Wimbledon: Alexander Zverev, Coco Gauff among seeds to be knocked out early
The German third seed was stunned by France's Arthur Rinderknech in the Wimbledon first round.
Zverev, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, slipped to
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RNZ News
8 hours ago
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Eventful opening round of Wimbledon
Top speed exits, protests, curfews and courtside spews, it was an eventful opening round of the Wimbledon tennis championship. Sports reporter Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
1News
9 hours ago
- 1News
Trio of women's top five seeds crash out of Wimbledon
Forlorn, bewildered and ultimately beaten, world No 2 Coco Gauff has been dumped out of Wimbledon in a stunning boilover loss to Dayana Yastremska. Crowned French Open champion barely three weeks ago, the American lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 to the 42nd-ranked Ukrainian, her defeat capping a day of shocks. Her exit came after third-seeded compatriot Jessica Pegula, who arrived off the back of winning the Bad Homburg warm-up event, was KO'd by unheralded Elisabetta Cocciaretto. And fifth-seeded Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who also had many backers after impressing at Queen's, lost to Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova 7-5 4-6 6-1. The upsets appear to have left the way clear for world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka to add the Wimbledon title to her previous US and Australian Open wins. But given the surprises already many players will fancy their chances. ADVERTISEMENT Among them will be defending champion Barbora Krejcikova who was in danger of following compatriot Marketa Vondrousova last year in surrendering the title at the first chance when she lost the first set to Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. But the Czech, who is seeded 17th after an injury-hit year, regained her poise to win 3-6 6-2 6-1. Gauff double-faulted nine times and seemed at a loss to know how to remedy the problem. But she was given a lifeline when Yastremska also double-faulted when serving for the first set, only to crumble in the tie-break and subsequent second set. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Australia's weather bomb, the surprising costs of getting one more dog, and BTS are back. (Source: 1News) The match had been switched at late notice to Court No.1 due to overruns on Centre Court and Yastremska said "that gave me more chance — I played the junior final on this court [and lost], there are lots of memories." Pegula, who beat Iga Swiatek in straight sets at Bad Homburg, had not lost in the first round at a grand slam since the French Open in 2020. But Cocciaretto, ranked 116, was unperturbed by her status and form in dismissing the third seed 6-2 6-3 on Tuesday. The Italian, whose ranking has dipped in recent months, said she had told herself to "be more aggressive and go for it, don't think about losing or winning the point". ADVERTISEMENT "For this to happen today, it's disappointing. I don't know how else to put it," said Pegula, who hit five winners while making 24 unforced errors. "I'm upset that I wasn't able to turn anything around. But at the same time, I do feel like she played kind of insane. Hats off to her." Zheng Qinwen had reached at least the quarter-finals in her last three events, the Rome Masters, Roland Garros and Queen's, where she made the semi-finals. But this was the Zheng of old as she suffered her third straight first-round exit at Wimbledon. Siniakova is 81 in the world but no stranger to success being the No.1 ranked doubles player and a three-time winner at the All England Club, including last year alongside Taylor Townsend. Seven of her 10 major doubles titles were won with Krejcikova who showed the way in singles with her win here last year. However, another Czech, 15th-seed Karolina Muchova, lost 7-5 6-2 to Xinyu Wang. Elsewhere seeds Iga Swiatek, Clara Tauson, Mirra Andreeva, Elena Rybakina and Sofia Kenin progressed but Magdelena Frech, Marta Kostyuk and Magda Linette, seeded 25, 26 and 27 respectively, lost to Victoria Mboko, Veronika Erjavec and Elsa Jaquemot. ADVERTISEMENT On her last visit to the lawns of SW19 two-time champ Petra Kvitova said farewell with a 6-3 6-1 defeat to 10th seed Emma Navarro.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
Sinner ice cool as Gauff, Pegula and Zverev join bonfire of seeds
