Wimbledon 2024: 5 players to watch out for in women's singles qualifiers ft. Alycia Parks and Amanda Anisimova
Tuesday (June 25) marks the start of the women's qualifying event at Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. 128 players will line up on the courts at Roehampton to secure one of 16 qualifying berths in the main draw and a guaranteed prize money cheque of 60,000 pounds.
American Alexandra Stevenson qualified for the main draw in 1999 and went as far as the semi-finals that year. Can anyone replicate that feat this year, or perhaps follow in the footsteps of Emma Raducanu and win a Grand Slam as a qualifier?
Here are five women to watch out for in this year's women's qualifying draw.
#5. Harmony Tan
Two years ago, France's Harmony Tan pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history, ousting Serena Williams in a third-set tiebreak in what turned out to be the American's last match at the All England Club.
Tan went on to reach the fourth round that fortnight but it did not prove to be the career-flip she would have hoped for. The 26-year-old is still looking for her first main-draw Grand Slam victory since then. The Frenchwoman won an ITF W50 event in March - her best result since that dream run - and comes into this week with an 8-2 record on grass on the ITF circuit.
She plays Elvina Kalieva in the first round and would then have to get past sixth seed Maria Timofeeva and 21st seed Marina Bassols Ribera in her section to make the main draw.
#4. Rebecca Marino
Rebecca Marino's game is suited for the slick grass. The Canadian has a big serve and loves to play aggressive tennis. She also has a good amount of experience to back her now.
The 33-year-old won an ITF W100 title in Ilkley this past weekend and that should give her confidence heading into the qualifying draw. She has a tough first round scheduled against American McCartney Kessler, the No. 20 seed. She could face the rising 18-year-old Australian Maya Joint in the second before potentially facing third seed Renata Zarazua in her bid to secure one of the qualifying berths.
#3. Katie Volynets
22-year-old Katie Volynets has risen to No. 71 in the latest world rankings but was just outside the direct entry list at the time of the cut-off a few weeks ago. The American won a WTA $125K event in Croatia on clay earlier this month and picked up a match win on grass in Birmingham last week.
Seeded No. 1 in the qualifying draw, Volynets will take on Portugal's Francisca Jorge in her first match. She could face the 2023 junior champion at the All England Club Clervie Ngounoue in the second, and 19th seed Jana Fett in the third round.
#2. Alycia Parks
Alycia Parks has been on the radar for some time now. The 23-year-old American won her first WTA singles title in Lyon last February and quickly broke into the world's top 40.
She reached the third round of the Australian Open in January - her best result at a Slam to date - and then suffered 13 successive losses. That streak was only broken with a first-round qualifying win at the French Open last month.
However, she would be feeling a lot better after winning the WTA $125K title in Gaiba, Italy, on grass on Sunday, putting herself back in the news for the right reasons.
Parks, with the joint-fastest serve in a women's Grand Slam match along with Venus Williams, faces Poland's Katarzyna Kawa in the first round. She could meet 12th seed Darja Semenistaja in the second and 28th seed Linda Fruhvirtova in the third round in a tough section that also includes 15-year-old British hope, Hannah Klugman.
#1. Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Anisimova is one of the purest ball strikers in women's tennis. The American hits the ball with equal parts ease and equal parts oomph.
She may only be 22 but Anisimova has already seen the highs - a French Open semi-final and a Wimbledon quarter-final, two WTA titles, and a peak ranking of No 21 - as well as the lows - the loss of her father and a break from the sport last year to deal with burnout and mental health struggles - of the sport.
The American returned to the tour after eight months in January and went on to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open. She is 6-7 for the season but with a far more balanced outlook on life and her career, Anisimova is one to watch out for in Roehampton.
She plays the Greek Valentini Grammatikopoulou in the first round and could meet fourth seed Hailey Baptiste in the second. She could see 25th seed Eva Lys in the third round in her bid to stake a place in the Wimbledon main draw.