A 12 months in the past, Marketa Vondrousova shocked the tennis world as she defeated one higher-ranked participant after one other to finally turn out to be the 2023 Wimbledon champion. The unlikely victor surprised Ons Jabeur, the clear favourite by each oddsmakers and followers, within the last and have become the primary unseeded participant to girl to win the title on the All England Membership behind her steely and regular efficiency.
However what a distinction a 12 months makes.
On Tuesday, enjoying within the first match on Centre Courtroom as is customary for the reigning champion, the 25-year-old Vondrousova discovered herself on the opposite finish of an upset. Now the No. 6 seed, and with 2,000 rating factors to defend, Vondrousova had no solutions for Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a relative unknown at present ranked a profession excessive of No. 83, and was handed a 6-4, 6-2 loss in simply 67 minutes. Taking part in in solely the third main essential draw of her profession, it marked the primary win at a Slam for Bouzas Maneiro, 21, and her first victory over a participant ranked within the prime 40.
The win of her life ✨
21-year-old Jessica Bouzas Maneiro beats defending champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2 on Centre Courtroom#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/16PSpOvi0I
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2024
“I believe this is without doubt one of the most essential moments in my life, in my profession,” Bouzas Maneiro informed the group after the match. “On this court docket, that is wonderful.”
As Bouzas Maneiro sobbed and held her head in her arms, a surprised Vondrousova shortly packed up her bag and made her method off of the court docket. With the loss, Vondrousova — who is predicted to drop out of the highest 10 within the subsequent rankings — grew to become simply the fourth Wimbledon participant within the match’s historical past to lose of their opening match as defending champion, becoming a member of Lleyton Hewitt (2003), Steffi Graf (1994) and Manuel Santana (1967).
Whereas seemingly little comfort to Vondrousova, her loss was definitely much less stunning than that of Graf, the opposite girl on the unenviable record. Graf, who misplaced to Lori McNeil in straight units, was a five-time champion on the All England Membership on the time and had not misplaced a match on the match since 1990. She went on to win the Wimbledon titles in 1995 and 1996.
Vondrousova is now additionally the ninth girl within the Open period to fall of their first-round match because the reigning champion at any main. Others who’ve executed so embrace Emma Raducanu on the 2022 US Open, Barbora Krejcikova on the 2022 French Open, Jelena Ostapenko on the 2018 French Open, Angelique Kerber on the 2017 US Open and Jennifer Capriati on the 2003 Australian Open.
There had been questions on Vondrousova’s capacity to play within the match earlier than it bought underway. She fell throughout her second-round match at a lead-in occasion in Berlin, leading to a proper hip damage, and was compelled to retire the match. Whereas she stated she was a “bit scared” concerning the damage when talking to the media on Tuesday, she stated it had felt high-quality in observe and did not consider that had been an element throughout the match.
“I do not assume that was the explanation. I felt nervous from the beginning,” Vondrousova stated. “I imply, she was additionally enjoying a very good match. That was form of powerful, too. Yeah, total it was very powerful. … I really feel like all people simply expects you to win possibly. That is powerful, too. I used to be joyful to be again on the Centre Courtroom. It simply did not go as deliberate right now.”
Bouzas Maneiro will subsequent play Cristina Bucsa, who defeated Ana Bogdan in a third-set tiebreak Tuesday.