Wimbledon 2024: Marketa Vondrousova out in first round as Jessica Bouzas Maneiro stuns defending champion

Defending champion Marketa Vondrousova crashed out in the opening round at Wimbledon as Jessica Bouzas Maneiro pulled off a massive upset.

As tradition dictates, Vondrousova opened the action on Centre Court on Tuesday, 12 months on from beating Ons Jabeur to become the first unseeded female player to win the Wimbledon title.

Vondrousova arrived at SW19 as the sixth seed this time but the defence of her grass-court crown did not make it beyond the first hurdle, as Bouzas Maneiro won 6-4 6-2 in just 69 minutes.

It is the first main-draw match Bouzas Maneiro has won at a Grand Slam, with the 21-year-old showing no signs of nerves on the biggest stage. She will face either fellow Spaniard Cristina Bucsa or Ana Bogdan in the second round.

Vondrousova, who retired from a match in Berlin a fortnight ago due to a hip issue, is the first defending women’s champion to lose in the opening round at Wimbledon since Steffi Graf in 1994.

“I’m really happy, I think this is one of the most important days of my life,” Bouzas Maneiro said.

“This is amazing. The atmosphere here, the tournament is one of the most beautiful I’ve played in my life. Thank you so much to everybody who came here to watch me today.”

She added: "I’m surprised with myself, honestly. At the beginning I was a little bit nervous but then since the first game the atmosphere was so nice and I was comfortable here, like I was at home.”

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