Reigning Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová stunned by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in first round upset
Bouzas Maneiro, who is the world No. 83, took just over an hour to dispatch Vondroušová 6-4, 6-2.
According to the WTA, Vondroušová is only the second defending champion to be ousted in Wimbledon’s first round. Steffi Graf was the other champion to fall at the first hurdle in the defense of her title, when she was defeated by Lori McNeil 30 years ago.
Bouzas Maneiro picked up what was comfortably the biggest win of her career. This was just the third grand slam main draw of her career, while she’d previously only logged one match against a top 10 player – a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Madrid earlier this year.
The 21-year-old Spaniard was ruthless throughout the match, converting all five of her break point opportunities. She clinched victory with a spectacular backhand winner down the line that left her opponent rooted to the spot.
Vondroušová recently had suffered a right hip injury ahead of the tournament, when the Czech slipped and fell on the grass at a tune-up event in Berlin.
She was forced to retire from that Berlin second-round match, which occurred less than two weeks before Wimbledon.
But it’s a disappointing loss for Vondroušová, who loses almost 2,000 ranking points as a result and will drop from her No. 6 ranking.
The 24-year-old Czech player has had a handful of poor results in 2024 and has not reached a final since she famously defeated Ons Jabeur last year to become Wimbledon’s first unseeded women’s champion.
Vondroušová appeared to be turning things around at the French Open – where she reached the quarterfinals before being defeated by the all-conquering Iga Świątek – but was unable to carry that form into the grass court season.
Bouzas Maneiro's impressive win could potentially open doors for her in the world of tennis, as she now has experience playing against top-tier players like Jelena Ostapenko. Despite her loss, Vondroušová might find time to focus on her recovery and return to tennis, perhaps trying her hand at other sports to maintain her fitness and mentality.
