After so many exits by women's seeds who never took a swing in match play yesterday, Day 2 was set up to consist of a series of "test drives" in which several would-be contenders drove the proverbial car out of the showroom and crossed their fingers that it wouldn't depreciate beyond all hope soon after it had left the lot, ultimately ending up broken down on the side of the road before reaching the end of the block. For some, things went fairly smoothly. But that wasn't the case for defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who found herself on the wrong side of a name-making moment.
A moment Jessica Bouzas Maneiro will never forget ??#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/KeiYftUwFS
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2024
A year ago, Vondrousova came to Wimbledon in full-on comeback mode following wrist surgery and became the first unseeded women's champion at the All-England Club in the Open era. Experiencing a rare healthy summer run of events, the Czech reached the QF at the U.S. Open, as well. After a slow start to '24 (including a 1st Rd. exit at the AO), Vondrousova just recently exited a fine clay season (10-5) which saw her reach a SF in Stuttgart (her first since last year's Wimbledon) and the Roland Garros QF, her best in Paris since her appearance in the final in 2019. But a hip injury suffered in a fall during her first grass event of the season left her readiness for her title defense in London up in the air. Vondrousova made the date for her 1st Round match-up, in the traditional Centre Court Day 2-opening slot headlined by the defending women's champ (well, unless your name is Simona, and the situation is just slightly unprecedented and the AELTC just decides to snub you, that is), against #83-ranked Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. As it turned out, the #6-seeded Vondrousova's movement was hampered, and Bouzas Maneiro was prepared to take advantage of that fact. She proceeded to make the Czech the first Wimbledon defending women's singles champ to fall in the opening round in thirty years, since Steffi Graf's stunning loss in 1994 to Lori McNeil that ended the German's streak of 31 consecutive major QF appearances. The 6-4/6-2 defeat makes Vondrousova, along with Graf, just the second Wimbledon women's champ in the Open era to lose in her opening match the following year.
The win of her life ?
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2024
21-year-old Jessica Bouzas Maneiro beats defending champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2 on Centre Court#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/16PSpOvi0I
Of course, that Bouzas Maneiro's name-making moment came today shouldn't come as a *huge* shock. While this is the 21-year old Spaniard's maiden slam MD win, it was at Wimbledon a year ago that she first started to inject into the conversation hers as a name to watch due to her impressive qualifying run (she was Backspin's Qualifying POW) at Roehampton that set up her slam MD debut at the AELTC. She lost to Anhelina Kalinina. She's carried over her improvement into this season (with shades of Andreescu in '19, Bouzas Maneiro would have been my "Name You'll Know..." choice for this season had I done an *official* prediction post back in January, rather than just include her as part of the "2024 Market Watch" Buy section for Western Europe in the '23 Regional Honors... grrr). While Bouzas Maneiro has had her stumbles this year, including squandering several matches in which she held MP (1 vs. Raina in the AO Q1, and 5 vs. Semenistaja in Rome qualifying), she's also cracked the Top 100, knocked off countrywoman Paula Badosa on Spanish clay in her 1000 MD debut in Madrid and won a career-best 125 title in March, as well as three ITF crowns ($75K, $60K and $50K, and also reached a $100K final) since last year's Wimbledon. Now she's got a Top 10 win, on Centre Court, over a defending slam champion on her resume. Though she's yet to fully bring her lower level success (beyond a spare match win) over to tour level events (this 2nd Round at Wimbledon matches her *career*-best WTA result), with today's victory Bouzas Maniero is 36-13 on the year. Hopefully her best results -- by far -- are still in front of her.
You better believe it!
