It was a great day to be an American at Wimbledon Monday. Sloane Stephens, Frances Tiafoe caused upsets as the grass-court grand final began.
Stephens defeated Petra Kvitova, the two-time champion, in straight sets, 3-3 6-4. Tiafoe beat world No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-3.
Court One was packed with around 6,000 spectators who watched Tiafoe defeat Tsitsipas in the first round of Wimbledon. He has also lost in the last three rounds of Wimbledon.
Tiafoe, however, has not advanced past the third round of SW19 but reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in 2019.
“Definitely one of my best matches.” It was very clean from start to finish,” Tiafoe (23), said after the win.
This is what you should be training for. These are the moments I live for.
“So special”
Stephens performed a remarkable performance to beat Kvitova.
Although she won the 2017 US Open, the 28-year old showed promise against the Czech 10th seed in her first match on grass since 2019.
Stephens stated after the match, “It’s so amazing, obviously not playing in grass for two years, then being able back to come back and having my first match on the lawn is here on Centre Court here with supporters back is really just a dream.”
Wimbledon is a tournament that tennis fans around the globe look forward to every year. This is especially true after the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Centre Court and No. 50% for Centre Court and No.
As part of the pilot scheme by the UK government, the tournament’s final stages will be held in front of a capacity crowd of 100 people.
Halep at the Tokyo Olympics
Although it’s the last major tournament before the Olympics, many of the top tennis players have already withdrawn from Tokyo.
Simona Halep, World No.3, is the latest to declare her ineligibility after stating that she needed more time to heal from a calf injury.
She joins an increasing number of absentees, including Rafa Nadal and Dominic Thiem.
Halep tweeted, “Nothing gives me more pride than representing Romania. But unfortunately, the recovery from my injury to my calf requires more time. I have made the decision not to participate in the Olympic Games this year.”
“It was a huge disappointment to miss the French Open and Wimbledon. But, I’m determined to be stronger.