Top seed and French Open champion Ana Ivanovic was sent crashing out of Wimbledon on Friday by Chinese wild-card Zheng Jie, the world No. 133.
Ivanovic’s 6-1, 6-4 defeat came just a day after third seed and 2004 champion Maria Sharapova was sent packing by world No. 154 Alla Kudryavtseva as the chase for this year’s women’s title was thrown wide open.
“It’s a real surprise and I have to thank Wimbledon for giving me a wild-card,” said the 24-year-old Zheng, a doubles champion at Wimbledon in 2006 whose ranking has slipped from a high of No. 27 because of a serious ankle injury. “It was tough. Ana has a good serve and a forehand so I tried to play to her backhand. I tried to enjoy it and told myself to keep going.”
She goes on to face Hungarian 15th seed Agnes Szavay for a place in the quarter-finals, while Ivanovic, who had been lucky to survive in the second round, continues to struggle with her world No. 1 status.
“There was a little bit of pressure being world No. 1,” the 20-year-old Ivanovic said. “But I adjusted and I wasn’t as nervous as I was for the first match. It’s still a learning experience for me. I tried to find my game, but I knew I was struggling.”
Five-time champion Roger Federer eased into the last 16, only to find Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 winner, standing in his path to the quarter-finals.
But Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer was knocked out by Croatia’s Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/3), which left just four of the men’s top 10 seeds left in the tournament before the end of the first week.
Ancic, the last man to beat Federer on grass here in 2002, goes on to face another Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco.
Also progressing was Marat Safin, the former world No. 1, who followed up his win over third seed Novak Djokovic with a 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory over Italian 29th seed Andreas Seppi.
The Russian, whose ranking has slumped to 75, faces Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka in the last 16.
Federer racked up his 62nd consecutive grass court win with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Tunisian-born Frenchman Marc Giquel to keep his dreams of an historic sixth successive title on track.
Hewitt, the 20th seed, again shrugged off his hip injury to reach the fourth round for the sixth straight year with a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) win over world No. 46 Simone Bolelli of Italy.
“It should be an exciting match,” said Federer, who leads Hewitt 13-7 in their career meetings.
The Australian has lost the last 11, with his most recent win over the world No. 1 coming five years ago.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams won the battle of the former champions when she beat France’s Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
Williams, the 2002 and 2003 champion, goes on to face Bethanie Mattek for a place in the quarter-finals after her fellow American put out last year’s runner-up Marion Bartoli of France 6-4, 6-1.
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze helped ease the pain of Russia’s Euro 2008 exit by moving into the last 16.
Fourth seed Kuznetsova celebrated her 23rd birthday with a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 win over Czech qualifier Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and will play Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska next.
The 14th seeded Pole put out 16-year-old Russian qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-2.
Chakvetadze, the eighth seed, reached the fourth round for the first time with a 6-4, 6-3 win over compatriot Evgeniya Rodina.
She next faces Czech 18th seed Nicole Vaidisova, who put out Australia’s world No. 43 Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 6-4.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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