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Wimbledon Upsets: American Star Sloane Stephens Tops The List

By Harry Floyd

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 02: Sloane Stephens of the United States reacts during her Ladies' Singles first round match against Donna Vekic of Croatia on day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 02: Sloane Stephens of the United States reacts during her Ladies' Singles first round match against Donna Vekic of Croatia on day one of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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Sloane Stephens is among the early Wimbledon upsets this year. Here’s a look at the opening round action in men’s and women’s singles.

Early round Wimbledon upsets include some of the very best in both men’s and women’s singles. American tennis star Sloane Stephens is the current US Open champion, bursting onto the scene in recent years. Stephens is among the top ranked players on the WTA tour this year. She entered Wimbledon as the fourth seed in women’s singles. In 2013, she reached the quarterfinals at the Wimbledon Championships. Stephens is no stranger to the grass courts in London.

It is Stephens who exits early though. She falls to 22-year-old Croatian tennis player Donna Vekić in her opener. Vekić wins in straight sets, going 6-1 6-3 against the American tennis star. Stephens was considered one of the favorites for the title. Now, her match is proof that anything can happen at the major tournament.

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Winning their openers are Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, Madison Keys, Victoria Azarenka, and Serena Williams. Another upset though came to a fellow countrywoman of Stephens’ in CoCo Vandeweghe. The 16th seed drops her match against Czech tennis player Kateřina Siniaková. Stephens will need to look ahead to defending her title at Flushing Meadows. Last year, she defeated Madison Keys for the US Open title.

On the men’s singles side, Grigor Dimitrov sees a difficult opening round matchup against Stan Wawrinka. The ATP Finals champion falls to Stan the Man at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships.

Next: Federer Seeks Ninth Wimbledon Title

Roger Federer remains the favorite on the men’s singles side. Winning his opener with ease, Federer begins his quest for a ninth title. His success at Wimbledon is unparalleled. He and Rafael Nadal have dominated the 2018 ATP World Tour so far. Women’s singles sees top seed Simona Halep kicking off her Wimbledon run tomorrow. Also in action is defending champion Garbine Muguruza. She is clearing her mind of last year though, not wanting to compare her historic run to her performance this year. Muguruza has won Grand Slam titles in each of the last two years on the WTA Tour. Stay tuned to see how the early round action unfolds. The field is packed with talent and ought to set up for thrilling conclusions. Expect to see more upsets in the coming days at the Wimbledon Championships. Check back for updates on all of the Grand Slam action.

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