Right, that’s it for a sodden but memorable second day. Mixed fortunes for the Brits, with Andy Murray sweeping elegantly into the second round, Cameron Norrie surviving a wobble to beat Tomas Machac but Dan Evans beaten in four sets in an evening up-and-downer on Centre. Elsewhere, the top women - 2022 Women’s winner Elena Rybakina, her defeated fellow-finalist Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka - all sailed through to fight another day. And Djokovic’s closest rival Carlos Alcaraz won as easily as expected. Thanks for reading, we’ll be back tomorrow where the tournament organisers must squeeze a quart into a pint pot, including Iga Swiatek and Djokovic’s first foray towards yet more greatness. Good night!
And last, but not least, Paul MacInnes’ diary:
And Barney Ronay swerved left from Lord’s to cover Andy Murray’s sweet straight-sets win.
But there was good news for the British No 1 Cameron Norrie, who squeezed past the twinkle-toed Tomas Machac in four sets.
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It’s been a disappointing year for poor old Evans, who was dumped out in the first round of the French Open by Thanasi Kokkinakis, when he described his game as”not good enough.”
Dan Evans's nightmare year continues. The British No 2 is beaten in four sets by France's Quentin Halys.
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) July 4, 2023
Looks pretty gutted, as you can imagine.#Wimbledon
British No. 2 Dan Evans loses in the first round 6-2 6-3 6-7 6-4
A double fault takes Halys to match point. And then it is all over with a cracking Halys return.
Evans gets a standing ovation as he walks off, bag over one shoulder, a sigh in his eyes. He was full of vigour this evening but it was a hard job from 2-0 down. Halys, on his first appearance at Centre Court, has impressed the crowd and the experts.
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Oooof: 30-30 after Evans goes long. The crowd try to pump him up.
We’re continuing to go with serve in the Halys v Evans evening thriller. Now Evans must serve to stay in the match.
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Earlier on this court, Sabalenka lightly thrashed Udvardy. Read Simon Cambers’ take on that game and Jabeur’s defeat of Frech below.
It is baseline boom-boom here on Centre Court, but Evans whips in to volley a backhand winner to take it to 30-0 on his serve. The youthful Halys is non-plussed. Serve held. 4-4.
Evans so nearly breaks, but the passing shot goes just long. And so Halys holds . That will be dispiriting for Evans after getting so close. 4-3. Tie break fast approaching ahead.
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The line judge in a a cardigan and baker boy hat watches intently as Evans double bluffs Halys to win the game. It goes with serve again. 3-3. Halys then goes 30-0 up on his serve up before hitting a wild forehand out of the court. Is the pressure getting to him?
Some rapid serves from the tall Halys and an Evans’ lob goes long, to hand him the game. 3-2 with serve. The telly tells me that Evans reached a career high singles ranking of 22 in the autumn of 2021. he’s now ranked 30. So should be winning this according to the numbers.
Dusk is starting to fall over a damp Wimbledon, where the puddles are gathered all around the covered courts. Evans darts and squirts to hold his serve, fist pumping his way through the points. 2-2.
Back on centre court, both Halys and Evans held their first serves of the fourth set to love. Evans then scraps back into contention from 40-0 down on the Halys serve, but Halys holds. The players get a rest and Halys munches some kind of jelly sweet.
Over on No. 1 Court, Miralles is pulling back against Etcheverry, 4-3 up in the fourth set, after losing the first two. A great chance for these two to strut their stuff on a show court.
Evans wins the tie-break to stay in the match!
Evans gets the set! He squeezes his eyes shut, bends his knee and punches the air, muttering obscenities words of encouragement to himself. Halys damply dabs his face with a towel. The game goes into a fourth set, with Halys two sets to one up. 6-2 6-3 6-7.
Halys aces, then fluff his volley to give Evans set point.
A wild return from Evans, but Halys then hits long to make it 4-4. Evans has his teeth round the bone and won’t let go, moving 5-4 up…
Tie-break third set Halys v Evans
Halys takes a 3-1 lead, but Evans pulls back with a beautiful back hand. And draws level when Halys hits into the net. 3-3.
