5 biggest upsets in men's and women's singles draw at Wimbledon 2022
Wimbledon 2022 came to an end with Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina being crowned the singles champions. The former won his 21st Grand Slam title by defeating Nick Kyrgios in four sets.
The Serb is now level with Pete Sampras with seven Wimbledon wins. Only Roger Federer (8) has won the competition more times than him.
History was to be made in the women's singles tournament as both players were in their maiden Grand Slam final. However, it was Elena Rybakina who triumphed by defeating Ons Jabeur in three sets. The 23-year-old thus became the first player from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Every Grand Slam has a few upsets and this year's grasscourt Major had a number of them. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the 5 biggest upsets from the men's and women's singles draws at Wimbledon 2022.
#1. Elena Rybakina def. Ons Jabeur
Following Iga Swiatek's exit from Wimbledon, Ons Jabeur was considered the favorite to win the tournament. The Tunisian beat Marie Bouzkova and Tatjana Maria to seal her place in the final.
Here, she was up against 17th seed Elena Rybakina and was expected to win. Jabeur even won the opening set 6-3 and it seemed that she was on the brink of winning her first Major title.
However, Rybakina calmly fought back and won the next two sets 6-2, 6-2 to become the first Kazakh to win a Grand Slam singles title.
#2. Alize Cornet def. Iga Swiatek
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek entered Wimbledon having won 35 matches on the trot. She also won six successive titles, which included the French Open and four WTA 1000 tournaments.
The Pole extended her winning streak to 37 matches as she reached the third round. Here, she was up against Alize Cornet, who previously beat Yulia Putintseva and Claire Liu.
The Frenchwoman produced one of the upsets of the season by defeating Swiatek 6-4, 6-2 and putting an end to her extraordinary winning run.
Cornet, however, was out in the fourth round after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic.
#3. Elena Rybakina def. Simona Halep
Simona Halep has produced some very good performances this season and entered Wimbledon with high expectations. After defeating fourth seed Paula Badosa comprehensively, the Romanian was among the favorites to win the grasscourt Major.
She defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 6-4 to seal her place in the semifinals, where she was up against Elena Rybakina. Halep entered the match as the favorite to win but the Kazakh dominated and won 6-3, 6-3 to seal her spot in the final, which she went on to win.
Halep is currently 16th in the WTA rankings and will look to continue her good run of form in the forthcoming tournaments.
#4. Jannik Sinner def. Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner was the tenth seed at Wimbledon but he entered the competition without a single win on grass. However, he got his first victory on the surface by defeating Stan Wawrinka in the first round.
Sinner then beat Mikael Ymer and John Isner to set up a fourth-round clash against Carlos Alcaraz. It was a match between two of the finest young talents in tennis but the Spaniard was expected to come out on top.
However, Sinner produced some brilliant tennis to take the first two sets 6-1, 6-4. Alcaraz took the third set via a tiebreak but this match was the Italian's to lose.
He won the fourth set 6-3 to book his place in the quarterfinals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets.
Sinner's exploits at Wimbledon suggest that we could see some sensational stuff from him later in the season.
#5. Harmony Tan def. Serena Williams
Though Harmony Tan was the higher-ranked player, Serena Williams' experience and quality made her the favorite to win.
The first set was tightly contested and it was Tan who won it 7-5 to take the lead. However, Williams roared back into the match and dominated the second set to take it 6-1. Both players were strong on their serve in the final set and it went to a tiebreak.
Tan won this 10-7 to register one of the most memorable victories of her career and eliminate Williams. The 24-year-old reached the fourth round, where she lost to Anisimova.