At Wimbledon 2025, Seeds Fall, Stars Rise & the Stakes Go Higher | From first-round shocks to second-week showdowns, this year’s Wimbledon has already served up a spectacle, writes Harsh Pareek in #ServeAndVolley.
| THE MOST AESTHETIC Grand Slam tournament of the year got underway last week with the hottest opening day on record that saw players toiling under sweltering conditions. And how they toiled! The world's oldest tennis tournament, and arguably the most prestigious, saw an unprecedented number of high-profile exits in its opening days. And while the top bill in both men's and women's singles — Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek — is still alive and well, it's elsewhere that the tournament has been at its most exciting (and unpredictable). With Brits fighting it out in front of deafening crowds, to lucky losers breaking records, and the old guard digging deep, it's been less strawberries and cream and more blood and sweat. And we're here for it. So before the tournament shifts into yet another gear in the second week, here is a recap of what happened in the first. | The Ladies' Singles Draw World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, coming into the tournament following a frustrating defeat in the French Open final, made it to the quarter-finals after beating her former doubles partner Elise Mertens 6-4 7-6(4) in the fourth round, but it hasn't been a cakewalk. Canadian Carson Branstine put up a fight in the first round (6-1, 7-5), while Czech Marie Bouzkova proved to be a tricky customer in the second (7-6(4), 6-4). But the most challenging draw came in the form of Emma Raducanu in round three on the Centre Court. The Great British Hope herself had a tricky second round draw in 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová (and more recently, the winner of the Berlin Tennis Open), but seemed to be back at her carefree best in a 6-3, 6-3 win. Now with a capacity crowd behind her in the arena, not to mention thousands more cheering from Henman Hill, Raducanu put on a tough 'ol fight against the world's best. And for a moment it felt like we might be in for an upset, but the Belarusian dug in for a 7-6(6), 6-4 victory. | As is often the case, the scores don't quite do justice to a charged night that saw Raducanu 4-2 up in the first set and hold a 4-1 lead in the second. She also saved seven set points while 4-5 down in the first, and was a point away from a 5-1 lead in the second. But while it was not meant to be for the Brit, there were plenty of positives to take away for the 22-year-old, and signs of better things to come. ICYMI | Our Day 5 wrap from India v England, 2nd Test at Edgbaston The home crowd and the grass court did get the job done for Raducanu's compatriot Katie Boulter, who bested ninth seed Paula Badosa in a three-set roller-coaster with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory in the first round. Boulter would go on to fall in the second against Argentine Solana Sierra, who has had a dream run in the tournament. The 21-year-old became the first lucky loser to make it to the fourth round of Wimbledon since tennis turned professional in 1968, after defeating Spaniard Cristina Bucșa 7-5, 1-6, 6-1 in round three. Sierra would finally fall to Germany's 37-year-old Laura Siegemund in the fourth round (6-3, 6-2). | Last year's runner-up Jasmine Paolini was another top seed to be knocked out in a tournament that has seen a record number of seeded players being eliminated in the opening two rounds. The Italian crashed out 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Russian Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round, after she had to come from behind 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first against Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova. Someone who has lived up to the expectations is the young Czech, Linda Nosková. With a game made for grass, the 20-year-old beat Bernarda Pera (6-2, 6-4), Eva Lys (6-2, 2-6, 6-3) and Kamilla Rakhimova (7-6(6), 7-5) in the opening three rounds, respectively. Stream live sports, films and shows across 30+ platforms with an OTTplay Premium Power Play pack. Now for only Rs 149/month. Clinching the title at Roland-Garros a few weeks back, Coco Gauff had a Grand Slam to forget after getting knocked out in the opening round by Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska (7-6(3), 6-1). Her sixth seed compatriot, and the Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, had similar luck, who struggled to the third round before being defeated by 104th-ranked, yet seasoned, Siegemund, who's been on a brilliant run. But another American has fared much better. Amanda Anisimova cruised through the first two rounds and battled it out against Hungarian Dalma Gálfi 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the third, and Nosková 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 in the fourth to reach the quarters. | Hoping to make a comeback of sorts, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka lost to Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round, who would go on to reach the quarters after beating Sonay Kartal, the last remaining Briton in the women's singles, 7-6(3), 6-4. And she wasn't the only Russian making good on her potential. Liudmila Samsonova's grass game has been top-notch, with her blazing through the first four rounds. Speaking of, after minor hiccups in the opening two rounds, clay specialist Iga Świątek is looking pretty good on the grass as well, joining Sabalenka in being the only two female players to make the second week at each of the last four Slams. They have also not played each other in a Grand Slam final. Yet. Matches to watch: Aryna Sabalenka vs Laura Siegemund (QF) Amanda Anisimova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (QF) | The Gentlemen's Singles Draw The men's draw has hardly been any less chaotic, with a healthy amount of five-setters and early exits for seeded players. Although, the world no. 1 was having none of that. Jannik Sinner cruised through his opening three rounds in straight sets against fellow Italian Luca Nardi, Australian Aleksandar Vukic and Spain's Pedro Martínez, respectively, without breaking a sweat. Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic was himself pretty comfortable in his opening three as his quest for a 25th Grand Slam continues. | Though made to put in more work, equally effective in results has been American Ben Shelton, defeating Aussie pair Alex Bolt 6-4, 7-6(1), 7-6(6) and Rinky Hijikata 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, and Hungarian Márton Fucsovics 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the first three rounds, respectively. The Great British Hope on the men's side, the fourth seeded Jack Draper, suffered a second round loss to the veteran Marin Čilić (4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6), who went to beat Spaniard Jaume Munar (6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4) to reach the fourth round. But it was another Brit who stepped up instead: Cameron Norrie made it to another quarter-final of the tournament, but did he have to work for it! Never an easy day in the office, Norrie beat Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) in the first round; American Frances Tiafoe (seeded 12) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the second; Italy's Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 in the third; but the biggest test was to come in the form of a brutal (or epic) thriller against Chile's Nicolás Jarry in the fourth: 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 6-7(5), 6-3. Norrie will now meet Carlos Alcaraz in the quarters. | Second seed Alcaraz, who at times can be his own worst enemy, had to put in the hard yards too, but has been settling in rather nicely as the week has progressed. After the opening five-setter against Italian Fabio Fognini (7-5, (5)6-7, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1), it has been largely smooth sailing, with the defending champion seeing off a feisty Russian Andrey Rublev (seeded 14) 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round. Among the notable early departures were Canadian Denis Shapovalov (seeded 27), Italian Lorenzo Musetti (7), Kazakh Alexander Bublik (28), Russian Daniil Medvedev (9), German Alexander Zverev (3), Italian Matteo Berrettini (32), Argentine Francisco Cerundolo (16) and Danish Holger Rune (8). All sent packing in just round one. Matches to watch: Marin Čilić vs Flavio Cobolli (Round of 16) Taylor Fritz vs Karen Khachanov (QF) Cameron Norrie vs Carlos Alcaraz (QF) Wimbledon 2025 is streaming on JioHotstar. JioHotstar is now available with your OTTplay Premium subscription . | Like what you read? Get more of what you like. 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