María Angélica Bernal made history by playing her first double doubles in Wimbledon. Although he did not achieve the title, his performance consolidated the best result in Grand Slam and reinforces his role as a reference for wheelchair tennis.
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María Angélica Bernal continues to write historical pages for Colombian tennis in a wheelchair. La Bogotana, 30, played on Sunday her first double double final in a Grand Slam, on the mythical Wimbledon court, along with her French partner Ksenia Chasteau. Although they failed to keep the title, their performance represents a giant leap for Colombian Paralympic sport.
Bernal and Chasteau fell to the Chinese Xiaohui Li and Ziying Wang 6-3 and 6-1 in a duel that reflected the domain of the Asian duo, which did not give up a single set throughout the tournament. Despite the scoreboard, the achievement of reaching the final consolidated Bernal's best participation in Wimbledon, exceeding the semifinal it reached in 2021.
The road to the final was full of merits. In the semifinals, the Colombian and the French surprised to defeat the Dutch Diede de Groot and the British Lucy Shuker in two sets (6-3 and 6-4), a historical victory that opened the doors of the match for the title. Before, in the quarterfinals, they had won in a tight encounter to the China Zhenzhen Zhu and the Japanese Manami Tanaka (6-3 and 7-6).
In the final, the figures reflect the struggle of Bernal and Chasteau, which connected the same number of ACES (2) as their rivals, but failed to sustain the effectiveness in the key points: they won only 45% of the points with the first service, compared to 67% of the Chinese, and converted just one of the five break points they had, while their rivals took advantage of five of eight opportunities.
Beyond the result, Bernal continues to consolidate as a reference for tennis adapted worldwide. Currently, it is sixth in the ITF Ranking of Single and Tenth in Doubles, and its constant presence in the great citations of the circuit makes it an example for the new generations that dream of following their steps.
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