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Recap: An unforgettable first week of Wimbledon

The highs and lows of the first week at Wimbledon.

Middle Sunday offers a chance for Wimbledon to rest and reset ahead of the fourth-round singles matches on manic Monday.

Here, Press Association looks back at the story of the first week of the 2019 Championships.

Hero of the week

From the moment 15-year-old Cori 'Coco' Gauff qualified for the tournament and drew Venus Williams, it was clear she would be a big story. But few people could have predicted quite how big. After straight-sets wins over Williams and Magdalena Rybarikova, Gauff saved match points against Polona Hercog to set up a clash with Simona Halep. In a week, she has become not just a tennis star but a worldwide star, and has taken it all in her stride.

Villain of the week

Bernard Tomic was fined his first-round prize money after losing in less than an hour
Bernard Tomic was fined his first-round prize money after losing in less than an hour (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Bernard Tomic is a natural fit for this role and his 58-minute loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saw him fined his entire £45,000 prize money for not performing to professional standards. Tomic, who won seven games, has received support from some of his fellow players, and if it was not for his reputation then he probably would not have received the same punishment. The 26-year-old told News Corp Australia he planned to appeal against the fine and blamed his performance on feeling unwell.

Flop of the week

Stefanos Tsitsipas was a surprise casualty in the first round
Stefanos Tsitsipas was a surprise casualty in the first round (Victoria Jones/PA)

Boris Becker fired a volley at the next generation of men's players for their continued failure to get the better of the big three, and this tournament has been a particular low point. Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem all lost in the first round, 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime admitted the pressure got to him after going out in round three, and the only players aged under 27 still left in the tournament are the relatively unheralded Matteo Berrettini and Ugo Humbert.

Brit watch

PA Graphics
(PA Graphics)

Johanna Konta is the only British player left in singles but, from unpromising beginnings with only 10 players across the two draws, the results were essentially positive. Seven players took advantage of kind draws to reach round two, with Konta, Dan Evans and Harriet Dart going on to make the last 32. There were first wins at Wimbledon for Dart, Cameron Norrie and Jay Clarke while Paul Jubb performed well on his much-talked-about debut. Kyle Edmund's second-round loss was a disappointment while depth remains an issue, but the Lawn Tennis Association can chalk it up as a win.

Match of the week

Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal's clash did not disappoint
Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal's clash did not disappoint (Adam Davy/PA)

The most high-profile second-round clash in a long time between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios definitely lived up to the hype. Love him or loathe him, Kyrgios makes for compelling viewing and, although his tennis ultimately was not quite good enough, he competed hard from start to finish, brought spectacular shots, underarm serves and controversy when he tried to hit Nadal with a fierce forehand. The enmity between the two gave the match a real edge and has certainly done Nadal's title chances no harm. Honourable mention, too, to the four-hour marathon between Dan Evans and Joao Sousa.

Shock of the week

When a mixed-doubles partnership between Serena Williams and Andy Murray was first dangled as a tantalising possibility last weekend, it seemed much more a media dream than anything that might actually happen. But it was confirmed on Tuesday and their opening match together on Saturday evening lived up to its billing. Mixed doubles is notoriously unpredictable but, as Victoria Azarenka said: "Good luck to everybody else."

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Cori Gauff celebrates winning her third-round match at Wimbledon on July 5, 2019
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