Osorio Serrano, Konjuh, Niculescu qualify for Wimbledon main draw
The qualifying rounds of Wimbledon 2021 were completed on Friday, with No.1 seed Maria Camila Osorio
Osorio Serrano has been one of the most impressive performers at Roehampton, less for her ability to dominate on grass as for how quickly she is learning the nuances of the surface. The Colombian cracked the Top 100 in May off the back of a stellar clay surge, but only played her first professional grass match in Nottingham three weeks ago.
This week, Osorio Serrano has won three consecutive three-setters, culminating in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Nuria Parrizas Diaz
Konjuh was a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victor over No.8 seed Tsvetana Pironkova in the day's most anticipated clash between former Top 50 players on the comeback trail. The Croat struck 29 winners, including nine aces, to overpower Pironkova and return to the Wimbledon main draw for the first time since 2018.
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Former Wimbledon semifinalist Pironkova, playing the 10th event of her return from maternity leave, had won both of her previous matches this week in under an hour. But the Bulgarian was uncharacteristically generous with her mistakes, committing 33 unforced errors in total.
Another mother, No.24 seed Olga Govortsova, was more successful. The Belarusian former World No.35 needed only 67 minutes to deny Cristina Bucsa
Two Tour stalwarts whose contrasting idiosyncratic games have garnered them previous success on grass also made it through. Former World No.28 Monica Niculescu came out on top of a compelling battle of slices over No.11 seed Kristie Ahn 7-5, 6-1. The Romanian's grass-court exploits previously peaked in 2015, when she was runner-up in Nottingham to Konjuh and reached the last 16 of Wimbledon.
There was nonetheless some good news for Ahn, who made the main draw as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of defending champion Simona Halep.
Vitalia Diatchenko, whose game is based around flat, double-handed power off both wings, has also scored notable wins on grass. The Russian defeated Naomi Osaka
The 30-year-old former World No.71 has not dropped a set all week. She struck 27 winners en route to a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of No.14 seed Anhelina Kalinina
At the other end of the age spectrum, Wang Xinyu and Clara Burel
Like Osorio Serrano, her learning curve has been steep. The Chinese 19-year-old was undone in the first round of Nottingham three weeks ago by Arina Rodionova
Burel has even less grass-court history to draw on: the 20-year-old Frenchwoman was playing her first professional tournament on it this week. That didn't prevent her holding her nerve to edge Storm Sanders 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 52 minutes.
The cohort of 2001-born qualifiers thus numbers four, with Wang and Burel joining Osorio Serrano and Katie Volynets
Elsewhere, there was joy for World No.238 Danielle Lao after her 6-3, 6-2 dismissal of Urszula Radwanska. The American had come into Wimbledon qualifying on a six-match losing streak dating back to March, but has finished the week by reaching her third Grand Slam main draw, and first since the 2018 US Open.
Wimbledon 2021 qualifiers and their main draw placement
[Q] Olga Govortsova (BLR) vs. CoCo Vandeweghe (USA)
[Q] Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) vs. [WC] Emma Raducanu
[Q] Greet Minnen
[Q] Lesia Tsurenko
[Q] Ellen Perez (AUS) vs. [Q] Clara Burel
[Q] Ana Konjuh (CRO) vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo
[LL] Kristie Ahn (USA) vs. Heather Watson
[Q] Katie Swan (GBR) vs. [23] Madison Keys
[Q] Wang Xinyu (CHN) vs. [4] Sofia Kenin
[Q] Katie Volynets
[Q] Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove (NED) vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
[Q] Claire Liu (USA) vs. Misaki Doi (JPN)
[Q] Maria Camila Osorio
[Q] Danielle Lao (USA) vs. [WC] Katie Boulter
[Q] Monica Niculescu (ROU) vs. [2] Aryna Sabalenka