By Shrivathsa Sridhar and Martyn Herman, Reuters Coco Gauff of the United States. Photo: DAISUKE URAKAMI/AFP World number one Jannik Sinner stayed ice cool to move serenely into the Wimbledon second round but it was a second successive day of upsets at a sizzling All England Club as a succession of seeded players crashed and burned on Tuesday (UK time). American second seed Coco Gauff, chasing a French Open-Wimbledon double after her Paris triumph , was the day's most surprising casualty, losing 7-6(3) 6-1 to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska as the sun set on a sultry day. Gauff's compatriot Taylor Fritz, the world number five, survived a five-set firefight by the skin of his teeth against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. But the same could not be said of 13 of the men's seeds who fell at the first hurdle -- a Wimbledon record since 32 seeds were introduced in 2001. Nine seeds also perished in the women's first round while the eight top-10 seeds to go out across both singles draws is the highest at a Grand Slam in the professional era. Germany's Alexander Zverev was the most notable men's casualty, the third seed losing 7-6(3) 6-7(8) 6-3 6-7(5) 6-4 to France's Arthur Rinderknech in a marathon duel that began on Tuesday and was locked at one set apiece overnight. "I'm not sure he's ever played a match like that in his life," Zverev, who is still chasing a first Grand Slam title after 38 attempts, said. Italian Lorenzo Musetti, seeded seven, was also bundled out on Court Two by Nikoloz Basilashvili -- the same court where earlier American women's third seed Jessica Pegula was sent packing 6-2 6-3 by Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto. A red-hot Sinner never looked like joining the exodus as he beat fellow Italian and close friend Luca Nardi 6-4 6-3 6-0 in a victorious return to the Grand Slam stage after his epic French Open final defeat by Carlos Alcaraz last month. "I tried to put the friendship away for a couple of hours," Sinner, who conceded only four points when he landed his first serve, told reporters. After seven British players won singles matches on Tuesday -- a professional era record at Wimbledon -- home fans had more to cheer on Wednesday as fourth seed Jack Draper, his nation's big hope, avoided any dramas by easing past Argentina's Sebastian Baez who retired hurt trailing 6-2 6-2 2-1. In total, 10 British players have reached round two. Women's defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was tested by promising 20-year-old Filipina Alexandra Eala, but after a slow start she found her form to win 3-6 6-2 6-1 on her return to Centre Court after last year's surprise triumph. "I mean, what the hell [kind of tennis] she played in the first set?," said Krejcikova, praising her opponent. "She was smashing the ball and cleaning the lines, so wow, wow. She's going to be really good in a couple of years." Five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, seeded eight, is yet to conquer Wimbledon but showed positive signs as she beat Polina Kudermetova 7-5 6-1 while Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva advanced after a 6-3 6-3 victory over Mayar Sherif. Both might have expected Gauff to be a major obstacle but the world number two subsided against Yastremska. The women's draw is now without three of its top five seeds after number five Zheng Qinwen of China, the Olympic champion, suffered a third successive Wimbledon first-round defeat, beaten 7-5 4-6 6-1 by Czech doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova. "I believe if I get through the first match, I will start to play better and better (on grass)," Zheng said. "The problem is the first match for me is complicated." Many will lament the exit of Wimbledon dark horse Alexander Bublik, seeded 28th. The Kazakh showman is guaranteed entertainment with his array of trick shots but he was unable to avoid the exit door, as he was dragged into battle by Spaniard Jaume Munar and beaten 6-4 3-6 4-6 7-6(5) 6-2. Late in the day yet another seed fell as Frenchman Ugo Umbert was beaten by veteran countryman Gael Monfils, again defying his 38 years to edge a five-setter. American Fritz survived, though, letting out a massive roar as he beat Perricard 6-7(6) 6-7(8) 6-4 7-6(6) 6-4 in a match carried forward from Tuesday. Perricard's consolation for losing the cliffhanger was a 153mph serve -- a Wimbledon record. Tommy Paul took out Briton Johannus Monday with little fuss, the 13th seed cruising through 6-4 6-4 6-2, but it was the end of the road for fellow American and 30th seed Alex Michelsen who fell 6-2 3-6 6-3 3-6 7-6(6) to Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic. Zeynep Sonmez became the first Turkish woman to reach the second round at the grasscourt Grand Slam when she battled past Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 7-6(3) 6-3. Victoria Mboko found out a few hours before she faced Magdalena Frech that she had entered the main draw as a Lucky Loser due to Anastasia Potapova's withdrawal and the Canadian teenager rode her luck to stun the 25th seed 6-3 6-2. Fourteen years after first adding her name to the Wimbledon honours board, twice champion Petra Kvitova performed her last dance on the lawns, the Czech losing 6-3 6-1 to American 10th seed Emma Navarro. - Reuters
