LONDON — Alabama will be well represented at Wimbledon this week.
Former UA players Alexa Guarachi and Erin Routliffe are competing in doubles play.
Guarachi earned a first-round mixed doubles matchup against the most decorated women’s tennis player in history in Serena Williams, and her partner, three-time Grand Slam winner and former No. 1 men’s singles player, Andy Murray. Guarachi will play alongside former Auburn men’s tennis player Andreas Mies. The first round of mixed doubles is Friday.
Routliffe, an All-American at Alabama, will play in her second consecutive Wimbledon on Thursday, 5 a.m. CT/11 a.m. London time, with partner Madison Brengle. They take on Xinyun Han and Oksana Kalashnikova in the first round of the Ladies’ doubles draw at the All England Club.
Williams has the most Grand Slam titles in women’s tennis history with 23 singles titles, 14 doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles. Williams was also ranked as the world’s No. 1 singles player on eight different occasions from 2002-17 and was at one point ranked No. 1 for a world-record 186 consecutive weeks. Murray has won three Grand Slams with his most recent coming on his home turf after winning the 2016 Wimbledon title.
Friday’s matchup will be Guarachi’s first mixed doubles Grand Slam appearance.
Earlier Wednesday, Guarachi and partner Sabrina Santamaria fell to Krawczyk/Olmos, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, in the first round of the Ladies’ doubles draw. The 2019 Wimbledon appearance was her fifth consecutive Grand Slam as she also competed in the 2019 French Open, 2019 Australian Open, 2018 U.S. Open and 2018 Wimbledon.
Ranked No. 111 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association doubles rankings, Routliffe had a career-best WTA Ranking of No. 95 in August of 2018 after qualifying for last year’s Wimbledon with Alabama alumna, Alexa Guarachi.
While at Alabama, Routliffe earned multiple All-America and All-SEC honors. As one of the most successful doubles players in Alabama history, Routliffe won back-to-back NCAA Doubles Championships (2014 and 2015) and finished as the runner-up in the 2017 doubles championship match. Routliffe was also a part of the Crimson Tide’s first SEC Championship squad in 2014.
All Wimbledon doubles matches can be viewed live online via ESPN+.
