London Town = Upset City

Love-Love Letter #16 | June 30-July 6

Your tennis cheat sheet — for fans who like the game, but don’t want to live on Tennis Twitter.

🌍 Where in the World Are We?

Week one at Wimbledon is in the rearview - and it was a wild ride - as we’re in the thick of the Round of 16 for both the men’s and women’s tourneys. Centre Court shockers, veteran comebacks, and men’s top seeds cruising are the major themes. Oh, and yes - the strawberries & cream queue is still longer than your morning coffee line.

What’s happening: There’s been a staggering wave of seeded early exits - eight top-10 players fell in the first round (including Gauff, Pegula, & Zheng on the women’s side and Zverev, Rune, and Medvedev on the men’s side) while 19 seeds were gone by round three. Meanwhile, veterans Marin Cilic, Nicolas Jarry, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova have been on tear-resilient runs into the last 16. Sinner and Djokovic have been cruising through relatively easily (Sinner hasn’t dropped a set en route to the round of 16, losing just 17 games across three matches - tying the record for the fewest games dropped through the first three rounds).

✅ Results You Should Know

Novak Djokovic def. Miomir Kecmanović 6–3, 6–0, 6–4 (Third Round, July 5)
💡 Why it matters: Djokovic served up a 6–0 bagel in the second set and cruised into the round of 16 - dropping just seven games across three sets in pure champion style.

Carlos Alcaraz def. Andrey Rublev 6–7(5), 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 (Fourth Round, July 6)
💡 Why it matters: After narrowly losing the first-set tiebreak, Alcaraz dialed up his defense and unleashed punishing winners to reach the quarterfinals as defending champ.

Marin Čilić def. Jack Draper 6–4, 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 (Second Round, July 3)
💡 Why it matters: The 2014 U.S. Open champion used heavy serves and veteran savvy to dispatch Britain’s Jack Draper, proving experience is still gold on grass.

Cameron Norrie def. Nicolás Jarry 6–3, 7–6(4), 6–7(7), 6–7(5), 6–3 (Fourth Round, July 6)
💡 Why it matters: Britain’s last man standing held off a ferocious charge from qualifier Jarry - who’d battled through three rounds of qualifying to reach this stage - surviving multiple comebacks to earn a spot in the quarters.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Sonay Kartal 7–6(3), 6–4 (Fourth Round, July 6)
💡 Why it matters: The 32-year-old Russian shrugged off six set points and even an AI line-call hiccup to reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in nine years, reminding everyone that pedigree and grit never go out of style.

Dayana Yastremska def. Coco Gauff 7–6(3), 6–1 (First Round, July 1)
💡 Why it matters: Unseeded Yastremska delivered a perfect first-set tiebreak before steamrolling the world No. 2 in set two - one of the biggest early upsets of the fortnight and proof that on grass, anything can happen.

🔥 Can’t-Miss Highlights

🎥 Point of The Championships?
Watch an unreal rally where Djokovic’s grass-court artistry is on full display.
▶️ Watch here

🎥 Yastremka takes opening set
Watch Yastremka hit some heavy balls in her upset over Gauff.
▶️ Watch here (start at 1:00)

📆 What to Watch For

Here’s where to catch Wimbledon in the U.S.:

• ESPN+: Live coverage of every court from 6 a.m. ET

• ESPN/ESPN2: Marquee Centre Court matches from 1 p.m. ET

• Tennis Channel: Daily highlight shows at 8 p.m. ET

Tuesday, July 7 (Round of 16 continues)

• Center Court: Novak Djokovic vs. Alex de Minaur
  De Minaur took the first set off Djokovic in their last meeting - now it’s a rematch under the Centre Court lights.

• Court 1: Jannik Sinner vs. Grigor Dimitrov
  Top seed Sinner’s flat power meets Dimitrov’s slice-and-dice mastery in what could be the tactical match of the day.

• Court 1: Iga Swiatek vs. Clara Tauson
  Former world No. 1 Swiatek’s pinpoint consistency against Tauson’s electric power - this could be the day an upset is born. (Not before 4 a.m. ET)

• Center Court: Emma Navarro vs. Mirra Andreeva
  Navarro’s booming forehand faces Andreeva’s fearless all-court flair.

📰 Off-Court Happenings

Electronic Line-Calling Meltdown
Wimbledon’s bold move to ditch human line judges for a fully automated system hit a snag in the Pavlyuchenkova–Kartal match when the tech went dark mid-point. After an “out” ball wasn’t called, play was halted, the point replayed, and officials scrambled to apologize - prompting calls from players and fans alike to bring back at least a few human eyes. Grass roots meets red flags.

Star-Studded Stands
From Olivia Rodrigo and Priyanka Chopra Jonas to Jessica Alba and Russell Crowe, Centre Court has been as famous off-court as it is on. Sporting legends David Beckham and John Cena joined royals Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson, proving that Wimbledon remains the most must-see social event of the summer.

👗 An Outfit Worth Seeing

Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon kit was anything but basic white. She debuted a custom New Balance ensemble built around a tailored, corset-style top—think Savile Row-inspired stitching—layered over a mesh romper. Intricate embroidery stitched 3D butterflies, strawberries and flowers onto the bodice, while palm trees and a jaguar nod to her Florida roots. Below, she wore a tennis-skirt-inspired kilt with a punk-rock belt echoing British street style. Finishing touches? Classic white headband and wristbands, plus her signature CG2 sneakers in a crisp white “Wimbledon” colorway with pops of green. It was a perfect blend of tradition, personal story, and on-court performance.