Stage set for another Slam shock

As per Paris, lack of big stars leaves Wimbledon women's draw wide open

LONDON - With Serena Williams preparing for the birth of her first child and Maria Sharapova sidelined by a thigh injury, the race to be crowned Wimbledon women's champion is the most wide open in a generation.

Having stepped away from the court as she waits to become a mother in September, Williams, who won Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016, has created a power vacuum at the top that Sharapova was expected to fill when the Russian returned from her doping suspension.

Instead, Sharapova lasted just three tournaments before a muscle injury in Rome forced the five-time major winner to withdraw from the Wimbledon qualifying tournament.

Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in action during her surprise French Open final victory over Simona Halep on June 10. Ostapenko, 20, will be one of the players to watch when Wimbledon gets underway on Monday. Reuters File

In the absence of 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, and the headline-grabbing Sharapova, women's tennis has an undeniable lack of star power heading into the London major, which begins on Monday.

But the flip side is the opportunity for the sport's less-heralded names to seize the spotlight, as Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko managed in Paris with her unexpected breakthrough triumph at the French Open.

"There are about 15 women who could win this year. It's one of the most open ever," said BBC commentator John Lloyd, a former British men's No 1.

Ostapenko, 20, shot up to 13th in the world after coming from a set and 3-0 down to defeat third seed Simona Halep in the Roland Garros final.

Now she has to prove that stunning success was more than a flash in the pan.

A junior Wimbledon champion in 2014, Ostapenko's game is suited to the low-bouncing lawns of the All England Club, now that she has learned to enjoy a surface she once thought was "only for soccer".

While Ostapenko arrives in London on a wave of post-Paris euphoria, world No 2 Halep is still struggling to come to terms with her failure to win her first Slam.

Three games away from the title and the world No 1 ranking, Halep crumbled to her second major-final defeat - the other coming at the 2014 French Open.

The 25-year-old Romanian has never been past the semi-finals at Wimbledon but would dearly love to break her title drought over the next two weeks.

Haunted Halep

"I still have, before going to sleep, some thoughts about that final," Halep said.

"The very tough thought is one set, 3-0 up. That one is killing me, actually."

Halep's battle with current No 1 Angelique Kerber for pole position in the WTA rankings will be an intriguing sub-plot at Wimbledon.

Kerber needs to improve dramatically after making unwanted history when her loss to Ekaterina Makarova made her the first top-ranked woman in the Open era to fall in the opening round at Roland Garros.

Beaten by Serena in the Wimbledon final 12 months ago, Kerber, who won the Australian and US Open last year, has yet to claim a single WTA title in 2017.

If Petra Kvitova gets her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish for a third time, it would complete a fairytale comeback for the Czech following the hand injury she sustained while being attacked by a knife-wielding home invader in December.

Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champ, missed six months but returned at the French Open before winning last week's Aegon Classic in Birmingham.

The 27-year-old pulled out of another warm-up tournament in Eastbourne due to an abdominal injury, but hopes to make a strong run at her favorite Grand Slam.

"I've been through a very difficult time in my life. Winning in Birmingham gives me some extra confidence that I am still able to fight," she said.

Four-time Wimbledon winner Venus Williams will be another sentimental favorite, although an eighth Slam now looks unlikely for the 37-year-old.

Meanwhile, former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka is back in action after taking a year off to become a mother.

"My life has taken a 180-degree turn, but I have not lost my competitive spirit," said Azarenka.

Agence France-Presse