Britain is guaranteed to have at least one representative in the third round of the women’s singles after Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart, the country’s No 1 and No 2 players respectively, recorded straight-sets victories here on Tuesday to set up the eighth head-to-head of their careers in the second round on Thursday.
Boulter has won the past three meetings between the pair, and six out of seven overall, including a hard-fought three-set match at Nottingham in June.
Dart, though, had the smoother passage on Tuesday, albeit with a rain delay of more than an hour, beating Zhuoxuan Bai of China 6-4, 6-0 in 1hr 18min, while Boulter was forced to scrap for every point by Germany’s Tatjana Maria, a semi-finalist here in 2022, before emerging with a 7-6 (6), 7-5 victory.
“She’s very unique,” Boulter said afterwards. “It’s not easy when you see your name next to hers. Not many people play like her, so it’s something you have to prepare for and I feel I did that well with my team. She slices a lot, she makes you use your legs a lot. I’ve had hitting partners hitting with me to make sure I’m used to that, it’s not a typical way that a girl plays.”
Boulter, the No 32 seed, will be the favourite to defeat her compatriot on Thursday, but expects a difficult match against an opponent who will be on her home turf.
“We both know each other’s games inside out and back-to-front at this point,” Boulter said. “I have a lot of respect for her on this surface, it’s one of her favourites. This is actually her home club, she’s been here since she was a tiny tot with her mum, she’s grown up here and I know how tough it’s going to be.”
Jacob Fearnley, making his grand slam debut in singles having reached the second round in the doubles here last year, was a straight-sets winner against Alejandro Moro Canas – 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (12) – setting up a high-profile meeting with Novak Djokovic in round two.
“Just to play on the Wimbledon courts was a great feeling,” Fearnley said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t watching the scores on Centre Court. It was getting in my head a bit that I was going to have to play him.
“It’s going to be a little intimidating, but it’s a match I’m super‑excited for. I’ve watched so many videos of him, it doesn’t look like there’s many flaws in his game. I’m going to try to enjoy it, put my game on the court and see what happens.”
Cameron Norrie, a semi-finalist here in 2022, also progressed as the shadows started to lengthen at the end of the day, easing past Facundo Diaz Acosta, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3.
It was a different story for several more British players, however, as Fran Jones lost in three sets against Croatia’s Petra Martic, while Billy Harris and Henry Searle were both beaten in four sets, by Jaume Munar and Marcos Giron respectively.
Jan Choinski led Luciano Darderi by two sets to one at one stage before being beaten in five, while Paul Jubb endured an agonising five-set defeat by Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil, having been two sets and a break to the good in the third.
At that stage, his opponent’s body language suggested he wanted to be anywhere in the world but SW19. Seyboth Wild had already staged a brief sit-down protest and asked the umpire to inspect the court as light rain started to fall when Jubb was serving with a break at 4-2 in the second set.
Although he was persuaded eventually to carry on, the world No 74 – who is much more at home on clay – continued to scowl and gesture towards the darkening skies until play was finally suspended with Jubb serving for the set and 30-0 up.
Jubb was two sets up within moments of play resuming, and then 2-0 in front in the third, thanks in part to a pair of double-faults by Seyboth Wild in his first service game. Another British victory, it seemed, was only a matter of time, but to the Brazililan’s credit he knuckled down and, having saved a match point on the way to winning a tight third-set tie-break, he slowly but inexorably worked his way back into the match.
Jubb put up a ferocious struggle in the final set, saving five match points and clawed back an early break when his opponent was serving for the match at 5-4. He lost his own serve from 30-0 up in the next game, however, and Seyboth Wild took the next as well to win 1-6, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5.
