrall of RG dominance from 2022-24 again. We shall see.




...WIMBLEDON'S TWITTER/X HAS BEEN SUBPAR THIS TOURNAMENT, SO I GUESS WE SHOULD BE HAPPY THEY DID *ANYTHING* (even if it is pretty rudimentary compared to the creativity of past years)... ON DAY 2:




...MEANWHILE, THE WTA SOCIAL MEDIA WAS POSTING SERENA TRIBUTES WITH AN, UMM, VAGUELY SATANIC FEEL?... ON DAY 2:




...THANK YOU, YONEX... ON DAY 2:

Diana Shnaider's switch from Adidas to Yonex has finally paid off in the bandanna department, as the new sponsor did what the other couldn't: provide her with an acceptable all-white bandanna (w/ logo, of course) that she could wear at Wimbledon.





















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*WI 1st ROUND*
TOTAL MD NATIONS: 39
MOST IN 2nd RD. (29 diff. nations): 12-USA,7-CZE,7-RUS,3-AUS,3-ESP,3-UKR
UNDEFEATED 1st RD.: 2-0 (THA); 1-0 (GEO-GRE-INA-PHI-TUR)
BEST NON-UNDEFEATED 1st RD.: 7-3 (CZE), 3-1 (ESP), 3-2 (AUS), 2-1 (CHN-ITA-SUI-UZB)
WORST 1st RD.: 0-3 (AUT), 0-2 (CAN-HUN), 1-7 (GBR), 1-4 (GER), 1-3 (POL-ROU), 1-2 (CRO)
SEEDS OUT: 7+1 (1-AUT,1-CAN,1-CRO,1-DEN,1-POL,1-UKR,1-USA; +GBR w/d)
DEF.SEEDS: 1-ESP,1-GRE,1-INA,1-THA,1-TUR,1-UKR,1-USA
SLAM MD DEBUTS: 5 (1-CZE,1-GBR,1-ITA,1-MKD,1-SRB)
FIRST-TIME SLAM MD WINS: 4 (2-THA,1-ITA,1-RUS)
[BY NATION - alphabetical]
0-1 = AND
1-1 = ARG
3-2 = AUS
0-3 = AUT
1-1 = BEL
1-1 = BLR
0-1 = BRA
0-2 = CAN
2-1 = CHN
1-1 = COL
1-2 = CRO
7-3 = CZE
0-1 = DEN
3-1 = ESP
2-2 = FRA
1-7 = GBR
1-0 = GEO
1-4 = GER
1-0 = GRE
0-2 = HUN
1-0 = INA
2-1 = ITA
1-1 = JPN
1-1 = KAZ
1-1 = LAT
0-1 = MEX
0-1 = MKD
1-0 = PHI
1-3 = POL
1-3 = ROU
7-2 = RUS
0-1 = SLO
0-1 = SRB
2-1 = SUI
2-0 = THA
1-0 = TUR
3-4 = UKR
12-6 = USA
2-1 = UZB

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "LAST BRIT STANDING"*
2015 Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
2016 Johanna Konta & Tara Moore (2nd Rd.)
2017 Johanna Konta (SF)
2018 Katie Boulter, Johanna Konta & Katie Swan (2nd)
2019 Johanna Konta (QF)
2021 Emma Raducanu (4th Rd.)
2022 Heather Watson (4th Rd.)
2023 Katie Boulter (3rd Rd.)
2024 Emma Raducanu (4th Rd.)
2025 Sonay Kartal (4th Rd.)
2026 Katie Swan (in 2r)

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "UPSET QUEENS" NATIONS*
2016 Germany
2017 United States
2018 United States
2019 Slovenia
2021 Czech Republic
2022 France
2023 Romania
2024 Spain
2025 Great Britain
2026 Southeast Asia

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"*
[2019]
BLR (1-3 1st; 3/4 of "Dream Team" lose, #10 Sabalenka FSO)
[2021]
CAN (0-2 1st; #5 Andreescu & Fernandez lose; Bouchard DNP)
[2022]
AUS (1-5 1st; DC Barty retired in March)
[2023]
ITA (1-6 1st)
[2024]
ROU (1-5 1st; #29 Cirstea, Bogdan 2 MP, no Halep)
[2025]
AUS (1-6 1st; only new AUS Kasatkina w/ win)
[2026]
GBR (1-7 1st; Kartal DNP, Raducanu w/d; 0-7 start; 0/7 Q)