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Halys is 40-0 up but mis-hits twice to hold the tension until he buttons up the game with an ace. Right, we’re going into a tie-break. Evans must win to stay in the match.
Magnificent! Powered by the south London crowd, Evans holds his serve, and adjusts his ankle socks in preparation for Halys’ booming serve. Evans leads 6-5 in the fourth, but two sets down.
But Halys holds. Now 5-5 in the third set. Evans must hold his serve to stay in the match.
The ball boys and girls are in nautical blue and white stripes this year. Halys must serve to stay in the third set after Evans squeezes every drop out of his service game to hold it and go 5-4 up. And the tide seems to be with Evans, he plays a beautifully judged lob over the elegantly lampost-like Halys to g0 15-30 up.
Ah, there is another game underway – squeezed under the roof of No 1 Court - where Tomas Etcheverry is two sets to one down to Bernabe Miralles: 6-7 5-7 6-3 1-1
It must be muggy beneath the roof on centre court, as most spectators are still in short sleeves. Evans moves freely to hold serve, but Halys win his next service game to love. 4-4.
Halys moves very slowly between serves – I don’t know if that is just his way or if he’s gingerly feeling his leg. He doesn’t look completely convincing and his serve goes to deuce before an ace takes him to advantage and Evans returns his next into the net. 3-3.
Evans is scrapping, his own best cheerleader, pumping his fist and shouting encouragement. He holds his serve, winning with a lob, 3-2. He sits on his chair and gobbles half a banana.
And Halys wraps up the game when Evans hits into the net. Still pretty full on Centre Court despite the evening slipping away.
Over on Centre court, Halys is 1-2 down in the third set (but 2-0 up in the match) after slipping on the greasy grass at the back of the court. Apparently he’s had some treatment and is fit to continue. It is deuce on Halys serve.
Apparently Andy Murray and Cam Norrie are in the same half of the draw…
Norrie beats Machac 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-4
Machac pulls back one match point but he can’t do anything about the next, a serve which flies off his racket into the stratosphere. They shake hands at the net then Machac gets a huge round of applause from the crowd who have enjoyed his beautiful touch tennis. Norrie looks relieved, but is safely into the second round.
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On No 1 court, Norrie has broken Machac to go 5-4 up and – suddenly out of the woods - is now serving for the match.
They’ve restarted on Centre, where Dan Evans has a lot of work to do. He begins with an ace which delights the crowd, who have just watched Sabelenka cruise into the next round.
“I feel great,” she told the crowd. “I’m feeling good. It is really good to be one of the favourites in this beautiful tournament and I will do my best to see if I can get as far as I can here in Wimbledon.”
Norrie starts the next game with a double fault, then Machac goes 30-15 up. Norrie pulls back two break points, the pendulum swings again, but Norrie eventually wins the game with a booming serve down the middle. This is absorbing stuff. Now 4-4 in the fourth set, Norrie leads 2-1.
In the intriguing match on No. 1 court, Machac takes a 4-3 lead in the fourth set, dainty on his feet, fast to the net. Wins with an ace.
On Centre court, now that Sabalenka has whistled into the second round, Dan Evans will complete his match with the Frenchman Quentin Halys. Halys leads Evans 6-2, 6-3.
Sabalenka beats Udvardy 6-2 6-1
Sabalenka races through the second set to take the match 6-2 6-1, striding on those long, long legs to sympathise with her opponent at the net. A cracking start for the player who spent last Wimbledon at home trying to avoid the television coverage because it upset her too much.
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And Machac wins the mammoth game – to take it to 3-2 in the fourth – with more beautiful net work and tan ace.
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With the roof on, the acoustics of No. 1 court sound like the five-a-side court of your local leisure centre. Norrie comes back to 2-2 in the fourth set then looks as if he is gong to break Machac, who is wearing in a back to front white cap and has a well-tended beard. Machac volleys like an angel at the net to get back into the fifth game, before Norrie gains advantage with a passing shot….
