American tennis players continued to come away with impressive victories at Wimbledon on Thursday. Lauren Davis of Gates Mills, OH knocked out the reigning Wimbledon women’s singles champion, Angelique Kerber of Germany, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the second round. While in men’s action, Tennys Sandgren of Gallatin, TN beat 20th ranked Gilles Simon of France, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 8-6 and Steve Johnson of Orange, CA beat the 25th ranked Alex de Minaur of Australia 3-6, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
What makes Davis’s third round berth so impressive is the fact that she was a lucky loser. Davis only qualified when Evgeniya Rodina of Russia withdrew.
Four other men’s seeds lost on Thursday. John Millman of Australia beat 31st ranked Laslo Djere of Serbia 6-3, 6-2, 6-1; Joao Sousa of Portugal beat the 13th ranked and 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; Daniel Evans of Great Britain defeated the 18th ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 and John Isner of Greensboro, NC, the 9th seed, was beaten 6-4, 6-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan. It was stunning that Isner played a five set match in a major with only tiebreak.
There was one other seed to be knocked out on the women’s side on Thursday and it was an American. Amanda Anisimova of Freehold Township, NJ, who made tennis headlines at the French Open when she reached the semifinals, was beaten 6-4, 7-5 to Magda Linette of Poland.
There are two very interesting women’s matches on Friday in round three. The 2018 French Open champion and seventh seed Simona Halep of Romania will play the 2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and 15 year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff of Atlanta, GA will play Polona Hercog of Slovenia. In the second round on Wednesday, Gauff upset the 2017 Wimbledon semifinalist Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets.
There are two other Americans competing in singles action on Friday. In women’s action, Danielle Collins of St. Petersburg, FL will face 24th ranked Petra Martic of Croatia and in men’s action, Reilly Opelka of St. Joseph, MI, will face the 15th ranked and 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic of Canada.
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