Marketa Vondrousova has become the first defending women’s champion at Wimbledon to lose in the first round the next year since it happened to Steffi Graf in 1994
Marketa Vondrousova is the first defending women’s Wimbledon champ out in the first round since 1994By HOWARD FENDRICHAP Tennis WriterThe Associated PressLONDON
LONDON (AP) — Marketa Vondrousova became the first defending women’s champion at Wimbledon to lose in the first round the next year since 1994, eliminated 6-4, 6-2 by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro at Centre Court on Tuesday.
Vondrousova was a surprise title winner at the All England Club 12 months ago, the first unseeded woman to claim the trophy at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Now she enters the books in another — and less-wanted — historic way. The only other time in the sport’s Open era, which dates to 1968, that a woman went from a championship at Wimbledon to an immediate exit a year later was when Steffi Graf was defeated by Lori McNeil 30 years ago.
Vondrousova was seeded No. 6 this time, but the left-hander, who also was the runner-up at the 2019 French Open and a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, was never at her best on Tuesday. She appeared to still be suffering after-effects from a fall during a tuneup tournament on grass in Berlin last month that hurt her hip.
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