Iga Swiatek vs Su-Wei Hsieh Wimbledon 2021 Preview
The last time Iga Swiatek took to the court at Wimbledon, she was coming fresh off a decent fourth round effort at the French…
The last time Iga Swiatek took to the court at Wimbledon, she was coming fresh off a decent fourth round effort at the French…
For the next fortnight, all eyes will be on the stars of the ATP Tour as they battle for glory at Wimbledon. But as hungry as they will be to lift the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy, there is another group of competitors that are just as motivated to make a splash at the grass-court Grand Slam. They are the players competing throughout the year on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Securing entry into a Grand Slam is no simple task. It requires year-round focus, hard work and consistency to arrive at this moment. For players grinding on the Challenger circuit, this is the reward. Having the opportunity to test their talents against the best players in the world, and with coveted FedEx ATP Rankings points and prize money at stake, is what drives these players from January to November.
The 2021 Championships are no exception. A platform to showcase their skills and eventually take the next step on the ATP Tour, it presents a huge opportunity on a global stage. A strong performance on the lawns of the All England Club can prove to be career-altering for many Challenger stars, as they target the Top 100 and beyond. So, which players are poised to wreak havoc on the draw? We look at five to watch in SW19…
Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera (CHI)
Don’t call him a clay-court specialist. Barrios is already proving to be quite a formidable opponent at this year’s Championships. Despite entering Wimbledon with just nine matches played away from clay in 2020-21 combined, the Chilean made the most of his professional grass-court debut during qualifying.
Barrios would drop just one set in securing his first Grand Slam main draw berth, posting a perfect 5-0 record in tie-breaks along the way. After defeating Mitchell Krueger and Enzo Couacaud, he punched his ticket with an impressive four-set victory over top seed Kamil Majchrzak. A strong grass-court performer, Majchrzak was coming off a run to the final at the ATP Challenger stop in Nottingham a week ago.
As Barrios makes his Grand Slam debut at the All England Club, he will take plenty of confidence from a breakthrough 2021 campaign on the ATP Challenger Tour. The 23-year-old has posted a 15-8 record thus far, including a pair of final appearances on home soil in Santiago and one week ago in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In fact, it was his journey from Almaty to London, flying 12 hours across Europe to transition from clay to grass, that has been the most impressive part of his run through qualifying. With a clay-court final in Kazakhstan on Saturday and a Wimbledon qualifying campaign that was postponed to Tuesday due to rain, he only had 45 minutes to prepare on the grass.
Barrios will kick off his Grand Slam career against 2018 runner-up Kevin Anderson on Monday, with a potential second-round clash with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic looming large.
Benjamin Bonzi (FRA)
Three years later, Bonzi is back in London, earning a second chance at the All England Club. It was in 2018 that the Frenchman qualified for his first Championships, before falling to Lukas Lacko from a set up in the opening round. Now, a more experienced and seasoned Bonzi steps onto the hallowed lawns at SW19 for a shot at redemption.
The 2021 ATP Challenger wins leader, Bonzi is in the midst of a breakout year. The World No. 118, who turned 25 earlier this month, is peaking at the right time. Knocking on the door of a Top 100 debut in the FedEx ATP Rankings, the Nimes native owns a tour-leading 28 match wins this year on the Challenger circuit, including titles on the hard courts of Potchefstroom, South Africa, and clay of Ostrava, Czech Republic. Having previously never lifted a Challenger trophy, Bonzi’s double has made him one of the more feared players this year.
One of four Frenchmen to successfully navigate through qualifying, Bonzi ousted Juan Pablo Ficovich and Daniel Altmaier in straight sets before rallying to defeat Frederico Ferreira Silva on Thursday. Having also reached the semi-finals at the ATP Challenger stop in Nottingham the week prior, Bonzi will be looking to carry the grass-court momentum into Wimbledon.
The 25-year-old will face fellow qualifier Marco Trungelliti on Tuesday. Marin Cilic, finalist in 2017, is a potential second-round opponent.
2021 Challenger Match Wins Leaders
| Player | Wins |
| Benjamin Bonzi | 28 |
| Kacper Zuk | 22 |
| Jenson Brooksby | 21 |
| Sebastian Baez | 21 |
Liam Broady (GBR)
With the results he’s putting up on the ATP Challenger Tour, Broady’s wild card is well deserved. At the age of 27, the Brit enters his fourth appearance at his home Grand Slam in the best form of his career.
