WTA: Wimbledon Wrap-up, Week 1

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London, England (July 1, 2012)-With the first week of play at the All England Club in the books, those that are moving on to the second week are no doubt breathing a big sigh of relief. While the men drew the most attention with Rafael Nadal losing to a little known player in the second round, there were also several prominent women who were sent scrambling out of London after only the first week.  

Caroline Wozniacki was one of the first to be sent on her way after losing in the first round in three sets to Tamira Paszek. Though Paszek is ranked only 62nd in the world, she is coming off of her third WTA title last week at Eastbourne. That win gave her perhaps the needed confidence in facing a top ranked opponent such as Wozniacki. Paszek fought off two match points by Wozniacki who played solidly but was ultimately undone by Paszek's intensity. For Wozniacki it is only the second time in her professional career to lose in the first round of a Grand Slam, but adds on to what has become a very ho-hum 2012. Much has been made of her off-court romance with golf super star Rory Mcilroy and one has to start wondering if perhaps her love life is starting to take a toll on her tennis game.  She has yet to win this year and so far her best tournament was a runner-up finish in Copenhagen in April. 

Sam Stosur continues to have trouble at a tournament that has clearly never been her favorite. With her best finish in 2009 when she made it to the third round, her loss in the second round should come as no real surprise. After beating Carla Suarez Navarro in the first round, Stosur lost to Arantxa Rus 2-6, 6-0, 4-6. It is odd that this is the only Grand Slam where Stosur holds a losing record. With her power game she seems suited for the grass courts but her record continues to speak otherwise. 

In what was perhaps the toughest match to watch, Venus Williams showed that her health has obviously taken quite a toll on the woman who holds five Wimbledon titles. She lost in the first round to Elena Visnina 6-1, 6-3 in a listless round that left many wondering if perhaps the end of her incredible career is nearing. She assured us that it isn't in an interview after the loss.

"I feel like I'm a great player. I am a great player. Unfortunately I'm dealing with circumstances people don't normally deal with in this sport - but I can't be discouraged by that. I have great tennis in me. I just need the opportunity.

"There's no way I'm going to just sit down and give up because I have a hard time the first five or six tournaments back. That's just not me."

Many of the favorites still remain as the second week of action is set to begin on Monday. Maria Sharapova, ranked No. 1 in the world since her French Open victory last month will have a tough opponent in the fourth round when she squares off against Sabine Lisicki. Though Sharapova has never lost to Lisicki in their three previous match ups, she will face an opponent who enjoys the big stage and is a fierce competitor. Lisicki's best finish at Wimbledon was reaching the semis in 2011.

Serena Williams had plenty of attention on her tennis game coming into this tournament after her early first round exit at the French Open. Williams withstood the pressure and speculation that perhaps her game was also nearing the end after an up and down year. Though she has won a few times in 2012, her play at the Grand Slams has been quite anemic. 

Williams third round match against Zheng Jie illustrated that although Williams may not be playing at her best, it will be hard to counter her determination. With career high 23 aces against Jie, Williams fought hard to win in a third set tiebreak after dropping the first set in a tiebreak. After a final score of 6-7(5), 6-2, 9-7, Williams will now face Yaroslava Shvedova who made a bit of history in her match against Sara Errani on Friday. Shvedova became the first woman in the Open Era to record a golden set. She won all 24 points in the first set before then taking the match 6-0, 6-4.  

The fourth round will also feature a match-up of recent Grand Slam winners as Francesca Schiavone the 2010 French Open champion will play Petra Kvitova who claimed the championship last year here in London. And perhaps the wild card that no one wants to play is Kim Clijsters. Clijsters moved onto the fourth round courtesy of Vera Zvonareva retiring during their game due to a respiratory illness. Clijsters was firmly in control of the match (6-3, 4-3) when Zvonareva decided to pull out midway through the second set. Clijsters will play Angelique Kerber for the first time in what Clijsters is calling her final Wimbledon tournament. 

"I'm excited I made it into the second week. A week ago I didn't expect I would do this, so I'm very happy. To still be in the tournament, to be a part of that second week at Wimbledon, it's always very special. It feels unique."

All 16 players remaining in the tournament will take to the court on Monday after no play was held on Sunday as is tradition. 

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