Twenty-one-year-old Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain upset defending champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-2 in the first round of Wimbledon on Center Court.
In the first set, the world No.83 Bouzas Maneiro took an early 2-0 lead. Although Vondrousova managed to level the score, Maneiro broke serve again in the seventh game and shortly afterwards served it out at love.
The second set began with the sixth-seeded Vondrousova dropping serve. Although she recovered immediately, Bouzas Maneiro won five of the next six games, securing her place in the second round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career. Bouzas Maneiro converted her first match point.
“I think this is one of the most important moments in my life, in my career,” the unseeded Spanish player said in her on-court interview. She emphasized that playing without pressure and simply enjoying the moment were key factors in her victory.
When Vondrousova won The Championships last year, she was the first unseeded Wimbledon champion in the Open Era. In recent months, the Czech has been facing significant challenges in her personal life, including the breakdown of her marriage to Stepan Simek.