A stalwart on the Challenger circuit since his first full season in 2017, Broady is making the most of his opportunities this year. A pair of hard-court finals in Potchefstroom, South Africa and Biella, Italy saw him rise to a career-high of No. 137 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in April. Moreover, it’s his consistency that’s driving his push towards the Top 100, boasting a 15-5 record (75.0 win percentage), which is among the tour leaders.
Broady’s form has already translated to the ATP Tour, having claimed his first tour-level victory in three years at the clay-court event in Cagliari. That was followed by one of the best wins of his career, stunning Nottingham champion Frances Tiafoe at this week’s ATP 250 event in Eastbourne.
The Stockport native, who also earned his way through qualifying at Roland Garros last month, will look to carry the momentum into SW19. A first-round meeting with Italy’s Marco Cecchinato awaits. To be held on Monday on No. 3 Court, it will be their first encounter. Ninth-seed Diego Schwartzman looms as a potential second-round opponent.
Tallon Griekspoor (NED)
Grand Slam qualifying is a test of emotions, nerves and determination. It can be a rollercoaster ride for even the more experienced players on tour. Just ask Tallon Griekspoor.
The Dutchman is as battle-tested as they come entering Wimbledon. A two-time ATP Challenger champion in 2021, Griekspoor secured his passage to the All England Club after surviving a qualifying gauntlet. On Tuesday, the 24-year-old needed nearly three hours to edge Thomas Fabbiano 7-6(8), 6-7(6), 7-5. That was followed by an efficient 44-minute 6-0, 6-1 win over reigning junior champion Shintaro Mochizuki on Wednesday. And in Thursday’s final round, he was forced into another marathon, overcoming a two-set deficit to rally past 18-year-old Arthur Fery 4-6, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-2.
Griekspoor’s success in qualifying should come as no surprise, considering his strong run of form on the Challenger circuit in 2021. He has posted a 10-2 record since the start of May, lifting trophies on the clay of Prague and Bratislava.
The Haarlem native will be tested from the first ball at SW19, opening against fourth-seed Alexander Zverev on Tuesday. In search of his third Top 20 win, Griekspoor is no stranger to the big stage, having claimed victories over Stan Wawrinka and Karen Khachanov at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Zhizhen Zhang (CHN)
Monday’s last match on Court 11 is one to watch. For the first time in the Open Era, a Chinese man will play in the singles main draw at the Wimbledon Championships. Zhang is set to make his Grand Slam debut against fellow qualifier Antoine Hoang, in what will be a historic moment for Asian tennis.
A two-time ATP Challenger champion, in Jinan and Shenzhen in 2019, Zhang is mounting a charge up the FedEx ATP Rankings in his quest to surpass his career-high of No. 136. He reached his first semi-final since the COVID-19 shutdown at last month’s tournament in Biella, Italy, and has performed well in his professional grass-court debut. Last week, he defeated third seed Andreas Seppi in Nottingham for his first Top 100 win on the surface.
The man known as ‘ZZZ’ was a dominant force in Wimbledon qualifying, dropping just one combined set in his three matches. It all culminated in a 6-0, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(6) win over Francisco Cerundolo to book his spot in the main draw.
On Monday, the Shanghai native will face Hoang for second time. Their first encounter came three years ago, in ATP Challenger qualifying in Francavilla al Mare, Italy. Hoang won in three sets. The winner will face either 15th-seed Alex de Minaur or #NextGenATP star Sebastian Korda in the second round.
Gearing up for his 64th Grand Slam campaign, Novak Djokovic has had some practice at peaking at the right moments. This time will be no different, the World No. 1 told media, although the stakes are now higher than ever as he targets his record-tying 20th major title at Wimbledon.
The top seed opened up in his pre-tournament press conference about the mental and physical toll of winning two Grand Slams this year – especially at Roland Garros, where he doubled his win count to become the first man in the Open Era to win every Grand Slam title twice.
“The level of confidence is pretty high [after] winning the two majors this year, playing very well in Roland Garros,” Djokovic said. “That tournament took a lot out of me, mentally and physically and emotionally. It also granted me with an incredible amount of positive energy and confidence that created a wave that I’m trying to ride.”
