Another first week of Wimbledon in the books and it’s been a great one. There was a fantastic match today as Swiatek dug deep against Bencic. Djokovic marches on. Many appetizing matches remain for week two. On the U.S. side, well, not what we’d hoped. That’s were I’ll focus this update, so let’s get started with our U.S. Wimbledon week-in-review. Overall, across men’s and women’s I’d say some “Highs”, more “Lows.”
Men’s Week-in-Review
I’ll start with the negative and then end on the high note. With 3 players in the top 16 (Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul), the expectation was that multiple men made the round of 16. None did. Fritz had the earliest exit, a shocker. Tiafoe, got outclassed by Dmitrov, and Paul just didn’t have enough to come back in a 5-setter with multiple tiebreakers. The wave of U.S. players on their heals fared no better with Korda, Shelton, Nakashima, and name just about anyone else all failing to make the 2nd week or show to be any serious threat. So, what does this mean for American tennis? Nothing! It’s disappointing, sure, but I don’t think it changes the trajectory for any of this group. Fritz/Foe/Paul have been moving up steadily and there’s reason to believe they have further to go this year. All are best on hardcourts. Through the summer season and right through the fall, the conditions will favor them. Do not be surprised to see two U.S. men in the end of year master’s top 8 with my prediction being Paul won’t quite be able to get there. The next wave also has plenty of time. This may not be their year to make a move, but I’ll take Korda and Shelton against most others in a bet to make the top 15 over the next 2-3 years. So, although I’ll stew a bit now, can’t help feeling “when already?”, I’m convinced all is still on the right path and just a bit more patience needed. Perhaps, it’s just a glass half-full day.
On the high note? Christopher Eubanks, of course!! The 27 year-old 6’7″ American has followed up his grass-court warm-up tournament victory with a stellar performance in the first week taking out Cam Norrie and making the round of 16. He has a winnable match next against Tsitsipas, so who knows how far he can go? This is a great story developing. Chris’ ranking climbed to 43 going into Wimbledon and he’s 38 on the live rankings as of today. He has weapons. He seems to have figured it out and I’m so happy for him. He’d hovered in the 100s for a bit and I wasn’t sure he was going to get there. At 27, he’s got time. Let’s hope he can keep playing at this level and find the consistency needed to become a top player.
Women’s Week-in-Review
On the Women’s side, a bit brighter, but not much. Again, I’ll start with the negative. Of the four seeded players, two fell early. The most shocking of course was Coco Gauff. On the one hand, it was nice to see Kenin perhaps regain her form. Kenin is still so young and as a major winner and major finalist, her upside if she can get back to form is phenomenal. That being said, I’m not a believer that Kenin has found it yet. I’ve seen her look good in stretches, in sets, in flashes, but not in any kind of a consistent manner that would have me believe she’s truly on her way back to top 5. For Gauff, this was a setback, but she shouldn’t consider it a major one. Let’s call it a learning experience. Gauff has now become a fixture in the top 10. She has the consistency needed to stay there a long time. She appears to have hit a bit of a ceiling, but I think it’s temporary. Patience, put the work in, enjoy what you’re doing, don’t get frustrated. It’s all there for Gauff. You have to love her future. For the other eleven Americans in the top 100, 8 lost in the first round, 3 in the second round. Not inspiring. Parks, McNally, Stearns have time and we should be patient, not a lot expected yet. For the veterans, it’s hard not to believe that Stephens, Rogers, Davis, Collins may have seen their best days. I was watching to see Pera progress, but it didn’t happen. Similar to the men, the best surface for the U.S. women is hardcourt, so plenty of time for good things to this summer and for the U.S. Open.
On the bright side, Pegula has become a mainstay in the top 5 and seems to make the quarters or better all the time. She has a winnable quarterfinal against Vondrousova, but then will most likely face Swiatek (unless Svitolina has a magical run). I know Pegula has beaten Swiatek and she can do it. I just haven’t seen her do it in a big moment. That’s really all that’s left for Pegula to prove. Can she beat the top in the big tournaments when it really counts? It’s not an easy hurdle to climb over, but for Pegula, it’s the only one left. She can stay top 5 doing what she’s doing. The next level is directly through the very best when it counts! She can do it.
The other “High” in our women’s side of this U.S. Wimbledon week-in-review is Madison Keys. Fresh off her warm-up grass tournament victory, Madison has kept it going. She’s always had the game to be at the top. She got to top 10 in the past. Is this her time again? She’s got a favorable next round draw in 16 year-old phenom Andreeva. The pressure will be completely on Madison. Andreeva should just let fly. You have to figure the crowd is going to be on the young star’s side as well. Assuming Madison gets through it, Sabalenka is most likely her quarters match up and then Rybakina or Kvitova in the semis. That’s going to be rough. Either way, this is a great showing for Madison. It positions her for the rest of the year. She’s a former U.S. Open finalist. Don’t be surprised if she’s not top 10 by year-end.
So, there you have it. That concludes this U.S. Wimbledon week-in-review. What do you think? Share your thoughts?