The All-England Club was not particularly kind to the Canadians in singles this year. Félix Auger-Aliassime and Victoria Mboko both lost their second-round matches on Thursday, meaning no Canadians remain in the singles draws at Wimbledon.
Mboko was technically the last one standing, as her match ended a few minutes after Auger-Aliassime was defeated in four sets by Jan-Lennard Struff. Her debut campaign in SW19 came to an end in straight sets at the hands of Hailey Baptiste.
Just getting to the second round of Wimbledon was an accomplishment for the 18-year-old, as she got into the main draw as a lucky loser and proved that she belonged by scoring the biggest win of her career in a round-one beatdown of 25th seed Magdalena Frech. However, she could not reach the third round for the second time in as many career majors, falling to the 55th-ranked Baptiste 7-6(6), 6-3.
While she put plenty of her big serves in play, Mboko had a tricky time holding. She won just 43 per cent of her second serve points and was broken three times on six opportunities. Baptiste was generally the aggressor in the match, striking 23 winners to the Canadian’s 19, although she also had 26 unforced errors while Mboko only committed 23.
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The first set was Mboko’s for the taking, but inability to maintain leads cost her. The Canadian raced out of the gate, taking advantage of an error-filled first service game from Baptiste to charge ahead 2-0. Even when the American immediately broke back, Mboko quickly regained her advantage, blasting a backhand winner to break again in the fourth game on her way to a 4-1 lead.
Mboko had the set on her racquet at 5-3 and led 30-love, but a couple of mistakes let Baptiste back into the game and the American eventually fired a forehand winner to put the set back on serve.
Then in the tiebreak, Mboko was again two points away and serving after securing both of Baptiste’s service points to go up 5-2 but again the American rallied, winning four straight points to lead 6-5. The Canadian saved the first set point but after a double fault gave Baptiste a chance on her own serve, the American drew an error to take the opening set.
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Baptiste carried the momentum into the second, breaking on her way to a quick 3-0 lead. That one break ended up being enough for the American. Mboko never held a break point in the second set as Baptiste clung to her serve all the way to the finish line.
Even in defeat, just by getting to the second round Mboko is projected to reach a new career-high ranking inside the Top 90 for the first time when the next rankings are released on July 14.
Auger-Aliassime Overpowered by Struff
Another year, another Wimbledon heartbreak for Félix Auger-Aliassime. Despite getting out of the first round at the Championships for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 2021, the Canadian was unable to build on his first-round win and was knocked out by Jan-Lennard Struff on Thursday in a second-round match that took two days to complete.
There were plenty of chances for Auger-Aliassime on the first day to take a stranglehold on the match, but when the pair returned after darkness pushed the match over to Thursday, Struff was largely untouchable, taking the two sets he needed to secure a 3-6, 7-6(9), 6-3, 6-4 win.
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Break point conversion was the big difference in the match, as Struff broke five times on 14 opportunities, while Auger-Aliassime only managed three breaks on 13 chances. The Canadian had more winners, more aces, and fewer unforced errors. The German just defended his serve better, winning a higher percentage of both first and second serve points.
Auger-Aliassime got off to a dream start, but it was short-lived. The Canadian broke to take a 2-0 lead only to be broken himself as he tried to consolidate. Struff drew back to 2-2 before the pair settled in on serve.
The decisive moment of the set came on the German’s serve at 3-4. At 30-all, Auger-Aliassime read Struff’s delivery perfectly and ripped a forehand return down the line that the serve-and-volleying German could not handle. On the ensuing break point, Struff missed a back to set the Canadian up to serve out the set, which he did.
Struff raced out of the block to start the second set, using his huge hitting to break in the fourth game on his way to a quick 4-1 lead. However, Auger-Aliassime stormed right back to level at 4-4.
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Even once he was broken back, Struff was still largely dictating play. He nearly denied the Canadian draw level when he had a pair of break points in the eighth game but Auger-Aliassime pulled out some spectacular shots to hold. The German also had a set point on the Montrealer’s serve at 4-5, 30-40, but Auger-Aliassime delivered a huge serve.
There were plenty of chances for Auger-Aliassime to run away with the tiebreak, including two early minibreak leads, but it seemed like he was on his way to a two-set lead when he won both points on Struff’s serve to go up 6-3 with at least two set points on his own serve. However, the German crushed a return to save the first and then Auger-Aliassime double-faulted on the second. The Canadian still had one more chance on Struff’s serve but the German put away a crisp volley to level at 6-6.
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Auger-Aliassime had one more set point on Struff’s serve at 8-7 but the German erased it with a classic serve-and-volley. Struff missed two set points on his own on the Canadian’s serve but after a huge return at 9-9 gave him his first on his own delivery, he blasted a huge serve to level the match.
Following the tiebreak, the decision was made to postpone the match due to darkness.
Midway through the third set, the intensity started to ramp up. First, Auger-Aliassime had a break point in the fourth game but Struff erased it with an ace. In the following game, the Canadian had to save three break points in a marathon five-deuce game.
That hold ended up being the last game Auger-Aliassime won in the set, as Struff reeled off the next four in a row, including two breaks, to take a two sets to one lead.
Struff extended his run to five games with a hold to start the fourth set before the Montrealer eeked out a hold. In both the fifth and seventh games, Auger-Aliassime had chances to break but the German was able to blast his way out of the jams.
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Serving to stay in the match at 4-5, Auger-Aliassime could not hang on any longer. He cracked under the Struff onslaught, missing a forehand on match point.
Gabriela Dabrowski and Gabriel Diallo are keeping Canada’s hopes of a trophy at the All-England Club alive in the doubles. Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe are already into the second round of the women’s doubles and the Ottawan is the lone Canadian in mixed doubles, seeded fifth with Nikola Mektic.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was knocked out of the women’s doubles earlier Thursday morning. She and partner Lulu Sun lost to sixth seed Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs. Gabriel Diallo suffered the same fate in his first-round doubles match with Zizou Bergs, losing to 11th seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul.
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
