Alcaraz survives, Sabalenka cruises on Wimbledon's hottest opening day
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Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Wimbledon: Defending Champ Barbora Krejcikova Comes Back to Beat Alexandra Eala of the Philippines
Barbora Krejcikova needed a comeback to avoid becoming the second consecutive Wimbledon women's champion to lose in the first round a year later at the All England Club, eventually eliminating 56th-ranked Alexandra Eala of the Philippines 3–6, 6–2, 6–1 at Centre Court on Tuesday. From the start of the Open era in 1968 through 2023, only one reigning women's champ was defeated in the first round at Wimbledon: Steffi Graf in 1994. But it happened last year to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic–whose title in 2023 made her the first unseeded woman to leave the All England Club with the singles trophy–and there were moments early Tuesday that it appeared it might happen again this year to the 17th-seeded Krejcikova, another Czech player and the French Open champion in 2021. Eala is a 20-year-old left-hander who was competing at a Grand Slam tournament for only the second time. She lost in the first round at Roland-Garros in May. Eala is the only woman representing the Philippines to compete in the main draw of Wimbledon in the Open era. She signed with an agent when she was just 13 and honed her tennis skills at the Rafael Nadal Academy, getting advice from the 22-time major title winner, who retired at the end of last season. Eala was seeking what would have been her fourth top-20 victory of 2025. She grabbed attention at the Miami Open by getting past 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and former No. 1 and five-time major champ Iga Swiatek en route to the semifinals. Last week, Eala again defeated Ostapenko at the grass-court Eastbourne Open along the way to reaching the final there. Krejcikova, who is 29, made it to the quarterfinals at Eastbourne before withdrawing from that tournament because of an issue with her right thigh. She started slowly Tuesday, making 19 unforced errors in the first set. But Krejcikova cleaned up her play and had a total of 18 the rest of the way, often leaning forward with a clenched fist and a yell to celebrate points that moved her closer to the win.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Jessica Pegula loses in first round at Wimbledon to Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Third-seeded Jessica Pegula was upset in the first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday, losing 6–2, 6–3 to 116th-ranked Elisabetta Cocciaretto for the American's earliest exit at a Grand Slam tournament in five years. Pegula, the world No. 3, came into the All England Club having won the grass-court Bad Homburg Open in Germany on Saturday when she beat Iga Swiatek in straight sets. The last time she lost in the first round at a major tournament was the French Open in 2020. Cocciaretto, whose ranking has dipped in recent months, told herself to 'be more aggressive and go for it, don't think about losing or winning the point.' 'I played a really great champion. She's an unbelievable player, she's a great example for all of us,' the 24-year-old Italian said in her on-court interview after her first career top-5 victory. Pegula, quarterfinalist at Wimbledon in 2023, hit only five winners and made 24 unforced errors. Her only other first-round loss at the All England Club was in her debut in 2019. Pegula has reached five singles finals this year – second only to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka's seven.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Wimbledon's Strawberry Champion Faces Rivals for Its Crown
It may be the top seed at Wimbledon but even the reigning king of strawberries knows the crown sits lightly. The Malling Centenary berry has reigned supreme since being introduced at The Championships in 2016, sweetening summer rituals and picnics alike at the All England Club. Yet in the fields and labs, a new crop of challengers is ripening. In the high-stakes world of soft fruit supremacy, flavor, firmness and fame are all up for grabs. The Malling Centenary variety is known for its sweetness, "heart-shaped" size, and quality of taste, according to Joe Furber, Food and Drinks Operations Manager at Wimbledon. Weeks of sunshine and a "bumper crop" in the UK have helped produce an excess of strawberries, meaning Furber expects around 2.5 million of them, or 5,000 tons, alongside 13,000 liters of cream to be consumed during the Wimbledon fortnight. This year, a portion of 10 Malling Centenary strawberries with cream costs two pounds and seventy pence ($3.70) after the first price increase (20 pence) since 2010. The strawberries are grown in polytunnels by Hugh Lowe Farms, a family-owned business in Kent, just 31 miles from the All England Club, picked and delivered each morning at 8:30am. "Their best time aligns perfectly with the championships, which is quite fortuitous, which is a big part of why they were chosen," Furber said. But like every champion, it cannot afford to rest on its laurels as contenders lurk to seize the strawberry crown. The Summer Berry Company, based at Groves Farm near Chichester, told Reuters the variety landscape is becoming increasingly competitive and that it has reduced its production of Malling Centenary over the years. "I love Malling Centenary, I'm in no way saying it's a bad variety. I'm just saying that there's a new generation of varieties we're bringing to the market," Commercial Director Jack Darnes said. Summer Berry, which uses robotics and artificial intelligence technology to help with the harvesting process, grows varieties including Fandango, Karima and Florice, which Darnes said are larger and sweeter. "With Malling Centenary three or four days later they're still okay, with the new varieties you can survive even longer - six to seven days. So it's reducing waste, it's a better product for the end consumer," he said. "We hope one day there's going to be a new summer berry variety that people at Wimbledon are going to be consuming even better than Malling Centenary," he added. Malling Centenary does not suffer the same fate as its predecessor, the Elsanta Variety, which, according to Darnes, is no longer produced in the UK. The UK produces 120,000 tons of strawberries each year, generating retail sales of up to 700 million pounds, said Darnes. The global market is estimated at about 10,000,000 tons, with a value of $20 billion, according to German agriculture company Bayer.
