Tag: Wimbledon

Highlights from Ben Shelton’s opening-round 2024 Wimbledon win

Here’s a look at highlights from Ben Shelton’s Thursday win over Lloyd Harris at Wimbledon.

Former Florida tennis standout and NCAA champion [autotag]Ben Shelton[/autotag] has had a meteoric rise through the professional ranks since leaving Gainesville, coming into the 2024 edition of Wimbledon as a No. 14 seed in the prestigious event.

The former Gator defeated South African Lloyd Harris in five sets on Thursday, with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 7-6 (10/7). The 21-year-old needed three hours and 14 minutes to prevail over his opponent, showing great feel around the net under pressure in the match tie-break to earn the win.

Shelton advanced to the third round at The Championships for the first time with the victory. Below is a look at highlights from the match.

 

 

Former Gator Ben Shelton’s results through two rounds at Wimbledon

Former Gator and world No. 14 Ben Shelton is headed to the third round at Wimbledon, but it hasn’t been easy by any means.

Ben Shelton has been climbing up the world rankings since he left the University of Florida two years ago to begin his pro career, and he entered the 2024 Wimbledon Championships as the No. 14 seed.

The former Gator advanced to the third round of play after defeating South African Lloyd Harris in five sets on Thursday, with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/5), 6-3, 7-6 (10/7). Shelton defeated 23-year-old Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the first round, also needing a final set tiebreaker.

Shelton egged on the Americans in the crowd during the final set tiebreak, earning chants of “USA! USA! USA!” on the fourth of July. Those same fans and Shelton) erupted when Harris sent a backhand wide to close things out.

Shelton didn’t have his best stuff early on. He wasn’t using his power to serve as much as he needed to and relied on a shaky drop shot too frequently. Sticking to his game paid off in the end, as Shelton improved in the final sets.

Ben Shelton’s next Wimbledon opponent

Shelton’s third-round matchup is Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who is currently ranked 120th with a protected ranking of 27th.

Shapovalov made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, but he lost while playing with a hurt knee. He withdrew from his next tournament and spent the rest of the year recovering from the injury. Despite two tournament wins this year, Shapovalov has put together a disappointing 12-15 record in 2024.

Shelton is chasing another deep run on the Grand Slam stage after making the semifinals of the 2023 US Open.

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Florida tennis alum McCartney Kessler in Wimbledon Main Draw

After a 3-0 run in qualifies, former Florida tennis star McCartney Kessler is headed to the main draw at Wimbledon.

Former Florida tennis star [autotag]McCartney Kessler[/autotag] is set to appear in her second Major after going 3-0 in qualifiers for the main draw at Wimbledon.

Kessler went to a third set in all three of her qualifying matches, defeating Rebecca Marino of Canada, Maya Joint of Australia and top-100 ranked Renata Zarazua, in that order. Kessler mounted comebacks against Joint and Zarazua after dropping the first set in each match.

Her reward is a match with world No. 9 Marina Sakkari out of Greece. Wimbledon’s Round of 128 takes place from July 1-2. A start time and location have not yet been provided.

Kessler made her WTA Tour debut this year and is already ranked No. 118 nationally. She made her Major debut at the Australian Open as a wildcard earlier this year, losing in the second round.

She spent five seasons with the Florida Gators, leaving in 2022 as a two-time Singles All-American and the SEC Player of the Year. She was also a Doubles All-American in 2020-21.

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Former LSU tennis star Neal Skupski wins Wimbledon doubles title

Neal Skupski, who played at LSU from 2008-12, becomes the second former Tiger to win a men’s doubles major title.

Former LSU tennis great [autotag]Neal Skupski[/autotag] won the first men’s doubles major title of his career on Saturday at Wimbledon.

Competing in his native Great Britain alongside his doubles partner, Wesley Koolhoof of the Netherlands, Skupski won 6-4, 6-4 as a part of the top-seeded pairing in the doubles draw.

Skupski becomes just the second Englishman to win Wimbledon in its open era, which began in 1969, and he’s the first since 2012.

“I don’t know what to say. This feeling at the moment doesn’t get any better,” Skupski said following the match, according to a release. “Me and Wesley came together and this year it was one of our goals to win a Grand Slam. Now that we’ve done it, it feels very special.”

Skupski also claimed titles in mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022 alongside Desirae Krawczyk. He’s also the first Englishman to win mixed and men’s titles at Wimbledon since Leslie Godfree in 1926.

