U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon
The fourth-seeded Stephens exited in the opening round for a second consecutive year.
LONDON (AP) — U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens is out of Wimbledon after a 6-1, 6-3 defeat to Donna Vekic.
The fourth-seeded Stephens produced an error-strewn display on No. 1 Court as she exited in the opening round for a second consecutive year.
Having backed up her 2017 U.S. Open triumph by reaching the French Open final last month, Stephens was considered a contender for the title at the All England Club.
The 55th-ranked Vekic moves into the second round for the third time in her career after recording her first ever win over a top-five ranked player.
The 22-year-old Croat next faces Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia or Rebecca Peterson of Sweden.
Five-time champion Venus Williams advanced to the second round with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-1 victory over Johanna Larsson.
Having struggled to establish a rhythm against her Swedish opponent during the opening set, the ninth-seeded Williams won 10 games in a row from 1-2 in the second to take control.
The 38-year-old American, the oldest woman in the draw, reached the 2017 final where she was beaten by Garbine Muguruza.
Williams’s sister Serena is set to make her return to Wimbledon later on Monday after missing last year’s tournament due to her pregnancy.
Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki cruised into the second round with a 6-0, 6-3 win over American Varvara Lepchenko.
Wozniacki took 59 minutes to complete the victory on Centre Court, finishing it off with a service winner.
The second-seeded Dane has never been past the round of 16 at the All England Club but showed good form on grass by winning her second title on the surface at Eastbourne last week.
