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New champions crowned at Wimbledon

New champions crowned at Wimbledon

Wimbledon delivered many highlights and surprises over the past two weeks, including new events and play on the middle Sunday, a centenary celebration for the hallowed centre court, and of course some unforgettable performances…

14 & UNDER

The inaugural 14 & Under invitational tournament at Wimbledon has been a long time coming.  As the name suggests the tournament had invited the best players from around the world, 16 boys and 16 girls and there was a buzz in the air among the young juniors as they were more than ready for their first Wimbledon experience as players.

The European contingent was made up of a total of 11 players, including Maximilian Heidlmair (AUT), Matei Todoran (ROU), Andreea Diana Soare (ROU) and Veronika Sekerkova (CZE), all of whom had secured their spots by virtue of their performances at the Tennis Europe Junior Tour’s Category 1 event in Roehampton last month. Other European players in attendance included #1-ranked Ivan Ivanov (BUL) and #5 Alexia Ioana Tatu (ROU).

After the early round-robin stages concluded, European players were in a very strong position, with representation in all four semifinals. Both boys however suffered heartbreaking losses, going down 11-9 in match tiebreaks in their respective encounters. Todoran fell to Carel Aurel Ngounoue (USA), while Ivanov was beaten by Se Hyuk Cho (KOR), the eventual champion.

The girls’ draw featured an all-Romanian final between Tatu and Soare. Although her opponent and a very good friend off-court was a runner-up at Roehampton last month, Tatu ticked two things off her bucket list: her first match played on grass and a Wimbledon title.

Having lost only one set during the entire tournament, Alexia kept calm and played smart during the final. With 2 aces, 19 winners, and no double faults, she won the final 7-6, 6-4 against her doubles partner. She now returns home for a few days, before leaving for Dueren, Germany, where she will be part of the 14&Under European Touring Team.

When asked about her experience at Wimbledon, she said, “these last few days have been a dream. I still can’t believe I have a Wimbledon trophy with my name engraved on it. It was a challenge, playing on a grass court for the first time, and playing the finals against one of my best friends. I guess one of the key elements that got me to this point was that I didn’t put too much pressure on myself. I was honestly hoping to win at least one match. Now I can’t wait to come back for Juniors”

JUNIORS

The junior events marked some firsts for extremely talented European teenagers. Mili Poljicak becomes the first player from Croatia to win a Wimbledon junior singles title.

In 2018, Poljicak wrapped up the year ranked number 1, winning 4 singles tournaments (Category 1) and the European Junior Championships 14 & Under doubles title. The same year he was named Tennis Europe Junior Tour Player of the Year (14&U). Starting from 2019 he focused solely on ITF tournaments, playing all around the world. Ever since he has won ITF titles, this year’s doubles at Roland Garros and he’s now adding his biggest and most impressive trophy to the list – Wimbledon 2022. Poljicak’s route to the final did not seem to have had many difficulties, as he only lost one set in the quarter-final against Swiss Kilian Feldbausch.

Following an upset in the second round, top seed Gabriel Debru (FRA) found consolation reaching the doubles final with his partner Paul Inchauspé. However, the French team didn’t win the championship, the big trophy going to Sebastian Gorzny and Alex Michelsen from the US.

As for the girls’ draw, Luca Udvardy booked her place in the final after a three-set victory against Linda Klimovicova (CZE). Luca is the first girl from Hungary to reach the last eight at Wimbledon since 2009. Before the match, the Hungarian said, “for me, playing the final was the goal, I really wanted to get a trophy, but of course, winning would be amazing”. She has her own superstitions, calling her big sister Panna before and after every match. That ritual worked perfectly fine throughout the tournament, but top seed Liv Hovde (USA) secured the title on Saturday.

The girls’ doubles final had a dramatic conclusion, as Rose Marie Nijkamp (NED) and Angella Okutoyi (KEN) defeated Canadians Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko 3-6 6-4 11-9.

MEN

Rafael Nadal was very close to proving once again that he is not human, especially after the spectacular 5-set quarter-final against Taylor Fritz. But his withdrawal due to an abdominal injury before the semifinal ended his hopes of a calendar year Grand Slam. He hopes to be back on court for the US Open, but only time will tell if he gets to play one more Grand Slam semifinal this year.

From one superhuman to another, Novak Djokovic secured his seventh Wimbledon title. Novak’s job was not an easy one during this tournament. He was down by two sets in the quarter-final against Jannick Sinner, world number 13. Sinner is the youngest Italian to go further than the third round and came to Wimbledon without a single grass court victory. Nevertheless, Novak is a master when it comes to resetting and winning when the odds are no longer in his favor. We saw that in the final, too, against Nick Kyrgios.

The Australian and his serve seemed to rule the Central Court during the first set and to have everything under control. It didn’t last though, as he became agitated in the second set just as Djokovic found his rhythm and ways to resist that fierce serve. In the fourth-set tie-break, the top seed sealed the victory and drew level with his idol, Pete Sampras. Both legends now have seven Wimbledon titles. He said, “I was four or five years old, and I saw Pete Sampras win his first Wimbledon in 1992. I asked my Dad and Mum to buy me a racquet, and my first image of tennis was grass and Wimbledon. I always dreamed of coming here, just playing in this court, and then realizing the childhood dream of winning this trophy. Every single time it gets more meaningful and more special, so I’m very blessed and very thankful to be standing here with the trophy.”

WOMEN

As at Roland Garros, Iga Swiatek came to Wimbledon with bags of pressure. After overtaking Serena Williams to become the WTA player with the longest streak of wins in the 21st century, her remarkable streak came to an end as Alize Cornet surprised everyone in the third round.

Age is just a number, and it seems like it is never too late to overcome your career’s best performance. That also goes for Tatjana Maria, who has lived a dream this year in London. Having played at 34 Grand Slams before, the German had never gone further than the third round. This year’s achievement has secured her spot among the only six women who have reached the final four of a Grand Slam after the age of 34.

The surprises continued, as two young players who had never played a Grand Slam semifinal made their way up to the big final. A final full of premieres, with Ons Jabeur - the first Arab woman to reach this stage, and Elena Rybakina – the winner, Kazakhstan’s first player to register such a triumph.

Rybakina, aged 23, is the youngest ladies' singles champion at Wimbledon since Petra Kvitova won in 2011. In her semifinal against former champion Simona Halep, she showed pure control and confidence. While some were expecting to see Halep fight for one more title on Saturday, Rybakina proved she is capable of big things, even if her initial goal was simply to make it to the second week. Facing Jabeur, Rybakina didn’t have an easy start, as the third seed eased to the first set. In the second set, Elena began dictating the points. By keeping her composure and focus, she now has a Wimbledon trophy to be proud of and has put Kazakhstan well and truly on the world tennis map.

DOUBLES

European players had their hands on two of the three doubles trophies, with Neal Skupski & Desiress Krawczyk scoring the only title defence of the Championships in the mixed, while Czechs Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova picked up their fifth Grand Slam title together.

Men’s doubles final:
Matt Ebden & Max Purcell (AUS) d. Nikola Mektic & Mate Pavic (CRO) 7-6(7) 6-7(3) 4-6 6-4 7-6 (10-6)

Women’s doubles final:
Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova (CZE) d. Elise Mertens (BEL) & Shuai Zhang (CHN) 6-2 6-4

Mixed doubles final:
Neal Skupski (GBR) & Desiree Krawczyk (USA) d. Matt Ebden & Sam Stosur (AUS) 6-4 6-3

 

 

 

 

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