Yaroslava Shvedova made Grand Slam history at Wimbledon on Saturday: she won every point over Sara Errani in a 6-0 first set of a 6-0, 6-4 win, completing the first “golden set” ever in Grand Slam play.
Wimbledon 2012: Yaroslava Shvedova Makes History With Golden Set Against Sara Errani
Shvedova began the match with an ace, one of four in the first set, and never looked back, breaking Errani three straight times and clicking off 24 points and six straight love games in just 15 minutes.
Wikipedia indicates that there are only two other golden sets in the history of top-tier tennis, one by Bill Scanlon in 1983 against Marcos Hocevar and one by Pauline Betz against Catherine Wolf in 1943.
Neither of those golden sets came in a setting remotely like the third round of the 2012 Wimbledon fortnight, nor against an opponent as well-regarded as Errani, the No. 10 seed in the tournament and a finalist at the 2012 French Open, nor with the technology available for Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Armen Graham to share Shvedova’s immaculate scorecard with the world in an instant. Like it or not, fans should brace for tennis diehards and talking heads debating whether Shvedova’s golden set is one of the most impressive feats in tennis history — especially because her next opponent, Serena Williams, is no stranger to history.
But if talk seems tiring, take solace in this: it seems that a Wimbledon that saw one of the most unlikely upsets in tennis history in the second round was not done yielding historic moments then, possibly a good portent for the rest of the tournament.
For more throughout Wimbledon, visit SB Nation’s tennis hub.
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