*RECENT WIMBLEDON "LAST WILD CARD STANDING"*
2015 Jelena Ostapenko, LAT (2nd Rd.)
2016 Tara Moore/GBR & Evgeniya Rodina/RUS (2nd Rd.)
2017 Zarina Diyas/KAZ & Heather Watson/GBR (3rd Rd.)
2018 Katie Boulter/GBR, Ons Jabeur/TUN & Katie Swan/GBR (2nd)
2019 Harriet Dart, GBR (3rd Rd.)
2021 Emma Raducanu/GBR & Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (4th Rd.)
2022 Katie Boulter, GBR (3rd Rd.)
2023 Elina Svitolina, UKR (SF)
2024 Emma Raducanu, GBR (4th Rd.)
2025 none (0-8 combined)
2026 Katie Swan, GBR (in 2nd Rd.)

*2026 FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS (w/ career slam MD)
-AUSTRALIAN OPEN (5)-
Nikola Bartunkova, CZE (1st)
Linda Klimovicova, POL (1st)
Petra Marcinko, CRO (1st)
Taylah Preston, AUS (3rd)
Oksana Selekhmeteva, RUS (5th)
-ROLAND GARROS (6)-
Susan Bandecchi, SUI (1st)
Marina Bassols Ribera, ESP (2nd)
Francesca Jones, GBR (7th)
Oleksandra Oliynynkova, UKR (2nd)
Kaitlin Quevedo, ESP (1st)
Antonia Ruzic, CRO (3rd)
-WIMBLEDON (4)-
Anastasia Gasanova, RUS (2nd)
Tyra Grant, ITA (1st)
Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA (2nd)
Lanlana Tararudee, THA (2nd)

*MAIDEN CAREER SLAM MD WINS AT AO-RG-WI-US - 2020-26*
-AUSTRALIAN OPEN (36)-
-ROLAND GARROS (37)-
-WIMBLEDON (28)-
2020 DNP 2021 Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, NED
2021 Maria (Camila Osorio) Serrano, COL
2021 Emma Raducanu, GBR
2022 Maya Chwalinska, POL
2022 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA
2022 Dalma Galfi, HUN
2022 Catherine Harrison, USA
2022 Mai Hontama, JPN
2022 Katarzyna Kawa, POL
2022 Jule Niemeier, GER
2022 Panna Udvardy, HUN
2023 Bai Zhuoxuan, CHN
2023 Jodie Burrage, GBR
2023 Tamara Korpatsch, GER
2023 Natalija Stevanovic, SRB
2024 Erika Andreeva, RUS
2024 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP
2024 Sonay Kartal, GBR
2024 Robin Montgomery, USA
2024 Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR
2024 Lulu Sun, NZL
2024 Anca Todoni, ROU
2025 Veronika Erjavec, SLO
2025 Solana Sierra, ARG
2025 Zeynep Sonmez, TUR
2026 Anastasia Gasanova, RUS
2026 Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA
2026 Lanlana Tararudee, THA
2026 Tyra Grant, ITA
-U.S. OPEN (23)-





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SCOTUS strikes down Trump's executive order banning birthright citizenship.

[image or embed]

— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) June 30, 2026 at 10:42 AM











TOP QUALIFIER: Robin Montgomery/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
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): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
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: Southeast Asians
REVELATION LADIES: x
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: in 2r: Bolkvadze/GEO, Gasanova/RUS, Grant/ITA, Jeanjean/FRA, Krueger/USA, Liu/USA, Sawangkaew/THA, Timofeeva/UZB
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Katie Swan/GBR (in 2r)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: in 2r: Pliskova/CZE, Sorribes Tormo/ESP
LUCKY LOSERS: Darja Semenistaja/LAT(L)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Katie Swan/GBR (in 2r)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "?": x
COMEBACK PLAYER: x
CRASH & BURN: x
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Nominees: Sawangkaew (1r- trailed #20 Chwalinska 6-2/5-2 and MP down when #20 seed hurt ankle/foot; first career slam MD win); Yastremska (1r- Ito held 4 MP over two games in 3rd set); Sierra (1r- Bondar 2 MP at 5-4, 40/15 in 3rd); Navarro (1r- trailed Badosa 5-2 in 3rd); Krueger (1r- trailed Vekic set and 5-3, twice served for match)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominee: S.Williams returns at age 44 (WD w/ Venus, combined age of 90)
LAWN COURT ROLLER: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Nominee: Chwalinska (devastating loss in 1st Rd. after having MP at 6-2/5-2 before fall injuries ankle)







All for Day 2. More tomorrow.
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Monday, June 29, 2026

W.1- A Fraction of Traction Leads to Sudden Contraction


The smaller they are, the harder they (slip and) fall?











