Wimbledon Takeaway #8: Best women's match and top run

A peculiarly scorching sun had its way with the Wimbledon grass over this fortnight. But the sun also sets. Here, our ongoing roundup of passing shots from SW19, a curated much-ado-about-everything–if a bit less manicured than the Wimble-lawns themselves.

See No. 9.

8

This one’s for you, Johanna Konta and Donna Vekic. You held your nerves and your serves and provided a scintillating early-round affair between two players who belt the ball and, when pressed, seem to hit cleaner and harder. Some called it a borderline classic, shocking for how it took no time at all to appear as a treat for fans. I’m calling it the Women’s Match of the Tournament.

While many have spoken to the parity in women's tennis on the whole this year, with the luminous lioness Serena Williams out of action, the likes of Venus Williams, Konta, Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep, Jelena Ostapenko and others have capitalized.

It’s the veterans, largely, who know how to handle such situations. Take this banner quote from Svetlana Kuznetsova, a two-time major singles winner: "If you're in quarterfinals of Grand Slam, you made something work. It's not free. You know, they don't give you presents to be in quarterfinals. You've got to deserve and take your opportunities."

The No. 1 Wimble-run was provided by another player who took full advantage at the All England Club: the elegant Magdalena Rybarikova. Her game is not flashy, and it dispels the notion that power alone can rule the day. She made an inspiring run all the way to the semifinals at Wimbledon this year, just a stop short of Williams' title-round sprint.

Let the record show that, well before she was steamrolled in the semis by eventual champion Muguruza, Rybarikova earlier took out Karolina Pliskova. Not bad for missing more than half a year due to a pair of surgeries.

In downing Pliskova, Rybarikova created one masterful in-point performance that nearly made tennis look like ballet by the end of it:

In short, she deserves everything she gets. And for her efforts, by making the semifinals, you might say the rest of this 28-year-old’s career will be gravy. Onlookers of all stripes–fans, journalists and Wimbledon staff–already can’t wait to see her return next year.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.