And Norrie breaks back immediately – despite an acrobatic dive at the net by Machac mid game. Meanwhile over on Centre court, Sabalenka has taken a 4-1 lead in the second set, with the first set already in her pocket.
I should probably say that this isn’t my usual habitat, I’m more often found on the cricket pages, so please do drop me a line to point out any bloopers or educate.
Machac, whose right hand was troubling him towards the end of the last set – imagine Luke Skywalker fiddling with his mechanical wrist – holds his serve. Then immediately breaks Norrie to go 2-0 up in the fourth set.
Thanks Daniel! Very handy for both matches to have just completed a set before I take over, with Norrie and Sabenka well on their way on No. 1 and Centre courts. A quick birds eye view of Wimbledon shows a flurry of purple and green umbrellas wandering away.
Righto, my watch is over, so here’s Tanya Aldred to chill with you until the end of today’s play. Thanks all for your company and comments – I’ll see you tomorrow, but ta-ra for now. Peace.
Norrie serves out to love and leads Machac 6-3 4-6 6-1; Sabalenka holds to 30 and takes the first set 6-3, which is a pretty good result for Udvardy, who looked like being blown off the court in the early exchanges.
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In comms, Martina notes that she’s never seen a match in which the return is regularly coming back harder than the serve, but Udvardy is taking pace off and Sabalenka hits the ball harder than perhaps any woman I’ve ever seen. She’s forced to serve for the set at 5-3 though, while Machac feels something in his hand during a rally – it looks like cramp – and on break point so, after saving two he loses one and Norrie will now serve for a 2-1 lead at 5-1 in the third.
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An ace gives Sabalenka 5-2, meaning Udvardy will now serve to say in set one; on No1, Norrie leads 6-3 4-6 4-1.
Norrie rapidly consolidates, then Machac secures a good and necessary hold for 1-3 in the third and Sabalenka thwacks an overhead long which allows Udvardy 2-4.
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A poor shot from Machac allows Norrie to spirit a forehand winner cross-court that gives him 15-30, but another drops long for 30-all. So we wend our way to deuce, whereupon Norrie first hoiks a forehand winner cross-court, then returns a fine serve and Mahac nets. The number 12 seed really really wanted that break and he’ll feel in control again, while remembering what happened the last time that happened. And elsewhere, Udvardy is on the board, also trudging through deuce but securing a hold that gives her 1-3.
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Udvardy is trying to take pace off the ball, forcing Sabalenka to generate it all for herself. It actually gets her a break point at 0-2, but she can’t convert and is soon back struggling to hold at 0-3.
He’s to go through advantage for it, but Machac secures his hold and with it set two. I daresay Norrence relaxed a tad after breaking in game one, and Machac made him pay, hitting 13 winners to seven and creating a match out of a situation that looked grim for him.
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Sabalenka just pulverises the ball – it’s rrridiculous – and Udvardy’s serve is, I’m afraid, absolute powder-puff. The only surprise is that the break requires deuce because so far, admittedly after only two games, this looks a mismatch. Unlike on No1, where Machac is feeling himself, but we’re about to see how much because Norrie has forced him to serve for the set at 5-4 and will, I’m certain, put as many balls into play as he can in the expectation his opponent tightens.
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Machac holds for 5-3 meaning Norrie will now serve to stay in set two while, on Centre, Sabalenka is immediately into stride, thrashing her way to 1-0.
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I don’t know if Norrie relaxes, thinking he can wait for it to happen, but he’s broken again, Machac starting to enjoy himself. On Centre, Udvardy and Sabalenka are knocking up.
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There’s no weather forecast in the next few days though, so we should get long, full days. But to return to the tennis we’ve got going on now, Norrie makes 30-40 on the Machac serve, a whipped return onto the laces eliciting the error, and that’s the break back. Norrie 6-3 3-3 Machac
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By the looks of things, we’re not getting any matches moved onto the roofed courts. I assume tomorrow will be absolutely rammed with activity, but we’ve not yet got an order of play.
Next on Centre: Udvardy v Sabalenka [2].
Ch ch changes on No1, Machac winning three games in a row for a 3-1 second-set lead.
