5 notable players who are one win away from entering Wimbledon 2024 main draw ft. Alycia Parks, Richard Gasquet
The qualifying rounds of the 2024 Wimbledon will conclude on Thursday, June 27. The qualifiers started with 128 players each in the men's and women's singles events, and now only 32 players remain in both draws.
While the qualifying rounds usually feature upcoming juniors and lower-ranked players, this edition of the tournament has some prominent names in the mix as well. These players have undertaken the efforts to go through the process due to varying reasons.
Some are amid their comeback, while others weren't ranked high enough to enter the main draw. They're now one win away from successfully advancing to the main draw. So here's a look at five players who are close to qualifying for the 2024 Wimbledon:
#5 - Maxime Cressy
Cressy claimed his first and only ATP title on grass at the Hall of Fame Open in 2022 and reached the second round of Wimbledon as well. However, his form has taken a nosedive since 2023. He won nine matches on the main tour that year, and has performed even worse this season, with no main draw wins to his name.
Cressy hasn't made a main draw appearance at a Major since losing in the first round of Wimbledon last year. Currently ranked 176th, he's in the midst of his qualifying campaign at the All-England Club.
The American defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler and Thiago Agustin Tirante to reach the final round of qualifiers. This is the closest Cressy has gotten to the main draw of a Major in a year. A win over Felipe Alves will place him in the main draw.
#4 - Amanda Anisimova
Anisimova is currently on the comeback trail after a hiatus last year. Having exhausted the use of her protected ranking, and with no wildcard being allocated to her either, she was driven to compete in the Wimbledon qualifiers.
Anisimova started her campaign with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Valentini Grammatikopoulou, and then staged a comeback to beat Hailey Baptiste 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-1. She will take on Eva Lys for a spot in the main draw.
The American reached the fourth round of the Australian Open this year and the second round of the French Open. She's a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist as well, so she will be expected to book her place in the main draw.
#3 - David Goffin
Since the start of 2023, a third-round finish at last year's Wimbledon remains Goffin's best result on tour. Having won only three main draw matches at the ATP level and ranked outside the top 100, he's going through the rigors of qualifying for this year's edition of the Championships.
With straight-set wins over Marc Polmans and Yasutaka Uchiyama, Goffin is now a win away from securing his place in the main draw. Mattia Bellucci stands between him and a 10th main draw appearance at the All-England Club.
Goffin won the Ilkley Challenger last week, so he's in decent form at the moment. He has a 18-9 record at Wimbledon and has made the quarterfinals twice in the past. The Belgian will be favored to beat Bellucci to reach the main draw.
#2 - Alycia Parks
Parks reached the third round of a Major for the first time at this year's Australian Open. However, it all went downhill for her since her exit from the season's first Major. She lost 13 matches in a row across all levels, and all but one were straight-set defeats.
Parks finally snapped her losing skid by winning her first qualifying match at the French Open but lost her next match. She turned things around at the WTA 125 tournament in Gaiba last week, where she went on to win the title.
The triumph has certainly boosted the American's confidence as she has won both of her qualifying matches here with ease. She beat Katarzyna Kawa 6-0, 6-2, and defeated Tereza Martincova 6-1, 6-3.
Parks will be the favorite against 15-year-old Hannah Klugman in the final qualifying round given her current form. She reached the second round of Wimbledon last year and given her level, she has the potential to better that result if she makes the main draw once again.
#1 - Richard Gasquet
Gasquet has been in a slump for almost a year now. Since July 2023, he has won only five matches on the ATP Tour and has a 3-10 record this year. Naturally, his ranking has taken a huge hit. Currently ranked outside the top 100, the Frenchman was drawn to compete in the Wimbledon qualifiers.
Gasquet scored a 6-2, 7-6 (8) win over Oliver Crawford in his first match, and rolled back the years with a 6-1, 6-0 beatdown of Alexis Galarneau in the second round. A win over Vit Kopriva would put him in the main draw of Wimbledon, where he's a two-time semifinalist.
Should he qualify for the tournament, then it would be his 18th main draw appearance at the venue. With a 31-17 record at Wimbledon, it ranks as his best-performing Major. The French veteran would love nothing more than one final appearance at the All-England Club given his history there.