Querrey ousts fifth-seeded Thiem at Wimbledon

Sam Querrey, serving in 2014, recorded his third victory
over a top-five player at Wimbledon. Photo by Paul Bauman

   On paper, it was a big upset.
   In reality, not so much.
   Sam Querrey, a 31-year-old San Francisco native, topped fifth-seeded Dominic Thiem 6-7 (6), 7-6 (1), 6-3, 6-0 on Tuesday in the first round at Wimbledon.
   Querrey, ranked No. 65 after reaching a career-high No. 11 in February 2018, saved two set points in the second set against Thiem, who has lost to Rafael Nadal in the final of the last two French Opens.
   Overall, Querrey won 62 of 69 points (90 percent) on his first serve, blasted 22 aces and committed four double faults. Thiem, ranked fourth, won 51 of 68 points (75 percent) on his first serve, slugged 15 aces and had three double faults.
   Querrey, who advanced to Saturday's Eastbourne final after missing 10 weeks with an abdominal injury, recorded his third victory over a top-five player at Wimbledon. He beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic en route to the 2016 quarterfinals and No. 1 Andy Murray to reach the 2017 semifinals. Djokovic and Murray were defending their titles.
   Thiem, meanwhile, lost in the first round at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year. He has never advanced past the fourth round at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in six attempts.
   Querrey, now based in Las Vegas, is scheduled to play Andrey Rublev, a 21-year-old Russian, for the first time on Thursday. Rublev, ranked No. 79, defeated Christian Garin, a 23-year-old Chilean, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
   Rublev reached the quarterfinals of the 2017 U.S. Open at 19 but missed three months last year, including the French Open and Wimbledon, with a stress fracture in his lower back.
   The only other men's seed to lose on Tuesday was No. 29 Denis Shapovalov. The 20-year-old Canadian fell to Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 7-6 (0), 6-4, 6-3.
   Taylor Fritz, a Southern Californian who beat Querrey in Eastbourne for his first ATP title, dispatched Tomas Berdych, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
   Second-seeded Roger Federer, seeking his ninth Wimbledon title, eliminated Lloyd Harris of South Africa 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Nadal, the third seed and Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010, dismissed Yuichi Sugita of Japan 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.
   In the opening round of women's singles, two former Wimbledon champions lost. No. 26 seed Garbine Muguruza (2017) fell to Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil 6-4, 6-4, and injury-plagued Maria Sharapova (2004) bowed out to Pauline Parmentier of France 4-6, 7-6 (4), 5-0, retired (left forearm tendon). Sharapova, a 32-year-old right-hander, was two points from victory.
   The only other women's seeds to lose were No. 22 Donna Vekic of Croatia and No. 32 Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine. American Alison Riske, who won her second WTA title last month in s'Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, on grass, downed Vekic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Barbora Strycova, a 33-year-old Czech, took out Tsurenko 6-3, 6-2.
   Winning in straight sets were top-ranked Ashleigh Barty, fifth seed and defending champion Angelique Kerber, sixth seed and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, 11th seed and seven-time champ Serena Williams, and ninth-seeded Sloane Stephens.
   Williams has a residence in Silicon Valley, and Stephens grew up in Fresno.