Canada's Fernandez falls to Germany's Siegemund in 2nd round at Wimbledon

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 11:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Canada's Leylah Fernandez made an aboriginal exit from Wimbledon connected Wednesday, falling 6-2, 6-3 successful second-round play to unseeded Laura Siegemund of Germany.

The 29th effect from of Laval, Que., struggled connected serve, landing conscionable 55 per cent of her archetypal attempts and winning 53 per cent of those points. She besides double-faulted 4 times, failed to deed an ace and couldn't person immoderate of her 3 break-point chances.

It marks Fernandez's 3rd consecutive second-round departure astatine the All England Club.

WATCH | Fernandez ousted astatine Wimbledon

Siegemund, ranked No. 104 successful the world, volition adjacent look sixth-seeded Madison Keys of the United States.

Meanwhile, Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and spouse Erin Routliffe of New Zealand, the No. 2 seeds, opened women's treble play with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph implicit China's Saisai Zheng and Xinyu Wang.

Later Wednesday, Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime was acceptable to look Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff, portion Gabriel Diallo, besides of Montreal, was scheduled to instrumentality connected No. 5 effect Taylor Fritz of the U.S.

Sabalenka avoids upset

Aryna Sabalenka was conscionable 2 points from dropping the opening acceptable of her second-round Wimbledon lucifer 3 times connected Wednesday earlier asserting herself for a 7-6 (4), 6-4 triumph implicit Marie Bouzkova to debar the benignant of astonishment that has sent a radical of seeded players home.

Four of the apical 10 women's seeds failed to marque it retired of the archetypal round: No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Zheng Qinwen and No. 9 Paula Badosa. In all, a record-tying 23 seeded players — 10 women, 13 men — were gone by the extremity of Day 2, equaling the astir astatine immoderate Grand Slam lawsuit successful the past 25 years.

"Of people you're going to cognize the wide picture. ... I anticipation it's nary upsets anymore successful this tournament," the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka said afterward with a chuckle. "If you cognize what I mean."

She is simply a three-time Grand Slam champion, with each of those titles coming connected hard courts astatine the Australian Open oregon U.S. Open. She besides was the runner-up to Gauff astatine the clay-court French Open past period — drafting disapproval from immoderate implicit her post-match comments, a flap she and Gauff acceptable speech via societal media videos past week — but hasn't been past the semifinals connected the writer of the All England Club.

A twelvemonth ago, Sabalenka was forced to miss Wimbledon due to the fact that of an injured shoulder.

On Wednesday, the record-breaking vigor of the archetypal 2 days gave mode to rainfall that delayed the commencement of play connected smaller courts for astir 2 hours, on with temperatures that dropped from supra 32 C to beneath 20 C.

At Centre Court, the 48th-ranked Bouzkova went up 6-5 successful the archetypal acceptable with the match's archetypal work interruption acknowledgment to a double-fault by Sabalenka. Bouzkova served for that set, and was 2 points distant from it astatine 30-15 successful that game, again astatine 30-all, past erstwhile much astatine deuce.

But connected the past specified occasion, Sabalenka came done with a forehand volley victor she punctuated with a yell, followed by a down-the-line backhand victor that was accompanied by different shout.

"That was a pugnacious moment," said Sabalenka, who volition look 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu oregon 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova next. "Until that point, (my) instrumentality wasn't large capable to interruption her serve. I'm truly gladsome ... everything clicked unneurotic and I was capable to interruption her back. I benignant of similar felt a small spot better."

That sent them to a tiebreaker, and from 4-all there, Sabalenka took the adjacent 3 points, ending the acceptable with a almighty forehand instrumentality victor disconnected a 67 mph 2nd serve. In the 2nd set, the lone interruption arrived for a 3-2 pb for Sabalenka, and that was fundamentally that.

Sabalenka compiled a 41-17 borderline successful winners portion making lone 18 unforced errors successful a lucifer that lasted a small much than 1 1/2 hours.

What other happened Wednesday astatine Wimbledon?

Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who is seeded sixth, joined Sabalenka successful the 3rd round, beating Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2. Other players successful enactment aboriginal included 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini among the women and two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe among the men.