Tennis player Kerber journeys to Wimbledon sans a sense of accomplishment.

Tennis player Kerber journeys to Wimbledon devoid of fulfillment.

Tennis star Angelique Kerber fails to prepare for Wimbledon: In two German warm-up tournaments, the erstwhile world number one suffered first-round losses each time. However, another German player managed to pull off a shocking upset.

Former triple Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber heads to Wimbledon without a win on grass. The 36-year-old was outmatched by Russian Diana Schneider, falling 5:7, 3:6 in the WTA 500er Tennis Tournament in Bad Homburg. This was her second loss since her second grass match since her return from maternity leave in early 2021, when she had triumphed there in 2018.

In the left-handed clash with the 16-year-younger Schneider, Kerber struggled, trailing 3:5 in the first set and 0:2 in the second set. Schneider proved too strong for the veteran player, wrapping up the match in 78 minutes with a 2:6, 6:2, 7:6 (7:4) win.

Meanwhile, underdog Jule Niemeier snatched a surprising victory. The 24-year-old earned a stunning 2:6, 6:2, 7:6 (7:4) win over top-seeded Greek Maria Sakkari and booked her second-round spot. Next up for Niemeier is Paula Badosa from Spain.

Niemeier initially fell in the qualifying round, but made it into the main draw as a lucky loser thanks to Elisabetta Cocciaretto’s withdrawal.

Unfortunately, the tournament also ended early for Tamara Korpatsch and Tatjana Maria. Korpatsch, from Hamburg, lost 1:6, 6:7 (6:8) against fourth-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil, who also made it into the main draw as a lucky loser. On Sunday, Maria was ousted in the first round against Wiktorija Tomowa from Bulgaria.

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