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Murray said before the competition started he’s in better nick than in years and reiterates that, saying it’s great to be back on Centre Court – he was nervous before the start but once he got the first break he settled down and played some good stuff. Prompted, he says it’s great to have not just royalty but tennis royalty watching – Kate and Federer, who seem to have got on really well, gassing all day – noting that when he played Wawrinka in the Olympics, Federer was in the opposing box supporting his compatriot, so he was glad to get “a couple of claps” today. He then wishes him, his family and his parents well, which is very sweet, and that’s our lot.
Andy Murray beats Ryan Peniston 6-3 6-0 6-1!
He gives Peniston a well-earned cuddle, salutes the crowd, and meets Tsitsipas or Thiem next, Thiem leading 6-3 3-4.
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A cunning drop incites Peniston to net for 15-30 and at 15-40, Murray has two match points…
Murray makes 5-1; can Peniston make him serve for it? Norrie loses the first point of set two, then eases to an easy hold.
Nozza burns two set points, but at 30-40 he unleashes that loopy, top-spinning forehand, and Machac gets back the first but not the second. Norrie leads 6-3 and looks in great nick. Meantime, Murray gets his break and at 6-3 6-0 4-1 is two games away from round two – and his potential opponents were rained off this morning so will be less well rested whenever that match happens.
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Man I loved Baghdatis, a true artist – perhaps our truest since Mecir – and we’re lucky to have his female incarnation, Ons Jabeur, at her peak right now. Anyhow, Norrie now leads Machac 5-3, while Murray has two break points for 4-1 in set three.
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Wikipedia says:
The first full match to be played with the roof closed was a men’s singles fourth round match between British player Andy Murray and Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka. Play on Centre Court had never gone past 9:17 pm, but with the roof closed and the floodlights on, the match could be completed after dark – at 10:38 pm. Merton Council‘s environmental chief David Simpson said after Murray’s late-night win that late-night tennis would not cause any problems. However, when the record late finish was surpassed in 2010 during a match between Novak Djokovic and Olivier Rochus which ran until 10:58 pm it was reported that Merton council had imposed a curfew of 11:00 pm BST on Centre Court. This was then exceeded on Saturday 30 June 2012, when Andy Murray beat Marcos Baghdatis in their 3rd round match, which was completed at 11:02 pm, in spite of the 11:00 pm ruling.”
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“To answer Faiz Muhammad AL-Noman,” says Darragh Morrissey, you can’t play tennis on grass outdoors under floodlights. Dew builds up on grass in the hours of darkness. You’d need about 300 of Novak Djokovic’s towels to keep the courts dry!”
I’m certain Djokovic would do the necessary if he thought it’d make everyone love him. But it’s not dark till after 10, so we can do a bit under lights before the court becomes unplayable – they’d not have been fitted otherwise – and I’ve definitely watched a few matches in the dark, Murray v Wawrinka standing out in the smoke rings of my mind.
Play suspended for the day on outside courts
I guess they could move a match onto Centre or No1, but we’ve not been told that’s happening, in which case the latter is finished when Norrie finishes and the former has Udvardy v Sabalenka still to come.
On No1, Norrie has broken for 3-2 and looks so confident out there – with good reason. he made the semis here last term and over the last two years, only Novak Djokovic can beat his 13 ATP finals.
Murray breaks immediately in set three, consolidates, then after a long rally to start game three, Peniston eventually hits a winner after sending Murray careering to hither and yon. He enjoys the moment too, noising up the crowd, and soon makes 40-0 … except as per the below, he’s not getting nowt for a burton and we’re soon at deuce … but he holds on. Murray leads 6-3 6-0 2-1.
Also, Norrie can run a 36-minute 10k and a 17-minute 5k, which is not bad at all. I once had a grand ambition to break 20 minutes for the latter; sadly my knees took exception as they’ve every right to do.
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On No1, Norrie and Machac are away, a hold each leaving them at 1-1. I read a good interview with the former this morning – he wasn’t sure he wanted to be a tenniser, so went to college in the US and said on that: “There’s a lot of other players that are jealous, they missed all that … ‘In the first year I probably enjoyed myself a bit too much… Then I made the decision to really give the sport a go and do it properly.’”