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) July 2, 2024
Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro stuns defending champion Marketa Vondrousova in her first time in Centre Court at Wimbledon. pic.twitter.com/5Ms74dCZtB
Iga Swiatek on her way into the second round at Wimbledon. pic.twitter.com/gGfAbqI7Fj
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) July 2, 2024
Facing Sofia Kenin, against whom she played the '20 Roland Garros final (they also played in this year's AO 1st Rd.), Iga Swiatek engaged in her first grass match since losing to Elina Svitolina in last year's Wimbledon QF. The Pole showed on occasion that she's not yet acclimated to the shorter amount of time she gets to prepare to hit her shots as compared to on the clay, while Kenin also gradually constructed her game to better fit the surface. But Swiatek was never really in danger, winning 6-3/6-4 to improve to 21-1 in slam 1st Round matches. Her only loss? In her Wimbledon debut vs. Viktorija Golubic in 2019. The victory is Swiatek's 20th in a row, making her streak just the second this century to crack that threshold. The other streak, of course, is also her own: her 37-match run in 2022. And so begins a fortnight for Iga that *could* end with the first RG/WI sweep since that of Serena Williams in 2015. Serena also did it in 2002. Williams accounts for both of the sweeps that have occurred on the women's side since Steffi Graf did the cross-Channel double for the fourth time in nine years in 1996. It's only happened 12 times overall in the Open era. Swiatek didn't play a tune-up grass event, but it's worth noting that the last time a RG champ won a grass title in her very *next* event it was Ash Barty (RG/Birmingham) in 2019 after the Aussie had won in Paris the year *before* Iga claimed her first title there in 2020. Barty is in London, set to play the Invitational Doubles with Casey Dellacqua. ...hmmm, remember this from last year?
Lesia Tsurenko & Ana Bogdan just played the tiebreak of the tournament.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 7, 2023
20-18 in the 3rd.
38 points.
Both women were so exhausted after the match.
Lesia falls to the floor.
They both hug at the net.
These are the stories that need to be told.
???? pic.twitter.com/DydnrW29X4
Tsurenko-Bogdan, 3 saat 40 dakika ve 20-18’lik süpertiebreak’le bitmis. Tsurenko’ya kramp giriyor zaten biter bitmez. Arkadaslar az olmus, oynasaydiniz biraz daha
— Uygar Karaca (@uygarkaraca) July 7, 2023
pic.twitter.com/OtQgHLm174
In the 3rd Round at SW19 in 2023, Ana Bogdan played and lost a remarkable MTB vs. Lesia Tsurenko that went a then-record 38-points (before the Blinkova/Rybakina 42-pointer at the AO). The Romanian had held five MP during the contest. Today Bogdan had to have some sense of deja vu vs. Cristina Bucsa. There were no records broken this time around, but Bogdan again came up on the short end of a match in a devastating way. While last year's epic was on Court 14, this time around it was Court 5. In the 3rd set, with Bucsa serving down 5-4, Bogdan held a MP vs. the Spaniard. Bucsa saved it, and had reached GP when rain suspended play. When play resumed, Bogdan had a second MP in the game. Bucsa saved it again and got the hold. Things went to another MTB, where Bucsa raced to a 6-1 lead. But the 10-point breaker leaves room for a comeback, and Bogdan did manage to cut the lead to 6-4. But that was as close as it got. Bucsa reached MP at 9-4, and won it on her second attempt when Bogdan pulled a shot wide.
A very close match that could have one either way. After losing the 1st set, Ana adjusted and was able to force a decider. The 3rd set was close, Ana was able to take control and get 2 matchpoints, but wasnt able to finish it. Cristina Bucsa defeated Ana Bogdan 6-4, 4-6, 7-6. pic.twitter.com/lQulArkolJ
— Romanian Tennis (@WTARomania) July 2, 2024
This is Bogdan's third loss this season -- a tour high -- after having held a MP. ...the British surge partly carried over to Day 2, as #32 Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart advanced, though Francesca Jones' loss means the home team ends the 1st Round at a nice combined 5-2 rather than what would have been a super-impressive 6-1. Still, it's enough to earn GBR the "Revelation Ladies" honor for this Wimbledon over the usual suspects from Russia (7 wins, w/ Kudermetova to play), the U.S. (7, w/ three 1r matches yet to finish) and Ukraine (4, with Svitolina still waiting in the wings).
Dart makes a winning start on home turf ????
