Wimbledon: Errani and Vavassori’s mixed doubles adventure ends in the round of 16

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori’s run in the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon is interrupted in the round of 16. After their triumph at Roland Garros, the Italian pair failed to replicate the magic on London’s grass and had to surrender in three sets to the pair formed by Jackson Withrow and Irina Chromačëva, who prevailed with a score of 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.

A match made even more complicated by the weather conditions: two long interruptions due to rain broke the rhythm of the Azzurri, who had started with great determination. The first set seemed to direct the challenge in favor of the Italians: immediate break in the opening, solid serving by Vavassori and impeccable management of the key moments. The long rain break had not affected the concentration of the Italian pair, which had closed the first partial 6-3.

In the second set, however, the balance was total. Withrow and Chromačëva raised the level on serve, conceding very little and making it all the way to the tie-break. Just at the best of times, another rain interruption further complicated the situation for Errani and Vavassori, who lost lucidity in the decisive moments when they returned to the court. Vavassori committed a heavy double fault at 1-5, and despite a great comeback to 6-6, the Italian pair surrendered the set.

The third partial was one-sided: Errani struggled mightily on serve and was often put under pressure by her opponents, who systematically sought her out in the exchanges. Two breaks on the Italian’s serve paved the way for Withrow and Chromačëva, who closed the match on the fourth match point with the score 6-2.