And on his peers, he said: “They’ve gone straight from the juniors, and they’re unreal talents, straight into the top 50, like [Nick] Kyrgios, [Andrey] Rublev, [Borna] Corić… all those guys who are around my ranking now, but I was so lucky to have that normal experience, to be still working on my craft and going to classes and learning other stuff. Cool stuff. Now, I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on my youth.’ ”. I’m not surprised to hear that; though I’m sure most of us would love to play anything professionally, you do sacrifice your youth for it and it’s hard.”
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Up 0-30 and in the game again, Peniston finds himself at the net, so of course is soon fruitlessly sprinting after a lob, prior to stretching forlornly for a service winner. A netted return follows, but Murray can’t convert set point … can’t convert his first set point. A volley into the corner, Peniston nets, and that’s the bagel. Murray leads 6-3 5-0.
Murray and Peniston go back and forth through deuce – Peniston is in almost all of these games he’s losing – but he loses this one too, and at 6-3 5-0, Sir Andrew will serve for set two.
“I emailed yesterday,” confesses Faiz Muhammad AL-Noman, “about the rain forecast next week, but it seems like it has already causing a great backlog in the schedule. My question is , if matches can go on under lights at Centre Court and Court 1, why cant the matches be played on outside courts late at night (I know that public transport is a reason for play being suspended at 11 pm, thats why I am suggesting play on outside court under lights without spectators).”
I don’t think it works playing without spectators – I mean, really, what’s the point? – and remember this tournament went on for decades with no roof, and in my lifetime I can only remember twice when the men’s final spilled over onto a third Monday, Becker v Edberg in 1990 and Rafter v Ivanisevic in 2001.
Next on No1: Norrie [12] v Machac.
On Centre, Murray now has the double break, leading 4-0 in set two. Peniston played well in the first, the wireless advised me. But Murray’s forehand and serve are working better now, so he’s easing away nicely.
Ah go on then: while we’re here, here’s me on the Fed.
Oh and now a lovely story from Roger Federer, who tells Sue Barker he went on stage with Coldplay the other day. They invited him, he was going to say no, then his daughter reminded him you only live once like she was his mum, and he was pleased he listened./
On outside courts, no play before 5.30pm BST
We’re struggling for today, I’d say.
Thanks Stu and hi again everyone. Just as I was getting out of the car I heard a lovely interview with Jeremy Chardy, who originally wanted a winnable first-round match to try and get a biggie on which to retire. But then he got Alcaraz and found he was too emotional to play during the first two sets, so was pleased he got it together for the third.
Murray is motoring a bit now. Another regulation hold for a 2-0 lead in the second set. Peniston needs to hang on in there – and hang on in there he does, although another fluffed overhead smash from deep in the court goes awry. It does at least clear the net (albeit via the cord) this time.
The Scot comes out on top of another lengthy exchange, and that brings up another break point. Peniston can’t keep him at bay. Murray leads 6-3, 3-0.
And with that, time to hand back to Daniel. Enjoy!
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Ons Jabeur (6) beats Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-3!
The sixth seed, beaten finalist last year, storms through relatively unscathed on No 1 Court in just 76 minutes.
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A great, 22-shot rally for the second point of the second set. Unfortunately for Peniston, both of those first two went Murray’s way. Being broken again would be a huge dent in his hopes … and luck deserts him as a net cord flies off at an angle at 15-30, giving Murray two break points.
First one: saved with a delicious crosscourt backhand, but then he offers a glimpse at a second serve. Murray pounces, applies heat, pressure, smoke and mirrors, and Peniston sends asnattempted return well wide. The two-time champion is suddenly well on top.
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Jabeur has recovered from Frech’s effrontery in breaking her serve – the sixth seed from Tunisia is 5-3 up in the second set and serving for the match.
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The crowd are responding predictably well to every good thing Peniston does. This despite the obvious love in the auditorium for Murray. He gets a glint in his eye after going down the line powerfully for the opening point, and again as the scoreboard suddenly ticks to 0-30.