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2024
Harriet Dart records a straight-set victory over Bai to book her place in the second round, 6-4, 6-0#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/hXvqofpBbu
The Spaniards get the "Upset Queens," with Bouzas Maneiro and Bucsa's wins today, along with (sort of) Paula Badosa's victory on Day 1 over Karolina Muchova. The "Nation of Poor Souls" goes to Romania, as the group combined to go 1-5 in the 1st Round (w/ only newcomer Anca Todoni advancing). #29 Sorana Cirstea was sent out early, as was Jaqueline Cristian and Irina-Camelia Begu. Simona Halep was absent for the third time in the four editions of Wimbledon since her 2019 title run, and Bogdan lost for a second straight match at SW19 after holding multiple MP. ...meanwhile, Viktoriya Tomova has one more try at bettering her slam best, at the U.S. Open, in a quest to add a 3rd-Round-or-better major result to what has already *otherwise* become a career year for the 29-year old Bulgarian. She fell today to Wang Xinyu in a love 3rd set. In her return to slam action for the first time since the love & love loss to Swiatek in Paris, Anastasia Potapova had an almost as frustrating (or maybe even more?) result vs. Bernarda Pera today. The Hordette led 5-2 in the 3rd set, and had a MP at both 5-3 and 5-4. Things went to a MTB, where Pera took a 7-3 lead. Potapova closed to 7-6, but Pera put away her first MP at 9-6 to win 6-7(4)/6-4/7-6(10-4). ...late in the day, the Alycia Parks rollercoaster took a big *dip* this time around. The Bannerette lost 15 of 16 matches before winning nine straight while claiming a 125 title on grass (and the doubles, too) and then making it through Wimbledon qualifying over the last two weeks. Today vs. wild card Caroline Wozniacki, Parks scored just two games in a 6-2/6-0 defeat. It's Wozniacki's first Wimbledon win since her most recent tournament appearance in 2019.
Making her return in style 🇩🇰
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2024
Caroline Wozniacki progresses to the second round with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Parks, in her first appearance at The Championships since 2019.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ehxsQAkn3n
...at the British Open (Series 1) wheelchair event at Roehampton, Diede de Groot is officially on the hunt on the grass. In the opening round, de Groot dropped the 1st set (the eighth she's lost in '24 in 31 matches) vs. Wang Ziying but rallied to win 2-6/6-4/6-3. In the Roehampton juniors, top seed Laura Samson and #2 Emerson Jones -- both RU at the first two junior slams this year (Jones AO, Samson RG) -- are alive in the QF. #4 Hannah Klugman (who almost qualified for Wimbledon) lost in the 2nd Round to qualifier Shiho Tsujioka, the same point at which #3 Tyra Caterina Grant was upset by Monika Stankiewicz.
...JESSICA... ON DAY 2:
"This is one of the most important moments of my life"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2024
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro describes the feeling of winning on Centre Court ??#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/PmIy5MBkcp
...LORI McNEIL GETS A BELATED DAY IN THE SUN... ON DAY 2:
The rarest of first round victories ?#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Nrx4dkiOdm
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2024
McNeil remains one of the more forgotten 1990s players, and is even often left out when mentioning achieving African-American women in the sport. McNeil was one of the first to successfully make the NCAA-to-WTA transition, having played two years at Oklahoma State. In addition to her historic upset of Steffi Graf back in the Wimbledon 1st Round in '94, two years earlier she'd also knocked off the German in a 1st Round match at the WTA Championships. It was Graf's first 1st Rd. loss in seven years in any event. McNeil went on to reach the SF at Wimbledon after upsetting Graf, and she was also a U.S. Open semifinalist in 1987, after having beaten Chris Evert in the QF. She reached the AO quarterfinals in 1987, as well. McNeil reached the Top 10, and was as high as #9 in 1988. She played in an AO doubles final, as well as four in MX (winning RG in '88). McNeil won 10 WTA singles titles, facing off with Zina Garrison in three tour-level all-African American finals several years before the Venus/Serena series of title matches helped to further change the face of the tour.
...VESNINA SIGHTING... ON DAY 2:
Mother is mothering! @EVesnina001 pic.twitter.com/2IMQkXZ2Ze
— David Kane (@DKTNNS) July 2, 2024
...I SAY GO WITH THE "ALTER EGO" AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS... ON DAY 2:
I was Maria Sakira and many more for a long time, now I’m Kassari too ??