A member of the LSU tennis team from 2008-12, Skupski was an ITA Doubles All-American in 2009 and 2011. He becomes the second former Tiger to win a men’s doubles major title.

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Carlos Alcaraz delighted in Novak Djokovic’s classy joke about losing to him at Wimbledon

This was a perfect way to give Alcaraz his flowers.

Sunday saw Novak Djokovic once again break his racquet in frustration during a tough Men’s Wimbledon Final loss. But it’s worth noting that Djokovic only specifically threw another tantrum because world No. 1 and first-time Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz gave him all he could handle in a tense match.

When Djokovic was asked to reflect on his defeat post-match, with the heat of the moment behind them, he made sure to pay tribute to Alcaraz’s performance as a bright 20-year-old. He did it by making a classy joke about how Alcaraz actually surprised him with a sterling performance on Wimbledon’s trademark grass.

And as a growing friendly rival, Alcaraz absolutely loved it:

In case you’re not sure what Djokovic referred to when saying he thought Alcaraz would only give him “trouble” on other surfaces, he’s partly calling back their semifinal match at the 2023 French Open earlier this summer. Alcaraz made some incredible plays at Roland-Garros before eventually fading down the stretch.

That, of course, didn’t happen to Alcaraz at Wimbledon, and Djokovic appropriately applauded his young peer for holding it together for the big win.

Novak Djokovic childishly smashed his racquet in frustration after losing a break in epic Wimbledon Final

Throwing a tantrum in a tough loss is classic Djokovic.

Entering Sunday’s Men’s Wimbledon Final, Novak Djokovic had a chance to break the all-time Open record for Grand Slam titles. But first, he had to overcome the young superstar and current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

While some expected Djokovic to cruise, Alcaraz gave the arguable tennis GOAT all he could handle in an epic five-set match. And when Alcaraz started to pull away in the fifth set, winning a crucial break en route to his first-ever Wimbledon title, Djokovic predictably lost his cool in the worst way.

He does, after all, have a history.

In this case, the Serbian athlete once again smashed and completely destroyed his racquet against the post like a child, showing anything but the grace and composure of a champion.

The least Djokovic can do in a tough loss is not … destroy things. There’s something to be said for discretion and taking a defeat in dignity. This was a terrible look for someone who carries themselves like an all-time great.

Ons Jabeur called her latest Wimbledon loss ‘the most painful loss of my career’ in an extremely emotional moment

Ons Jabeur got so close. Again.

It was nice seeing Markéta Vondroušová make a bit of history by winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, but it’s also extremely hard not to feel bad for Ons Jabeur in the loss.

Tennis is one of those sports where it’s easy to root for both sides, but somebody has to lose. It can end up being a pretty brutal loss to stomach. Each match means so much to these players’ individual careers.

This might have been the most meaningful match for Jabeur. She climbed the mountaintop back to the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive year.

She lost to Elena Rybankina in a tough match that ended up being a landmark moment in Wimbledon history.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Almost the exact same thing happened to Jabeur this go-round. She made it all the way back to the Wimbledon final and lost to Vondroušová in straight sets. That’s just a rough way to go out.

Clearly, she felt every bit of it. After the match when she had the opportunity to speak and she just couldn’t hold back her tears.

Nonetheless, she still showed her resilience.

“I think this is the most painful loss of my career. So. It’s been a tough journey. But that’s tennis. I promise I’ll come back one day and win this tournament.” 

What a moment, man. So many people are rooting for her to finally break the ice. People from all over social media showed their support.

Markéta Vondroušová just shocked the world by becoming the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon

What an incredible moment for Marketa and the sport of tennis

Markéta Vondroušová wasn’t supposed to be here. Simply put, nobody has been in this spot before.

Not only did the Czech tennis star just win Wimbledon, but she also made a bit of history while accomplishing her greatest career feat at just 24 years old.

RELATED: Marketa Vondrousova stuns Wimbledon with win

Vondroušová became the first unseeded player in the Open era to win Wimbledon. She did so in a dominating fashion, too, defeating Ons Jabeur in straight sets for the first Grand Slam title.

No one could’ve predicted this at the beginning of the tournament. This isn’t something any of us expected to see — especially considering how terrible Vondroušová had been on grass before Wimbledon. Even with 6 wins in the tournament on the surface, she still had a 10-11 record on the surface.

Yet, still, Vondroušová came out on top. Here’s the moment she won the match.

You can tell how elated she is at this moment. As soon as she scores the point, she just falls to the ground in pure joy.

So many people were happy to see Vondroušová make this bit of history. It felt like such a special moment.