=DAY 1 NOTES=
...well, in late Sunday news, *technically*, the first MD player to exit this Wimbledon never even played a single point.



#30-seeded Emma Raducanu, who'd managed to briefly rekindle discussion regarding her longtime career potential with a final run at Queen's Club (her second final this year, speaking to rare better health in '26), wasn't able to make it back to the court a few weeks later due to a stress fracture injury. She'd been set to open Court 1 play just a few hours later in a match vs. Antonia Ruzic.

A 2021 second-week player at SW19 a few months before her U.S. Open win later that summer (a home court run that ended when she retired due to breathing difficulties and illness), Raducanu's annual return to the grass has traditionally provided her with a chance to right her course. But, also as usual, the Brit seems to be in a perpetual state of "reset" since her one great run in New York.

After having to play two matches on a Saturday at Queen's Club, Raducanu wasn't up to her previous level in the final against Donna Vekic, and now this. As I noted at the time, the moments in which a flag is put down as *possibly* denoting the point from which Raducanu's career will turn back upward are always fleeting. And it looks like we're here yet again.

Raducanu's removal from the MD meant that the British contingent in the women's field dropped to eight, with six of them there after having been given a free pass wild card by the AELTC.

While Raducanu doesn't count in the First Victory/First Defeat situation for this Wimbledon, the first player to lose in the 1st Round was still a Brit, as 17-year old wild card Mika Stojsavljevic (already in her second career SW19 MD) was on the opposite side of the court as #11 Belinda Bencic was the first player to reach the 2nd Round via a 6-2/6-1 domination. The Swiss woman reached the semifinals a year ago.



This marks the first time that a Brit was the first player to lose in the 1st Round at Wimbledon since 2011, when Katie O'Brien fell to a then 40-year old Kimiko Date (that seemed like a significant age barrier back then... in 2026, not so much).

BTW, a year ago, Brit Sonay Kartal was on the *other* side of one of these early-round notes, upsetting Alona Ostapenko to make her the First Seed Out of the event. Kartal is missing from the field this year due to injury, and will drop well outside the Top 100 after the subtraction of her '25 Round of 16 points.

In Raducanu's place on Court 1, British wild card Harriet Dart fell to Ostapenko, so there's a certain roundabout logic to it all, I guess.

As it turned out, after Day 1, the Brits are *still* looking for their first win. All six British women -- Dart, Stojsavljevic, Alicia Dudeney, Hannah Klugman, Mimi Xu and Francesca Jones -- in action on Monday lost, leaving just the Katies Boulter and Swan to try to avoid a shutout on Day 2.

None of the seven British women in last week's qualifying draw played their way into the MD, either. So I guess all those wild cards the LTA hands out to home players in the short grass season -- when players more capable of actually winning matches ask for shots to play in one of the frightfully few grass events leading into Wimbledon only to be turned down (even if they're an event's defending champion) so that token *favors* can be doled out to locals -- aren't really helping that much.

...meanwhile, sometimes a scoreline only tells a small part of the story...



#20 Maja Chwalinska, the surprise RG finalist who was at the center of a discussion about whether she'd be granted a wild card into the Wimbledon MD after her big ranking rise had occurred after the tournament's automatic-entry cutoff date (she *was* ultimately given a free pass, as well as an appropriate-to-her-ranking seed), today became the First Seed Out.

But only after dominating qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew, and leading 6-2/5-2, with a MP at 40/30. This this happened...



From that point on, Chwalinska's 2026 Wimbledon slowly but inevitably wilted away and died.



Playing on despite having little ability to move around the court, Chwalinska dropped eleven of the final thirteen games as her Thai opponent went on to win 2-6/7-5/6-2, notching her maiden slam MD win in her second appearance in a major.

Geez, would The Rad really target one of Its own (i.e. a fellow Pole) like that? Eek.



Of course, as this played out, the social media police were out early on things, accusing Chwalinska of faking the injury (when up MP?) and saying that she "didn't really" twist her ankle. Of course, as anyone who has ever come down on an ankle/foot like she did knows (raises hand), one doesn't have to literally *twist* anything for a bad injury. Just the foot bending backwards under one's own weight can sometimes do enough damage to make a big difference (it's why I spent my entire summer before my first year of college with a cast on my foot and walking around on crutches, including while traversing campus during Freshman Orientation Day).