— Maria Sakkari (@mariasakkari) July 1, 2024
London ???????? pic.twitter.com/mUKPRdqKoO
— Natalia Zabiiako (@NataliaZabiiako) July 2, 2024
1. Happy Canada Day! ????
— Bianca (@Bandreescu_) July 1, 2024
2. So happy to be playing in my first @Olympics representing Canada in Paris ??
3. Onto rd 2 @Wimbledon ???? peep the video at the end ?? pic.twitter.com/6p8jNTO0Y0
1968 Billie Jean King (RU)
1969 Ann Jones (retired)
1970 Margaret Court (RU)
1971 Evonne Goolagong (RU)
1972 Billie Jean King (W)
1973 Billi Jean King (QF)
1974 Chris Evert (SF)
1975 Billie Jean King (DNP-retired)
1976 Chris Evert (SF)
1977 Virginia Wade (SF)
1978 Martina Navratilova (W)
1979 Martina Navratilova (SF)
1980 Evonne Goolagong Cawley (DNP-pregnant)
1981 Chris Evert-Lloyd (RU)
1982 Martina Navratilova (W)
1983 Martina Navratilova (W)
1984 Martina Navratilova (W)
1985 Martina Navratilova (W)
1986 Martina Navratilova (W)
1987 Martina Navratilova (RU)
1988 Steffi Graf (W)
1989 Steffi Graf (SF)
1990 Martina Navratilova (QF)
1991 Steffi Graf (W)
1992 Steffi Graf (W)
1993 Steffi Graf (1st Rd.)
1994 Conchita Martinez (SF)
1995 Steffi Graf (W)
1996 Steffi Graf (DNP-injured)
1997 Martina Hingis (SF)
1998 Jana Novotna (QF)
1999 Lindsay Davenport (RU)
2000 Venus Williams (W)
2001 Venus Williams (RU)
2002 Serena Williams (W)
2003 Serena Williams (RU)
2004 Maria Sharapova (SF)
2005 Venus Williams (3rd Rd.)
2006 Amelie Mauresmo (4th Rd.)
2007 Venus Williams (W)
2008 Venus Williams (RU)
2009 Serena Williams (W)
2010 Serena Williams (4th Rd.)
2011 Petra Kvitova (QF)
2012 Serena Williams (4th Rd.)
2013 Marion Bartoli (DNP-retired)
2014 Petra Kvitova (3rd Rd.)
2015 Serena Williams (W)
2016 Serena Williams (DNP-pregnant)
2017 Garbine Muguruza (2nd Rd.)
2018 Angelique Kerber (2nd Rd.)
2019 Simona Halep ('20 no event; '21 DNP; '22 SF)
2021 Ash Barty (DNP-retired)
2022 Elena Rybakina (QF)
2023 Marketa Vondrousova (1st Rd.)
*DEFENDING CHAMP OUT IN SLAM 1st RD., since 2000*
[AO]
2003 Jennifer Capriati
[RG]
2005 Anastasia Myskina
2018 Alona Ostapenko
2022 Barbora Krejcikova
[WI]
2024 Marketa Vondrousova
ONLY OTHER TIME IN OPEN ERA: 1994 Steffi Graf
[US]
2005 Svetlana Kuznetsova
2017 Angelique Kerber
2022 Emma Raducanu
*RECENT WIMBLEDON "CRASH & BURN" WINNERS*
2014 Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)
2015 Genie Bouchard, CAN & Simona Halep, ROU (both 1st Rd.)
2016 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (RG champ; 2nd Rd.)
2017 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (1st Rd; 7 MP)
2018 Petra Kvitova, CZE (1st Rd.)
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN (1st Rd.)
2021 Serena Williams, USA & Petra Kvitova, CZE (both 1st Rd.)
2022 Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA & Garbine Muguruza, ESP (both 1st Rd.)
