Bethanie Mattek-Sands may be ranked 55 spots lower in singles than her doubles partner, Lucie Safarova, but that didn’t seem to matter at all on Monday. In their first-round Wimbledon showdown, Mattek-Sands put her doubles partner and the No. 28 seed through the ringer before eventually falling in a heartbreaking marathon, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 7-5.
Ranked No. 84, the American had three match points, double faulting the last one away at 5-4 in the third set.
“It’s tough playing your doubles partner, and a very good friend of mine,” Mattek-Sands said. “I know once we step on the court we’re both competitors.”
The two had faced off before, with Safarova leading their head to head 2-1, but their last contest came five years before they teamed up as a dominant doubles team.
“We laughed about it,” Mattek-Sands said. “It’s just the luck of the draw.”
Playing on the same side of the court, Mattek-Sands and Safarova (who call themselves “Bucie”) have won five titles together, and are looking to win their first Wimbledon title.
Last year they captured both the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles, and captivated audiences with hopes of a calendar-year Slam before falling in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
Mattek-Sands fractured her left thumb in a freak accident in practice before Roland Garros, and the injury almost cost her both her singles and doubles chances at the All England Club.