Former University of Georgia five-time All-America standout Ellen Perez will be competing in the main draw of singles and doubles at Wimbledon starting Monday at the All England Club in London.
The 25-year-old Perez (UGA 2015-17), who hails from Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia, earned her singles spot through qualifying, winning three matches without dropping a set. Perez, who is ranked No. 231 in the world, defeated No. 111 Oceane Dodin in the final qualifying round, 7-6(4), 7-6(5).
Main draw singles for The Championships, Wimbledon, begins June 28-29. It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and dates back to 1877. This marks the first time Perez will be competing in the singles main draw at Wimbledon. In the first round, Perez will face another qualifier in France’s Clara Burel who is ranked No. 142. Burel was a former world No. 1 junior. This will be third time that Perez plays in the main draw of a Grand Slam singles event after competing in the 2016 US Open while a Bulldog and then the 2019 Australian Open.
Doubles action at Wimbledon begins June 30 and July 1 with Perez teaming up with Russian Daria Kasatkina. They will face the 12th seeded American duo of Coco Gauff and Caty McNally. Perez is ranked No. 49 in doubles. Earlier this month at the French Open, Perez paired with China’s Saisai Zheng to beat Gauff and Venus Williams in the first round. Then, Zheng went down with an injury in her singles match, and the duo was forced to withdraw from the doubles.
Perez has played in the doubles main draw of 11 Grand Slams including six Australian Opens, two French Opens, two US Opens and one Wimbledon. Her best Grand Slam doubles showing came in the 2019 US Open when she reached the third round with American Danielle Collins.