It was the premier tennis day of the year. On Monday, all 16 players left in the Wimbledon singles draw took the court.
An exciting lineup without question, but we admit, it was a challenge to follow all the action. But not to worry, if you missed anything, we had you covered from first ball to last.
Here's a snapshot of everything that went down Monday at the All England Club, courtesy of Courtney Nguyen and Greg Garber.
Ajla Tomljanovic def. Emma Raducanu, 6-4, 3-0 ret
Key takeaway: After a close opening set, Raducanu, the 18-year-old Brit, was forced to retire from their match. She appeared to be struggling to breathe and went off court before retiring. Tomljanovic showed her veteran mettle late in the first set. Raducanu was fired up and the No.1 Court crowd was right there with her every swing and fist pump. She had her chances. With Tomljanovic serving at 4-4, Raducanu had two break points come and go before Tomljanovic held serve. Then, with Raducanu serving at 4-5, Tomljanovic played a physical game – there were two 10-shot rallies, one 21-shot lung-buster and a 20-shot back-breaker – to save three game points and ultimately break for the set.
Raducanu remains a name to watch. It was a heartbreaking way for her Cinderella run to end, but the win was well-earned by Tomljanovic, who at 28, is into her first major quarterfinal.
Quotable: “As for the quarterfinal, I wouldn't say I didn't believe in my career I would ever get it, but just the way my season was," Tomljanovic said. "The year before I had a lot of heartbreaking moments where I thought this was my week, against Simona, Garbiñe, Sloane a long time ago. All of a sudden everything felt really far from me even though I did feel like I'm playing well just because mentally those matches took a little bit of a toll. It got to me a little bit. It got in my head.
“But I had to put my head down and keep working and not think about those matches, think in a positive way. It's not easy."
What’s next: Tomljanovic takes on No.1 Ashleigh Barty. This will be the first all-Aussie meeting in a Slam quarterfinal since 1980 Wimbledon, when Evonne Goolagong Cawley defeated Wendy Turnbull in straight sets.
No.25 Angelique Kerber def. No.20 Coco Gauff, 6-4, 6-4
Key takeaway: The 2018 Champion is on a mission. Kerber, a former No.1, has found a new level over the past two weeks, starting with her run to the Bad Homburg title the week before Wimbledon and now booking her first major quarterfinal since winning the title here three years ago.
In a battle between the oldest player remaining in the draw and the youngest, Kerber played a veteran match; there was wind to manage and a talented 17-year-old to solve. The Centre Court crowd was vocally behind the American. Kerber, 33, kept her head and took her chances. She won four of five break points (and saved four of six), finishing with 22 winners to 20 unforced errors.
Quotable: “I really enjoy to play on grass," Kerber said. "I think this is always really special for me. Playing two tournaments in Germany starting the grass-court season like this, then winning my tournament in Germany, playing in front of the crowd again, this give me again, new energy to go out there and enjoy my tennis. I really worked hard in the last few months. Being able now to playing matches like this, winning close matches, going out there and enjoying it, feeling my tennis, it's always a good sign."
What’s next: Kerber will face Karolina Muchova for a spot in her fifth Wimbledon semifinal. The German has won their two previous meetings, both on hard courts.
Viktorija Golubic def. No.23 Madison Keys, 7-6 (3), 6-3
Key takeaway: It’s been a remarkable transformation for the 28-year-old from Switzerland. In her 18th Grand Slam singles main-draw event, she and that pure one-hand backhand are through to a first major quarterfinal; her previous best was the third round to years ago at Wimbledon. Hard to believe Golubic failed to qualify earlier this year at the Australian Open and lost in the first round at Roland Garros. Golubic has now won eight of her past nine matches on grass.
Viktorija Golubic’s march to her 1st #Wimbledon quarterfinal:
d. Kudermetova 36 61 11-9
d. Collins 62 60
d. Brengle 62 61
d. Keys 76 63Faces Karolina Pliskova next. Won their only prior meeting, at Fed Cup in 2016, 36 64 64. pic.twitter.com/atVftZIPMO
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 5, 2021
Quotable: “Yeah, I feel like especially mentally that I feel that I am more confident in my skills and actually realizing more what I can do on court," Golubic said." So while I’m playing, I think I can just be more focused on my part of the game. It’s more like to really be more clear in your head, like what your skills are and how you want to play.”
What’s next: A match against No.8 Karolina Pliskova, who has quietly been working her way through the draw without dropping a set. Golubic won the only match between them, coming back from a set and 2-4 down in a 2016 Fed Cup semifinal, but that was in Switzerland and on a hardcourt.
No.19 Karolina Muchova def. No.30 Paula Badosa, 7-6 (6), 6-4
Key takeaway: The 24-year-old from the Czech Republic, playing in only her second Wimbledon singles main draw, is through to her second quarterfinal. This after reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open back in February, where she beat No.1 Ashleigh Barty along the way.