Naturally, if she'd retired instead of gamely playing out the rest of the match, then Chwalinska would have been savaged by those same trolls for voiding the match (and any bets) anyone might have made on it. As it was, in many of the same corners she was called "stupid" and "ignorant" for playing on while risking being hurt worse.

This is why it's best for players to just stay away from *all* of it.



...elsewhere, #4 Jessie Pegula took out Dasha Vidmanova in the Czech's slam MD debut, 7-5/6-3, to improve to 5-1 this grass season, while Tatjana Maria's 6-4/6-4 win over Yulia Putintseva marks the first Wimbledon match win from the 38-year old German (the *second*-oldest woman in the draw, behind you-know-who) since she reached the 2022 semifinals at SW19. Of course, she's reached a pair of tour-level grass court finals since then, including this past weekend in Eastbourne.

Now, these are the quotes we come for (you know, as opposed to blaming opponents for wars)...



Of course, none of that (well, we'll see about the Alcarez part, eh?) aged very well on Day 1, as #1 Aryna Sabalenka won the first women's match on Centre Court this Wimbledon, handling the aforementioned qualifier Teodora Kostovic in the Serbian teen's slam MD debut, winning 6-2/6-3.



Then, a funny thing happened... the Tennis Gods had mercy on us all, proving themselves to be as good and righteous as They *want* to be, as McCartney Kessler double-bageled the WTA's clown princess, Oleksandra Oliynykova, to spare us a Sabalenka/Oliynykova 2nd Round match-up.

Last week in Eastbourne qualifying, Oliynykova posted just two games against Brit Sofia Johnson. Today she collected just 19 total points against Kessler.

Maybe Oliynykova was up late going through four years of Sabalenka's social media posts, amassing all her notes for her big moment in the press conference spotlight that won't happened (she already had a taped segment air on CNN International on Monday). Of course, now she'll just have even more free time to call tennis players Nazis as she wanders the AELTC grounds looking for a microphone, any microphone, to bleat into.

...meanwhile, the Southeast Asian wing of the tour had a great Day 1. Not only did Thailand's Sawangkaew manage her escape vs. Chwalinska, but Indonesian Janice Tjen upset #22 Leylah Fernandez, and then another Thai, Lanlada Tararudee, finally managed to put away Lilli Tagger to join countrywoman Sawangkaew with a first career slam MD win.

Tararudee led Tagger 5-1 in the 3rd, and served at 5-2, holding a MP. But the Austian teenager, with a history of wild eleventh-hour comebacks, got the break and then held serve to force Tararudee to try to serve it out again. This time she did.



...late in the day, the number of players who advanced after saving MP grew to three.



Dayana Yastremska rallied from 3-1 down to take the 1st set from Aoi Ito, who served for the set at 6-5. Then in the 3rd, Ito held a pair of MP on serve at 5-3, then two more on return a game later. Yastremska staved them all off to win 7-6(1)/4-6/7-5.

And Solana Sierra, no stranger to pulling victory from the jaws of defeat (even *actual* defeat) at the All-England Club after last year reaching the 4th Round as a lucky loser, saved double MP at 5-4, 40/15 in the decider today vs. Anna Bondar, then in game 11 saved a BP to hold for 6-5, *then* came back from 15/40 again to break to Hungarian to end the match, winning 6-3/5-7/7-5.






...THE FIRST BECKHAM SIGHTING CAME EARLY THIS YEAR (probably because of the kickball thing, right?)... ON DAY 1:



Is it just me, or does Mama Beckham slightly resemble Margaret Court?



...MAJA MAY BE GONE FROM THIS WIMBLEDON, BUT IF YOU NEEDED A BELATED REASON TO LIKE HER AND ENJOY HER COMPANY JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE, HERE'S ANOTHER CHECKMARK IN HER COLUMN FROM A FEW YEARS AGO... ON DAY 1:




...MEANWHILE, THE WTA SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM IS ALREADY IN TOP FORM... ON DAY 1:




...AND... WELL, THE TOKEN (cough-cough) "PROTEST" IS OFFICIALLY OVER... ON DAY 1:



I wonder if the "protest" about low prize money for lower-ranked players was ended by the AELTC threatening a modest fine that would account for just a small portion of the low prize money won by those players they were so worried about being wronged? And wasn't cutting the time of press conferences actually *beneficial* to the top players, anyway?

