Mediocre Tennis Players Dominate Wimbledon Warm-up Finals

BERLIN, SUNDAY — Mediocre tennis players, even those who are classified as qualifying players, are taking advantage of open opportunities in the competition of grass court tournaments in Europe throughout this week. The six finalists in three tournaments are unseeded players.

The final of the WTA 500 women's tournament, which will take place at the Steffi Graf Court in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday (22/6/2025), will feature Marketa Vondrousova against Wang Xin Yu.

In another tournament (for male tennis players) also taking place in Germany, namely in Halle, Alexander Bublik will compete for the championship title against the third seed, Daniil Medvedev. At the ATP 500 in London, Jiri Lehecka challenges the top seed, who is also the French Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz.

Wang, Vondrousova, Bublik, and Lehecka successfully capitalized on the evenly matched competition. Three tournaments in Germany and England taking place this week are part of the warm-up events for the Wimbledon Grand Slam. The pinnacle tournament in the grass court competition will be held at the All England Club, London, from June 30 to July 13.

In Berlin, Wang and Vondrousova were the last two tennis players standing amidst the presence of top world players. Nine out of the ten highest-ranked players in the world participated, including the number one player, Aryna Sabalenka, and the French Open champion, Cori Gauff, who is ranked second in the world.

Only Iga Swiatek (ranked seventh) was absent in Berlin. The owner of five Grand Slam titles, whose performance has declined in 2025, will utilize the WTA 500 tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany, from June 22 to 28, for preparation before Wimbledon.

Wang eliminated top-ranked and seeded tennis players on her way to the final. The Chinese player, ranked 49th in the world, went through two qualifying matches, one of which included defeating the 2022 WTA Berlin champion, Ons Jabeur.

Despite losing in qualifying, Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, was able to play in the main draw thanks to a lucky loser ticket. That came after another player withdrew from the tournament.

In the main round, Wang eliminated the French Open champion, Cori Gauff, in the second round, and then the eighth seed, Paula Badosa, in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, the 23-year-old tennis player defeated the 2021 WTA Berlin champion, Liudmila Samsonova, who had eliminated the third seed, Jessica Pegula, in the second round.

"This week feels like a dream for me. I played very well. Every time I step onto the field, I do not expect anything, just enjoy the match," said Wang.

She will compete in her first singles final in the WTA Tour in a match against Vondrousova; however, Wang has achieved significant success in doubles. Together with Hsieh Su-wei, Wang won the women's doubles title at the 2023 French Open.

At the multi-sport event, Wang and Zhang Zhi Zhen contributed a silver medal in mixed doubles for China at the Paris 2024 Olympics. These two significant achievements took place on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Paris.

Vondrousva, whom Wang will face for the first time, is the 2023 Wimbledon champion. That year, this Czech tennis player achieved her highest position in the world ranking, which is sixth.

A year later, her journey in the professional tennis arena was disrupted by a left shoulder injury that required surgery. The 25-year-old tennis player entered the 2025 WTA Berlin competition as the 165th ranked player in the world.

However, during her time in Berlin, Vondrousova was able to perform comfortably. Moreover, the grass courts allow players to score points quickly if they have powerful shots, especially in their serves. This is because the grass courts reflect the ball very quickly, even faster than hard and clay courts.

Vondrousova defeated Jabeur in the quarterfinals and then eliminated the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, 6-2, 6-4, in the semifinals. This victory brought Vondrousova's win-loss record against Sabalenka to an even 4-4.

"I enjoyed the match and will do the same in the final. I am trying to let go of the burden and enjoy every moment after going through a tough journey last year," said Vondrousova.

In Halle, Bublik continued the surprise he created since the second round. The Kazakhstani tennis player will compete in his first final in 2025 against Daniil Medvedev.

The victory over Karen Khachanov (the eighth seed) in the semifinals, with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, continues his remarkable journey since eliminating Jannik Sinner. Bublik defeated the world number one in the second round, followed by a victory over Tomas Machac (7) in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Medvedev, who also reached his first final this year, defeated Alexander Zverev 7-6 (3), 6-7 (1), 6-4 in the semifinals.

Like Bublik, Lehecka also eliminated a seeded player to advance to the ATP London final. He defeated the second seed, Jack Draper, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the semifinals.

"This victory is very meaningful. I do not often have the opportunity to compete against Draper, a very tough competitor," said Lehecka, who defeated the fifth seed, Alex de Minaur, in the first round.

The final in London will be the first for Lehecka at the ATP 500 tournament. In four other finals, the 23-year-old Czech player has only reached the ATP 250 level, achieving victories in Adelaide 2024 and Brisbane 2025.

The challenge to achieve a title at a higher level will be more difficult, as it involves competing against the world number two tennis player who has just won the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz. In the semifinals, Alcaraz defeated his senior from Spain, Roberto Bautista Agut, with a score of 6-4, 6-4. This result marks the 250th victory for Alcaraz in professional tennis competition.

Although his achievements lag behind Alcaraz, who has five Grand Slam titles, Lehecka has the experience of defeating the world number two player. This occurred during their last meeting in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 Doha in February. This result avenged Lehecka's defeat in the second round of ATP London 2023, which was ultimately won by Alcaraz. (AP/AFP)