Team USA in Pursuit of Titles at Week 2 in Wimbledon

It was a solid Week 1 for Americans at Wimbledon 2017, with a nation-best 18 players advancing to the second round in singles and upsets and big victories registered across the board. 

Three unseeded American women knocked off seeded players, including Madison Brengle upsetting two-time champion and No. 11 seed Petra Kvitova, Alison Riske upending No. 12 seed Kristina Mladenovic and Shelby Rogers defeating No. 32 Lucie Safarova. And among the men, No. 24 seed Sam Querrey defeated No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to advance to Week 2 and 20-year-old Jared Donaldson planted No. 32 seed Paolo Lorenzi to reach the third round, matching his best-ever Grand Slam finish.

As we start Wimbledon second week on Monday, three Americans remain in singles play: Querrey for the men, and No. 10 seed and five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and No. 24 seed CoCo Vandeweghe among the women.

All three are in action Monday, with legitimate title hope Venus hitting the lawns first on Centre Court against rising star and No. 27 seed Ana Konjuh. Vandeweghe, who has yet to surrender a set through three matches, is up second on Court 3 against No. 5 seed Caroline Wozniacki, a two-time US Open finalist who has never advanced past the round of 16 at the All England Club. 

And Querrey faces off against former Top 10 player Kevin Anderson looking to advance to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, with a potential round-of-8 matchup against No. 1 seed and defending champion Andy Murray on the line.

The doubles are also into the round of 16, with reigning French Open champion Ryan Harrison (with partner Michael Venus, from New Zealand) still alive, as is Rajeev Ram (with South Africa’s Raven Klaasen) and Nicholas Monroe (with New Zealand’s Artem Sitak).

Reigning US Open, Australian Open and French Open women’s doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands suffered a knee injury that will require surgery during Week 1, forcing her out of the singles and doubles draws. That leaves only 18-year-old up-and-comer CiCi Bellis, who is teaming with fellow rising star Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Repulic to form a potentially dynamic partnership.

And in mixed doubles, Americans Nicole Melichar and Abigail Spears are into the fourth round (both playing with non-American partners).

Throw in a host of juniors that includes No. 1 girls’ seed Kayla Day and No. 2 seed and reigning French Open junior champion Whitney Osuigwe, and Team USA figures to be well-represented deep into the fortnight.