To achieve the historic feat in Paris, Djokovic had to overcome huge tests including a comeback from two sets to love against Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round. He passed possibly the biggest mental hurdle of all as he defeated Rafael Nadal, the 13-time winner and four-time defending champion, in the semi-finals. That’s before he pulled off another stunning comeback after being down two sets in the final to take down Stefanos Tsitsipas for his second Coupe des Mousquetaires.
After making history, it was back to business as usual for Djokovic, who began his grass-court preparations in earnest at the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships in doubles.
“I did not allow myself, I cannot allow myself to enjoy that victory too much because four days later after I won the title I was on the grass courts training,” Djokovic revealed. “I didn’t have too much time really to reflect on what has happened in Paris. That’s how it is. That’s the tennis season and tennis schedule. I turn the next page.”
Djokovic, who has lifted the trophy at the All England Club five times, has made it no secret that his target is a sixth gentlemen’s singles title to make it three major titles in a row in 2021. Not only would this bring him one step closer to a Calendar-Year Grand Slam, a feat no man has accomplished since Rod Laver in 1969, a victory would bring Djokovic to a 20th Grand Slam trophy – tying the all-time record shared by Roger Federer and Nadal.
Win or lose, Djokovic will leave the debates for “most” and “greatest” to the pundits and critics. The World No. 1 said he is determined to block out the noise and focus on the task at hand, one day and one match at a time.
“I understand that people love to debate who is the greatest, who is going to have the most titles, et cetera, et cetera,” he said. “There’s always a lot going on off the tennis court.
“But once I’m on the court, I try to lock in and I try to exclude all the distractions. I feel like over the years, I managed to develop the mechanism that allows me to do that. Everyone has their own special ways to center themselves, how to focus themselves, really direct the energy into what matters the most, which is the present moment.
“I have my own techniques, my own ways. It has been working so far, so I’ll try to keep on doing that. Here in Wimbledon particularly I need to just take it day by day and see how far it goes.”
Top seed Djokovic will take on Great Britain’s Jack Draper in the first round on Monday 28 June, as he opens the action on Centre Court.
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Jelena Ostapenko beats Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-3 in the the final of the Eastbourne International as Alex de Minaur edges out Lorenzo Sonego in the men’s final.
Nick Kyrgios announced in his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday that he will compete in mixed doubles at Wimbledon with former WTA World No. 1 Venus Williams.
“The mixed doubles pair of the tournament!” Kyrgios exclaimed after making the announcement.
The Australian on Tuesday took to social media to seek a partner for The Championships, tweeting “MIXED DUBS WIMBY????”
MIXED DUBS WIMBY???? ???
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 22, 2021
Kyrgios has found his match. Williams is a two-time mixed doubles winner at Grand Slams, triumphing at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 1998.
Kyrgios has played mixed doubles before, most recently with Amanda Anisimova at last year’s Australian Open and Desirae Krawczyk at Wimbledon in 2019.
Watch the best shots as Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko beats Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-3 in the Eastbourne International final to win her first WTA title for almost two years.
Fourth seeds Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez captured their third ATP Tour team title on Saturday with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald in the Mallorca Championships final.
Despite it being a semi-final match in Mallorca, the Italian-Argentine tandem have been crowned champions due to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Carlos Gomez-Herrera withdrawing after their semi-final victory on Thursday.
”The second set was really tight, as always, it massively depends on one or two points,” Bolelli said. “We wanted to win this tournament, we played three really good matches. It was the second tournament for us on grass together.
“This is the third title for us, so it is a very good year at the moment and have confidence for Wimbledon next week. I really enjoyed this week, the tournament was really well organised with good facilities.”
[WATCH LIVE 2]Bolelli and Gonzalez won 88 per cent (30/34) of their first-service points and broke serve four times to record victory in 68 minutes. They won the Chile Dove Men+Care Open title in Santiago and the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma earlier this year, and are 20-7 on the season.
The fourth seeds raced ahead in the opening set, not facing a break point on serve to claim it in 25 minutes. Bolelli and Gonzalez then battled through the second set to move to 3-1 in tour-level finals this year.
Daniell and Oswald captured their only ATP Tour team title at the Forte Village Sardegna Open in Sardinia last October, and are now 15-13 on the season.
British tennis is considered ‘too white, male and posh’ by many. BBC Sport speaks to those trying to change perceptions and increase diversity in the sport.
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