The first round of the 2021 edition Wimbledon is already delivering surprises. Fifth-seeded Bianca Andreescu got knocked out by Alize Cornet, who won in 6-2, 6-1 fashion on Wednesday. This made two wins for Cornet over Andreescu in two weeks, as Cornet also delivered a win in Berlin. She broke Andreescu, who won the 2019 U.S. Open, five times and then ended up sealing match point by hustling after a shot and nailing a lob that found the grass just on the good side of the baseline. Now there are three of the top ten seeds in the women’s singles draw who did not advance past the first round.
As you look at your online Wimbledon betting, check out some other updates.
Tennis News: Wimbledon Updates (June 30)
Players note the slippery condition of the Wimbledon grass
Novak Djokovic, John Isner and several other players (along with at least one ball kid) found the grass surface at Wimbledon to be slippery. Andreescu slipped six times in her loss to Cornet and committed 34 unforced errors (against just seven for Cornet). There are several explanations for the surface’s performance, starting with the fact that it is grass, which requires players to stay lower to keep their footing. Centre Court is not used for 50 weeks out of the year so that it can remain pristine for Wimbledon. This means, though, that until it gets pounded down in the action of the first couple of rounds, it can remain slippery. The humidity in London also contributes to the surface. The good news is that all players face the same difficulty, until the grass dries as a result of getting use from the players.
Sloane Stephens upsets Petra Kvitova
Sloane Stephens has been in a bit of a wilderness since winning the U.S. Open in 2017, when many tennis observers thought she was ready to start stacking up Grand Slam titles. However, the next four years have featured personal issues and a difficult time maintaining consistent form. However, she knocked out Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 6-4, in the first set. Stephens found herself down four break points at one point in the second set, but she gathered herself and delivered against a top-ten opponent for just the second time in the last three years. With so many top seeds already gone from the women’s singles draw, there is room for Stephens to follow up this win with a deep run — and maybe even a title.
Serena Williams retires in the first round
The draw looked favorable for Serena Williams, as the #2 and #3 players in the world in women’s singles did not come to Wimbledon. However, Williams suffered a knee injury in her opening match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Williams planted her leg to make a shot and hurt her knee in the process. She sought treatment from a trainer before returning to go on. However, she had to try to serve without saddling the injured leg with extra weight, and she was not able to continue for long. Her pursuit of a 24th Grand Slam title will wait now until the U.S. Open this fall.
Roger Federer fortunate in his first-round victory
Roger Federer struggled against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, but he advanced when Mannarino had to retire with a knee injury after slipping on the grass. The final score was 6-4, 6-7 (3), 3-6, 6-2, but Mannarino’s injury came when he trailed Federer, 4-2, in the fourth set. He limped his way through the rest of the set but had to retire at the start of the fifth set, only lasting two points. Federer struggled with his forehand, making four unforced errors with it just during the tiebreaker. That will need to improve if Federer has any ideas of a long stay at Wimbledon, let alone a championship.
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