Ahn earns first Wimbledon main-draw berth

Kristie Ahn, a 27-year-old Stanford graduate, upset third-seeded
Lauren Davis 6-4, 7-5 today in the final round of Wimbledon
qualifying. 2018 photo by Paul Bauman

   Kristie Ahn will make her Wimbledon main-draw debut next week.
   The unseeded Ahn, a 27-year-old Stanford graduate, surprised third-seeded Lauren Davis 6-4, 7-5 today in the final round of qualifying at Roehampton in London.
   Davis, 5-foot-2 (1.57 meters), had one ace and 10 double faults in an all-American encounter. It was her first career meeting with Ahn, 5-foot-5 (1.65 meters).
   Ahn, ranked No. 191 after reaching a career-high No. 105 in January 2018, will learn her first-round opponent when the draw is held Friday.
   Ahn will make her third appearance in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam tournament. She still seeks her first victory in a major.
   At 16, Ahn qualified for the 2008 U.S. Open before losing to Dinara Safina in the first round. Safina was ranked seventh at the time and reached No. 1 the following year. Ahn also fell in the first round of last year's Australian Open to 20th-seeded Barbora Strycova.