Wimbledon 2022 Day 2: Serena Williams eliminated, Felix Auger-Aliassime upset by Maxime Cressy, Nadal survives
Wimbledon is a marathon, not a sprint. But as Round 1 finishes up on Tuesday, it feels like a sprint. We've got another 64 matches on tap for Day 2, and we'll be seeing some big names. Serena Williams makes her Grand Slam debut after a year away. French Open champ Iga Swiatek will try to extend her winning streak to 36 matches. And 14-time French Open champ Rafael Nadal will try to keep the momentum rolling after another Roland Garros triumph.
To review what happened on Day 1, click here.
Catch up with the biggest news from Day 2 below.
Serena Williams eliminated by Harmony Tan
Serena Williams lost her first Grand Slam match in over a year Tuesday. Harmony Tan, ranked 115th, defeated Williams in three sets in the first round at Wimbledon.
Williams, 40, showed signs of her former glory, but ran into too many unforced errors against Tan. Williams pulled ahead of Tan in the first set, but couldn't hold on to her lead, dropping the set 7-5. Tan and Williams traded points back and forth in the second set, but Williams took it 6-1.
That set up a pivotal third set. Williams once again jumped out to an early lead, going up 3-1. She gave that away, allowing Tan to take the next four games. Williams fought back to make it 5-4, but couldn't complete the comeback, dropping the final set, and match, to Tan 7-6(7).
It marks the third time in her career Williams has lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event.
Cressy upsets Auger-Aliassime
American Maxime Cressy has upset the No. 6 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, defeating him 6(5)-7, 6-4, 7-6(9), 7-6(5) in over four hours. It was clear from the very beginning that this match was going to go long, since Cressy and Auger-Aliassime matched each other shot-for-shot pretty much the entire time. Just one of the sets was settled without a tiebreak, and the match ended in a fourth-set tiebreak. It's a disappointing loss for Auger-Aliassime, who was unable to match his quarterfinal finish at last year's Wimbledon. That was his big breakout, and he'll have to hope that things go better at the US Open, where he made it to the semis in 2021.
One person who has to be happy about Cressy's upset is Rafael Nadal, whose section of the bracket really opens up without Auger-Aliassime in his way.
Nadal defeats upstart Cerundolo
Francisco Cerundolo had an opportunity to beat a legend in the first round of Wimbledon, but it slipped through his fingers as Rafael Nadal prevailed 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Nadal certainly didn’t cruise. Cerundolo fought hard in every set, coming back to tie Nadal 3-3 in the first set, and splitting the first four games in the second set. He made it difficult for Nadal, who was competing on Wimbledon grass for the first time since 2019. Cerundolo broke Nadal for the first time in the third set to tie the score 2-2, and after tying it again at 3-3, he won the next three games to take the set. Nadal was visibly frustrated with his play, and Cerundolo kept on pressing. The mountain was taller for Cerundolo, since Nadal had a 2-1 lead, but that doesn't mean that it was any easier for Nadal to fix his serve and the other things that had gone wrong with his game. But Nadal is a legend for a reason. Just as it seemed line Cerundolo was poised to pull away, Nadal stopped him in his tracks. A 4-2 lead for Cerundolo turned into a 4-3 lead. Then a 4-4 tie. Once Nadal won to push the score to 5-4, it felt like it was over. And one game later, it was.
Tsitsipas wins battle against Ritschard
Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a see-saw battle against Alexander Ritschard to advance to Round 2. Ritschard, in his first Grand Slam match, really gave Tsitsipas a scare, but the No. 4 seed managed to pull out a 7-6(1), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win when he needed to. This was a jinx-breaker for Tsitsipas, who was booted in the first round at the French Open last month, a tournament he nearly won in 2021.
Fritz, 7 other American men advance to Round 2
It’s been a very good day for American men at Wimbledon. Eight of them, including Taylor Fritz, the top-seeded American man, are advancing to the second round on Thursday. Fritz, the 11-seed, nailed down a straight-sets win against Lorenzo Musetti, and Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald, Jack Sock, and Jenson Brooksby also won in straight sets. Brandon Nakashima and Maxime Cressy won in four sets, and Steve Johnson advanced when his opponent was forced to retire due to an injury. They will all join Reilly Opelka, Jon Isner, Frances Tiafoe, and Chris Harrison in Round 2.
Gauff ekes out close win over Ruse
Coco Gauff, the runner up at last month’s French Open, managed to survive a serious challenge from Elena-Gabriela Ruse. The 11th-seeded Gauff took down Ruse 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The wind was strong, and it affected both players, but Ruse was able to shake it off first. Gauff caught up to Ruse after she jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first set, but that’s when Ruse took off, winning the next four games. The tables were turned in the second set, as Gauff regained her footing and began hitting the ball with authority. With Gauff and Ruse splitting the first two sets, it was all down to the third. It was tied at 3-3, then 4-4, and then 5-5. It was a knock-down, drag-out fight, and both played thrilling tennis. Gauff finally managed to claw her way to a 6-5 lead, and didn't allow Ruse to score a single point in the final game. It was a supremely tough match, but Gauff muscled her way through, and will play in Round 2 on Wednesday.
Swiatek overcomes challenge from Fett
Iga Swiatek has now extended her winning streak to 36 straight matches after beating Jana Fett 6-0, 6-3. The first set was an absolute pasting, with Swiatek dominating Fett and preventing her from winning a single game. The second set wasn't so easy, though. Fett had a serious chance to take the entire set from Swiatek. She forced her way to a 3-1 lead and pushed Swiatek to the brink, fighting hard to get a three-game lead. Swiatek had to fend off five straight break points, but managed to narrow her deficit to just one game. Just like that, the window was shut. She won the next five games to put Fett away and advance to round two. In her post-match interview, Swiatek admitted that she'd only played on grass for 12 weeks of her career. As Fett briefly proved, it's possible to beat her. But looking at how Swiatek managed to make a comeback in the second set, it will still be pretty hard.
Berrettini out with COVID
Italian Matteo Berrettini, the No. 8 seed at Wimbledon, has withdrawn after testing positive for COVID-19. He announced the news Tuesday on Instagram, saying that he'd been experiencing mild symptoms for several days, and had been isolating. However, he decided "it was important to take another test this morning to protect the health and safety of my fellow competitors and everyone else involved in the tournament." Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, was largely expected to make it to the later rounds and make a serious run at the trophy.
Other notable results
Americans Shelby Rogers and Sloane Stephens both lost, as did nearly every other American woman who played on Tuesday.
Australia's Nick Kyrgios won a five-set thriller against Paul Jubb of the UK.
Simona Halep's quest to become a two-time Wimbledon champion will continue in the second round after she beat Karolina Muchova.
This post will be updated throughout the day.
