Ben is joined once more by Ricky Dimon to catch up on the further upsets in the second round of Wimbledon after the carnage in the opening round, and to set up third round clashes.
We start with Jack Draper, the local hope who was bundled out by 2017 runner-up Marin Cilic. We then wrap up the rest of the men, including exits for Americans Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul, and look for what could be in store the rest of the way if upsets subside.
We then turn to the women, who lost last year's finalist Jasmine Paolini, but who have a few real tasty third rounds now on the cards, including Sabalenka-Raducanu, Andreeva-Baptiste, and Krejcikova-Navarro.
Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.
And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Ricky's writing at TennGrand!
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27:10
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27:10
Upsets Abound in 2025 Wimbledon First Round
After an unexpectedly tumultuous two days at Wimbledon, Ben is joined by Ricky Dimon to discuss the record number of upsets from the first round of Wimbledon, in which 23 seeds lost their first match, including some big names.
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and more were all sent packing in various ways, and we discuss the short and long term fallouts.
Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.
And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Ricky's writing at TennGrand!
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28:47
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28:47
A Sound Portrait of Wimbledon, A Half-Century Ago
Something different and pretty cool this time:
50 years ago at Wimbledon, the two singles champions were two of the biggest pioneers in tennis history: Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe.
It was also the first of many Wimbledons covered by then-young Canadian tennis journalist Tom Tebbutt, and he made a radio documentary for the CBC of a remarkable breadth of voices from around the tournament, from the stars to the various margins.
Tom revisited and revamped the documentary this year for the 50th anniversary, and he generously shared it with us here at NCR to build up the hype and heritage around Wimbledon a half century later. It's a time capsule of tennis history, dusted off and showing some things you just wouldn't see (or hear) in the sport anymore, for better and worse.
Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.
And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian!
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42:03
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42:03
Alcaraz d. Sinner and Gauff d. Sabalenka in French Open Final Thrillers
[Reuploaded to fix what was an incomplete file on some podcast platforms the last time!]
Ben and Tumaini, on the mic one last time from their house in Paris, are fresh off two thrilling finals at Roland Garros.
We start with the just-ended men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which produced some of the best tennis ever seen after a five-hour mark. What made this match so good? And was it too long or just right?
We then get to the women's final, in which Coco Gauff won with her immense mentality and physicality, and in which Aryna Sabalenka turned into a human salt shaker in defeat.
Lastly, we discuss what Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic should do with themselves at crossroads in their near futures.
Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.
And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian!
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51:25
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51:25
Alcaraz d. Sinner and Gauff d. Sabalenka in French Open Final Thrillers
Ben and Tumaini, on the mic one last time from their house in Paris, are fresh off two thrilling finals at Roland Garros.
We start with the just-ended men's final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which produced some of the best tennis ever seen after a five-hour mark. What made this match so good? And was it too long or just right?
We then get to the women's final, in which Coco Gauff won with her immense mentality and physicality, and in which Aryna Sabalenka turned into a human salt shaker in defeat.
Lastly, we discuss what Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic should do with themselves at crossroads in their near futures.
Thank you for listening! Our Patreon is back up and running to ensure NCR keeps going and stays ad-free, and we hope you can join in supporting NCR! And we especially thank our GOAT backers: Pam Shriver and J. O'D.
And please check out Ben's new writing home, Bounces! And Tumaini's work at The Guardian!
Colombia