As a series of big names melted under the Wimbledon heatwave, a number of surprise names are looking to make an impact on the second week at the All England club. AFP Sports looks at those who have grabbed their chance to shine. Clara Tauson The world number 22 had never won a match at Wimbledon in three previous attempts prior to this year but shocked a former champion in Elena Rybakina on Saturday. I never expected it. I've never had very good results on grass, said the Dane, who next faces fi

LONDON: Aryna Sabalenka overcame a battling Elise Mertens to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Sunday as Carlos Alcaraz geared up for a tricky test against volatile Russian Andrey Rublev. World number one Sabalenka has yet to drop a set in four rounds at the All England Club as every other top six seed has fallen, but was given a tough workout by Belgian world number 23 Mertens. The Belarusian came through 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) against her former doubles partner under the closed roof on Centre Cour

LONDON: Naomi Osaka might be more comfortable on grass courts these days but she will once again leave Wimbledon in the third round after a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Friday. Osaka is a former No. 1 now ranked 50th and a four-time Grand Slam champion, all on hard courts she won the U.S. Open and Australian Open twice apiece. Osaka arrived at the All England Club this year having lost three of her last four matches at the place and with a career record of 5-4 there. Her be

LONDON: When Naomi Osaka opened up about her anxiety and depression at the 2021 French Open, it sparked a conversation in sports and society at large about mental health and the importance of addressing such issues. In the time since, more and more players have spoken about the topic and seeking help, and whatever taboos there were seem to have faded. Still, the way three-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev discussed his state of mind after a first-round exit at Wimbledon this week reviv

LONDON: Late-night finishes and five-set matches are becoming a habit for Taylor Fritz at this years Wimbledon. This time, though, he managed to wrap up his win over Gabriel Diallo before the match was suspended making sure the fifth-seeded American wont have to come back on court for a fourth straight day. Fritz overcame a bloodied elbow to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (0), 4-6, 6-3 on No. 1 Court on Wednesday. That was a day after he finished off another five-set win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a

LONDON: Emma Raducanu played some of her most clinical tennis since her U.S. Open title run to sweep aside 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday and reach the third round. In front of a raucous Centre Court crowd, Raducanu surprised even herself sometimes in outdueling the Czech player in a match between Grand Slam winners who were both unseeded. That was one of the best matches Ive played in a long time, said Raducanu, the 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows. I turned

LONDON: Last years runner-up Jasmine Paolini became the fourth top-five seed to exit the womens bracket at Wimbledon, losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round. The fourth-seeded Paolini joins No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 5 Zheng Qinwen in making a quick departure from the All England Club, with the other three having all lost in the first round. A total of 23 seeds 13 men, 10 women failed to get to the second round, equaling the high