Simona Halep stuns Serena Williams to win first Wimbledon title

• Romanian storms to 6-2, 6-2 victory on Centre Court
Game-by-game report: how all of the action unfolded

Simona Halep played a near-flawless final on Saturday to become the first Romanian woman to win Wimbledon, simultaneously wrecking Serena Williams’s bid for a record-equalling 24th major, a dream that grows more unlikely by the day.

The 37-year-old American – still one short of Margaret Court’s all-time tally – smiled graciously at the end but will have been crying inside, while Halep beamed like a lighthouse in celebration of a 6-2, 6-2 drubbing in only 56 minutes of perhaps the game’s greatest player.

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Cori Gauff, 15, eclipses Venus Williams in Wimbledon first round

• American youngster wins 6-4, 6-4 on Court One
• Glimpse of future as five-time SW19 champion beaten

The 15-year-old American Cori Gauff produced one of the biggest opening-day upsets in Wimbledon history on Monday as she upended five-times champion Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.

The teenager, the youngest player ever to qualify for the main draw, played brilliantly throughout and kept her nerve as she ousted the 39-year-old on Court No 1 in what was her debut performance in a grand slam event.

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Wimbledon ditches plastic racket covers in sustainability drive

All England Lawn Tennis Club move means there will be 4,500 fewer plastic bags this year

It might not quite be a Wimbledon tradition along the lines of the all-white dress code but the sight of players’ discarding the plastic cover from a freshly strung racket is a familiar one at SW19.

However, it will not be seen at this year’s championships, which begin on Monday – or in future Wimbledon tournaments – after a review of use of plastics, and sustainability generally, by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).

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