Wimbledon 2024: Team Yonex stars Paolini and De Groot impress on the grass
Wimbledon 2024: Team Yonex stars Paolini and De Groot impress on the grass
London, ENGLAND – Women’s singles finalist Jasmine Paolini (ITA) and wheelchair women’s singles champion Diede de Groot (NED) were among the Team Yonex stars who took center stage on the Wimbledon grass.
It was a breakthrough fortnight for Paolini, who became the first Italian to play in a women’s singles final at the All England Club, where she came within a few games against Barbora Krejcikova of lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish. Until this summer, she hadn’t won a match on the Wimbledon grass but she ended up reaching her second Grand Slam final of the summer, after appearing in her first major final on the clay of Roland-Garros last month. With her energy and bounce and smiles, Paolini has quickly become a new favourite for the Centre Court crowd and across the All England Club.
One of the most memorable matches of the fortnight was Paolini’s victory in an all-Yonex showdown with Donna Vekic (CRO), which lasted for almost three hours and was the longest women’s singles semi-final in the history of Wimbledon. With Vekic making the last four at Wimbledon for the first time and Elena Rybakina (KAZ) also reaching that stage, three of the four semi-finalists were playing with Yonex racquets.
15th Grand Slam in a row for De Groot
Diede de Groot’s incredible run continued at the All England Club with the Dutchwoman taking the wheelchair women’s singles title for her fifteenth consecutive Grand Slam with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Aniek van Koot.
First Grand Slam title for Heliovaara
Team Yonex star Harri Heliovaara (FIN) won a first Grand Slam title on Centre Court alongside Henry Patten. In a thrilling men’s doubles final, in which all three sets were decided in tiebreaks, the unseeded team beat Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 6-7(7), 7-6(8), 7-6(9).
Townsend’s maiden Grand Slam title
For the first time, Team Yonex star Taylor Townsend (USA) is a Grand Slam champion. The American combined with Katerina Siniakova to win the women’s doubles title with a 7-6(5), 7-6(1) victory over Team Yonex athlete Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) and Erin Routliffe.
Zielinski wins the mixed doubles
In more doubles success for Team Yonex at the All England Club, star Jan Zielinski (POL) and his partner Su-Wei Hsieh combined to win the mixed doubles title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Santiago Gonzalez and Guiliana Olmos.
Norwegian tennis history for Team Yonex star
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (NOR) has become the first Norwegian to win a Grand Slam singles title with his success in the boys’ singles with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mees Rottgering.
A Team Yonex athlete has won the boys’ singles title for 4 Grand Slams in a row.
Junior doubles joy for Team Yonex
Team Yonex star Alexander Razeghi (USA) won the boys’ doubles title with Max Schoenhaus with a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory over Team Yonex players Jan Klimas (CZE) and Jan Kumstat (CZE). The all-American Team Yonex pair of Tyra Caterina Grant (USA) and Iva Jovic (USA) won the girls’ doubles title when they defeated Team Yonex athlete Mika Stojsaljevic (GBR) and Mingge Xu 7-5, 4-6, 10-8.