2023 Tatjana Maria, GER ('22 SF to 1st Rd.)
2024 Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (first DC out 1st Rd. since 1994)
*RECENT WIMBLEDON "REVELATION LADIES" NATIONS*
2014 Czech Republic
2015 Switzerland
2016 Russia
2017 Great Britain
2018 Great Britain
2019 Russia
2021 South America
2022 Poland
2023 The Return of the Hordettes
2024 Great Britain
*RECENT WIMBLEDON "UPSET QUEENS" NATIONS*
2013 Czech Republic
2014 United States
2015 United States
2016 Germany
2017 United States
2018 United States
2019 Slovenia
2021 Czech Republic
2022 France
2023 Romania
2024 Spain
[2017]
CZE (0-6 2nd Rd., Kvitova/Pliskova lose; no CZE in 3r since '09)
[2018]
UKR (1-4 1st/2nd Rd., Svitolina/1st Rd. worst major result since 2014)
[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, still no Halep)
*2024 FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS (w/ career slam MD)
-AUSTRALIAN OPEN (5)-
Brenda Fruhvirtova, CZE (3rd)
McCartney Kessler, USA (1st)
Alina Korneeva, RUS (1st)
Maria Timofeeva, RUS (1st)
Anastasia Zakharova, RUS (1st)
-ROLAND GARROS (1)-
Moyuka Uchijima, JPN (2nd)
-WIMBLEDON (7)-
Erika Andreeva, RUS (4th)
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP (3rd)
Sonay Kartal, GBR (3rd)
Robin Montgomery, USA (3rd)
Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (3rd)
Lulu Sun, NZL (2nd)
Anca Todoni, ROU (1st)
--
NOTE: Maria Lourdes Carle/ARG to play 1st Rd. (0-1 in 1r)
*MAIDEN CAREER SLAM MD WINS AT WIMBLEDON (22) - 2020-24*
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
*LONG WTA (MD only) WINNING STREAKS - 2020s*
37 - Iga Swiatek (2022)
20 - IGA SWIATEK (2024)
18 - Iga Swiatek (2023-24)
17 - Simona Halep (2020)
16 - Coco Gauff (2023)
15 - Danielle Collins (2024)
March 1933 The Enabling Act becomes law in Germany, giving the chief executive power enforce his own laws without checks and balances. The passing of the Act marked the formal transition from democratic republic to totalitarian dictatorship. 6 months later, it was a 1 party state pic.twitter.com/bkB3HplZrT
— Vince Mpls (@vincempls) July 1, 2024
We tried to warn you about the danger of Trump to the Supreme Court back in 2016, but some of y’all were focused on emails and hot sauce and false equivalencies. https://t.co/7j4GkuAYwY
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 2, 2024
Thinking about how it would be reported if the ex-president of a non-Western country was ruled immune from prosecution by a panel of judges he himself appointed
— katie spalding (@supermathskid) July 1, 2024
The irony of course is it was Trump who abused his powers as president—asking Pentagon chief Mark Esper to shoot BLM protesters, firing James Comey, and of course, subverting the 2020 election. And without guard rails, it will be much much worse if he's reelected.
— Max Weiss (@maxthegirl) July 2, 2024
Bonding with a rescued hummingbird
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) July 1, 2024
Wait for what happens next
pic.twitter.com/mLcD1jpdK2
Exaggerated herding skills on his cv
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) July 1, 2024
pic.twitter.com/pGpVGDTDxQ
Travelling in comfort 🐈
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) July 1, 2024
📹 harrietandlife
pic.twitter.com/90BFf9xZyT
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): x
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 -Robin Montgomery/USA def. #10 Kamilla Rakhimova/RUS 7-6(0)/6-7(4)/7-6(10-4) - no breaks in 36 games, only 5 BP face; Montgomery w/ 20 aces; combined for 132 winners (67/65)
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: Varvara Gracheva/FRA (def. Lesia Tsurenko/UKR)
FIRST SEED OUT: #8 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (1st Rd. to Sun/NZL) (after #22 Alexandrova/RUS, #3 Sabalenka/BLR and #16 Azarenka/BLR withdrew)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Day 1: Erika Andreeva/RUS, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro/ESP, Sonay Kartal/GBR, Robin Montgomery/USA, Yuliia Starodubtseva/UKR, Lulu Sun/NZL, Anca Todoni/ROU
UPSET QUEENS: Spain
REVELATION LADIES: Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS: ROU (1-5 1st Rd.; #29 Cirstea out, Bogdan 2 MP, no Halep
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: 1r wins: Galfi/HUN, Kartal/GBR, Montgomery/USA, Starodubtseva/UKR, Sun/NZL, Todoni/ROU
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 1r wins: Miyazaki/GBR, Osaka/JPN, Raducanu/GBR, Wozniacki?DEN
PROTECTED RANKING: 1r wins: Andreescu/CAN, Badosa/ESP
LUCKY LOSER WINS: 1r wins: E.Andreeva/RUS
LAST BRIT STANDING: 1r wins: Boulter, Dart, Kartal, Miyazaki, Raducanu
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: x
IT "??": x
COMEBACK PLAYER: x
CRASH & BURN: #6 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE (1st Rd. to Bouzas Maneiro/ESP; first defending champ out 1r since 1994 Graf loss vs. McNeil; second in Open era)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Nominee: B.Fruhvirtova (1st Rd.- trailed #24 M.Andreeva 6-3/3-0 in meeting of two youngest in draw; wins 12/14 games to end)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Nominee: Jabeur slam quest
