Serena Williams to Play Women’s Singles at Wimbledon as Wildcard Entrant Serena Williams, the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, will make her grand slam return at Wimbledon after a six-year absence. The tennis icon, who retired from professional competition in 2022, has been granted a wildcard entry for the women’s singles tournament, marking her first appearance at the prestigious event since 2016. The All England Club announced the news on Sunday, confirming Williams as the eighth and final wildcard recipient in the women’s singles category. Wildcards are typically awarded to players whose rankings do not qualify them for automatic entry, often reserved for home nations, players with exceptional career records, or high-profile athletes returning from injury. Williams, a 44-year-old American, fits the latter category, having taken a three-and-a-half-year break from the sport before her recent comeback. Her return to competitive tennis began at the Queen’s Club Championships in June, where she partnered with Canadian doubles player Victoria Mboko. The duo exited the tournament in the quarterfinals, citing an injury sustained by Mboko, which led to a walkover. Williams also competed at the Berlin Open last week, teaming up with Czech player Karolina Muchova. Despite her efforts, she was eliminated in the round of 16. The announcement of her Wimbledon participation has generated significant excitement within the tennis community, with many hailing her as one of the greatest players of the Open Era. With 37 Grand Slam titles and 96 WTA titles to her name, Williams’ return to the sport has been widely celebrated. Her last Wimbledon title came in 2016, and she had previously reached the singles third round in her debut at the tournament in 1998.#wimbledon #serena_williams #queen_s_club #berlin_open #all_england_club
Alex Eala Stuns World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, Advances to Berlin Open Quarterfinals Alex Eala delivered a stunning upset by defeating world No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina in the Berlin Open round of 16, securing her place in the quarterfinals. The 21-year-old Filipina’s victory, a 7-5, 6-4 triumph, marked her fifth win against a top-10 player and her second over a tournament’s second seed. This followed her earlier shock defeat of Iga Świątek in the 2025 Miami Open quarterfinals, further solidifying her reputation as a rising force in women’s tennis. The match, played at Steffi Graf Stadion on Friday morning in Philippine time, was a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Eala, who had previously lost to Rybakina in the round of 32 at the Italian Open. Rybakina, the Kazakh star, began strongly, breaking Eala’s serve in the fourth game and extending her lead to 4-1 in the first set. However, Eala’s resilience proved pivotal. Capitalizing on two double faults from Rybakina, the Filipina earned her first break of the match in the seventh game. She then sealed the set with a powerful service hold, highlighted by two aces, to level the score at 4-4. The set remained tightly contested, with both players holding serve through the next two games. Eala’s breakthrough came in the 11th game, where she secured another crucial break before enduring a tense final service game to clinch the first set after nearly an hour of intense play. The second set saw Eala take control early, capturing three consecutive games to establish a 3-1 lead. Rybakina, struggling to adapt, found herself under constant pressure from Eala’s relentless returns. The Filipina won 19 points off Rybakina’s second serves, more than double the Kazakh’s tally of nine.#alex_eala #iga_swiatek #elena_rybakina #berlin_open #stefi_graf_stadion