Perhaps the most individualistic of all individual-athlete endeavors, tennis is not an altruistic sport. Anyone expecting anything more than mere words from other players (see the Vondrousova case) will always be disappointed. Always.


...MEANWHILE, MARKETA HAS A LITTLE TOO MUCH TIME ON HER HANDS... ON DAY 1:




...MIRRA THANKING... THE TENNIS GODS (and Serena... at least I *don't think* she's pulling double duty in that discussion)... ON DAY 1:




...WEEK 25 BOOKKEEPING UPDATE... ON DAY 1:




...BTW, I STILL DON'T LIKE THE SUNDAY STARTS AT MAJORS... ON DAY 1:

...but I haven't missed the 32-match Day 1 (and Day 2, as well) schedule, either.



...HMMM, I THINK SOMEONE MIGHT BE ONTO SOMETHING HERE... ON DAY 1:
















As always when it's my birthday, I like to offer you all something, a few words, to say thanks for all the kindness and care over the years. My best to you all. D x ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฟ #SundayThoughts #birthdayvibes

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— Dr Dwight Turner (@dturner300.bsky.social) June 28, 2026 at 12:06 AM















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*RECENT WIMBLEDON "FIRST SEED OUT"*
2016 #25 Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU (Witthoeft/GER)
2017 #31 Roberta Vinci, ITA (Kr.Pliskova/CZE)
2018 #19 Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK (Cirstea/ROU)
2019 #10 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (Rybarikova/SVK)
2021 #10 Petra Kvitova, CZE (Stephens/USA)
2022 #31 Kaia Kanepi, EST (Parry/FRA)
2023 #15 Liudmila Samsonova, RUS (Bogdan/ROU)
2024 #8 Zheng Qinwen, CHN (Sun/NZL)
2025 #20 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (Kartal/GBR)
2026 #20 Maja Chwalinska, POL (Sawangkaew/THA)

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "FIRST VICTORY OF THE FORTNIGHT"*
2016 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS (L: Duval/USA)
2017 Wang Qiang/CHN (L: Chang/TPE)
2018 Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (L: Barthel/GER)
2019 Madison Keys/USA (L: Kumkhum/THA)
2021 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (L: Niculescu/ROU)
2022 Alison Riske/USA (L: In-Albon/SUI)
2023 Barbora Stycova/CZE (L: Zanevska/BEL)
2024 Varvara Gracheva/FRA (L: Tsurenko/UKR)
2025 Elina Svitolina/UKR (L: Bondar/HUN)
2026 Belinda Bencic/SUI (L: Stojsavljevic/GBR)





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This one is especially pathetic

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— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) June 29, 2026 at 9:32 AM



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— Trifid Duane of Canada๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ (@trifidofcanada.bsky.social) June 29, 2026 at 9:33 AM

๐Ÿคฆ‍♂️

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— AgonyFlips (@agonyflips.bsky.social) June 29, 2026 at 9:39 AM


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Read @geneweingarten.bsky.social The Great American State Fair, Part II open.substack.com/pub/genewein...

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) June 29, 2026 at 10:21 AM


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TOP QUALIFIER: Robin Montgomery/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
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): x
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
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: Day 1: Anastasia Gasanova/RUS (2nd MD), Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA (2nd MD), Lanlada Tararudee/THA (2nd MD)
UPSET QUEENS: x
REVELATION LADIES: x
NATION OF POOR SOULS: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Day 1 wins: Gasanova/RUS, Liu/USA, Sawangkaew/THA
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Day 1: 0-6 (S.Williams and Swan to play Day 2)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: Day 1: Sorribes Tormo/ESP
LUCKY LOSERS: Day 1: Semenistaja/LAT(L)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Day 1: 0-6 combined (Boulter and Swan to play Day 2)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "?": x
COMEBACK PLAYER: x
CRASH & BURN: x
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Nominees: Sawangkaew (1r- trailed #20 Chwalinska 6-2/5-2 and MP down when #20 seed hurt ankle/foot; first career slam MD win); Yastremska (1r- Ito held 4 MP over two games in 3rd set); Sierra (1r- Bondar 2 MP at 5-4, 40/15 in 3rd)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
LAWN COURT ROLLER: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Nominee: Chwalinska (devastating loss in 1st Rd. after having MP at 6-2/5-2 before fall injuries ankle)







All for Day 1. More tomorrow.
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