Muchova and Badosa played a fairly even match. Badosa was up 3-0 in the first set and held a break of serve until 5-2. But Muchova turned it around, winning three straight games before prevailing in a taut tiebreaker. In the end, Muchova played a little cleaner, finishing the match with 24 unforced errors, six fewer than Badosa.
Quotable: “I’m focusing mostly on the Grand Slams and on big events," Muchova said. "So definitely that’s where I’m trying to be the most focused and going for it. I didn’t play that many tournaments this year, so I can’t really tell [my level], because I was struggling with injuries and everything. Yeah, for now it’s going good and I appreciate it."
What’s next: Two years ago, Muchova lost to Elina Svitolina here in the quarterfinals. Now she’ll be looking to take the next step – and raise her career Wimbledon record to 9-1 – against Angelique Kerber.
No.1 Ashleigh Barty def. No.14 Barbora Krejcikova, 7-5, 6-3
Key takeaway: In a battle between the No.1 and No.2 players in the Porsche Race to Shenzhen, Barty, the only former junior champion left in the draw, ended Krejcikova’s 15-match winning streak. Barty won her 32nd match of the year (only Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka have more). She is now 11-1 this year against Top 20 players.
Quotable: "An incredibly tough match," Barty said. "I was excited for the challenge today. Just happy to come through in the end. Feel like I found some pretty good stuff when I needed it most, which is great. I love coming out here and testing myself against the best in the world, and there’s certainly no place I’d rather be at the moment."
What’s next: Since winning the 2019 French Open, Barty has gone 0-for-5 in majors. This year, the 25-year-old Australian lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian and retired from her second-round match at Roland Garros. Given that Aryna Sabalenka is the only other Top 10 player left in the draw, this is a huge opportunity for Barty to win her second Grand Slam singles title.
No.8 Karolina Pliskova def. Liudmila Samsonova, 6-2, 6-3
Key takeaway: Pliskova has to appreciate the irony. The Czech’s 230-week streak inside the Top 10 ended on the first Monday at Wimbledon. So what does she do? The 29-year-old quietly makes her way to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal and first major quarterfinal since making the 2019 Australian Open semifinals.
Pliskova has had a rocky relationship with the grass at the All England Club, even though she's had great success on grass. She’s a two-time Eastbourne champion but has never replicated those results at Wimbledon. Pliskova has not faced a Top 50 opponent yet, but she’s been serving better than she has all season. She fired 10 aces in both her first and fourth rounds - and has not lost a set.
Quotable: “Super happy that I made [the quarterfinals] in singles, because I had the last eight only in doubles, which I thought is horrible," Pliskova said. "So now finally it's my last Grand Slam which I was missing to go to quarters.”
What’s next: Pliskova will face either Madison Keys or Viktorija Golubic.
No.21 Ons Jabeur def. No.7 Iga Swiatek, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1
Key takeaway: Coming off the two fantastic sets of tennis she played to beat Garbiñe Muguruza on Center Court in the last round, Jabeur showed no signs of a letdown against Swiatek. This should have been a straight-sets win for the Tunisian, who dominated the opening set before Swiatek played a resplendent three consecutive games to steal it. Down a set with her first Wimbledon quarterfinal on the line, the 26-year-old Jabeur played free and loose. She served at 70% in the final two sets and was 7 for 7 on break points in the match, dominating through the final two sets. With the win, Jabeur becomes the first Arab – man or woman – to make the Wimbledon quarterfinals since 1974.
READ: Kerber stops Gauff, Jabeur blazes past Swiatek to reach Wimbledon quarters
Jabeur is now 10-1 on grass this season, having won her first WTA title in Birmingham. Her only loss came to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko in three sets in Eastbourne. She has beaten three consecutive major champions – Swiatek, Muguruza and Venus Williams – to reach her second career major quarterfinal.
Quotable: "Actually I got congratulated by Roger after my match, which was amazing," Jabeur said. "I think now I'm good in my tennis career [laughter]. He was very nice. He took the time to say congrats. That inspires me a lot and gives me the hunger to win more."
No.2 Aryna Sabalenka def. No.18 Elena Rybakina, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Key takeaway: In her 15th Grand Slam singles appearance, the 23-year-old from Belarus advanced to her first quarterfinal. She entered the tournament as the only Top 20 ranked player not to reach a major quarterfinal and now she has a chance to make her first Grand Slam semifinal. Rybakina, whose serve had been broken only once in three matches, was broken five times.
Sabalenka is tied with Jabeur for the most match-wins on tour this season (33). Sabalenka is one of only three Top 18 seeds still left in the draw.
Quotable: "Of course I’m really happy I finally broke this wall," Sabalenka said. "Yeah, I’m in the quarterfinals. But this is not my final goal. I’m trying to be happy, but at the same time be focused and be ready for the next one because it’s also not easy match."
What’s next: Sabalenka will face Jabeur on Tuesday, with both women looking to make their first major semifinal. They split their previous two meetings. Sabalenka won their most recent match in straight sets on the hardcourts of Abu Dhabi in January.
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Wimbledon Sweet 16: Our breakdown from the most exciting day in tennis - WTA Tennis
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