It wasn’t all good for Americans on America’s Independence Day at Wimbledon.
But it wasn’t all bad, either.
The men (3-2) and women (4-2) combined for a 7-4 record during the second day of second-round action, with some Team USA members pulling off upsets and others getting upset. Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, and Tennys Sandgren prevailed on the men’s side, while Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens, Alison Riske, and Lauren Davis led the women’s charge.
Davis was the biggest story of all. The 25-year-old needed a lucky-loser spot just to get into the main draw and to say she has seized her new opportunity would be a gross understatement. Davis stunned defending champion Angelique Kerber 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday.
“(It’s) definitely been incredible,” she said. “I was super disappointed having lost last round of quallies. I found out less than two hours later that I got into main. I was ecstatic about that. It’s honestly a dream being here.”
The situation is a much different one for Serena, of course. It’s all or nothing. Even though the former world No. 1 may not be in peak form these days, anything less than the title–to give her a record Grand Slam No. 24–would be a disappointment. Right now, though, Serena is simply in survive and advance mode. That’s what she did in her second match of the fortnight, overcoming Kaja Juvan 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“I just have to remember that I’m best at closing matches,” Serena said when asked about finishing off Juvan in convincing fashion. “I’m good at it. I just have to keep the mind frame of where am I, what do I do mentally to close matches. I have to kind of just shut my eyes and get there. Like I keep saying, it’s just experience and match play. In the past two years I haven’t played a lot of matches. I’m just trying to kind of get that back.”
John Isner is also trying to get that back after missing more than three months with a stress fracture in his foot. The 2018 Wimbledon semifinalist got through one match successfully, but he did not have enough in the tank to come out on the winning end of a five-setter with Mikhail Kukushkin on Thursday.
On the bright side for the American men, Johnson prevailed in a five-setter of his own. He battled past Alex de Minaur 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
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