Murray finds his first serve at the right time again though, levelling up, then bringing up set point with a delicious angled drop shot that Peniston couldn’t get anywhere near, despite vain efforts. The first set is sealed 6-3 as an attempted service return goes tamely long.
It’s certainly not been one-way traffic, however.
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Frech levelled at 3-3 in the second set on No 1 Court, though Jabeur has held on in the following game. It’s 6-3, 4-3.
Peniston avoids jitters on his own serve to go 40-15 up, and I certainly don’t want to give anyone the impression that Murray has cut out the errors, because there has been some ugly old stuff in among his picking up of the pace. The younger Brit seals the hold with a fine crosscourt backhand. But now Murray has a chance to serve out. Murray leads 5-3.
Frech is putting up stiff resistance against Jabeur, breaking back to make it 3-2 in the second. Sadly these are the only two matches in town.
In the time it takes me to type that, and I got a certificate for my excellent typing speed when I was aged 12, I’ll have you know, Murray blitzes through his service game – his only comfortable ride through one of the match so far – to leave Peniston having to serve to stay in the opening set. Murray leads 5-2.
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Peniston is absolutely in this. The 27-year-old’s confidence is growing with every errant hit from Murray. But from 30-0 up, Murray picks up the pace and roars back, forcing errors at the other end, bringing up his first break point with a lovely forehand down the right-hand line. Yet again, however, he goes long on the next point.
Another break point comes up after Peniston errs with a hideous overhead smash from the back of the court, that almost goes under the net, let alone getting anywhere near clearing it. From absolutely nowhere, Murray is suddenly in charge of the set – he now leads 4-2.
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The notion of an “unforced error” always troubles me with tennis, given the weight of some of this hitting. Still, Murray is racking up a fair few of them – fluffing a drop shot while 30-0 up. He finds the net again to give Peniston more hope, then sends the ball wide to offer up a second break point of the match. He gives his opponent another second serve to get his teeth into as well – Peniston is really heaping pressure on. Murray saves it and greets it his first guttural roar of the match
The Scot gets himself out of mischief again but it’s pretty ugly stuff at times from Murray. He goes 3-2 up.
Peniston looks a little calmer than in the opening game, settling in to the big occasion. He drop-kicked Casper Ruud from Queen’s last year and saw off Ugo Humbert there this year. His backhand is an extremely useful weapon, and helps set up a 40-0 lead. The game is sealed to love with a lovely arcing serve down the centre. 2-2 in the first set.
Jabeur, meanwhile, has broken Frech on No 1 Court, and then served to consolidate for a 6-3, 3-0 lead.
In a Maxïmo Park stylee, Peniston applies some pressure, trying to make a dent in the Murray serve. He goes 0-15 up, then recovers from a couple of weak points to eye his first break point, thanks to a fairly rubbishly netted swipe from Murray. The Scot saves despite an eye-poppingly returnable 81mph second serve, then takes game point after a superb, “oooooh”-inviting rally where he put chalk on the ball on at least two occasions. He can’t close out the game at the first time of asking, nor the second, but smashes cathartically to bring up a third opportunity. This time he converts after Peniston nets during an exchange of more heavy hitting.
The Murray serve is looking shaky, as is his topspin slice, which has drifted long on a few occasions already. 2-1 Murray, then, but Peniston certainly isn’t rolling over to have his tummy tickled and his nose booped.
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Ons Jabeur has taken the first set 6-3 against Magdalena Frech on No 1 Court.
On Centre, Peniston coolly progresses to 30-0, then 40-15 on his own serve. There’s slack play and a bit of radar calibration needed at both ends, however, but Peniston licks his lips before takes the game, spanking away a tamely returned forehand. Honours even at 1-1.
Murray gets things off and running with ball in hand. Straight away it’s clear that both of these players are completely at home on grass. 15-0 up, the Scot sticks a drop shot in from the baseline, which Peniston hunts down swiftly but can’t keep in.
Great, fidgety antics from the younger man while waiting to receive the Murray serve. He looks a little twitchy with the racket too, slamming well wide with an attempted winner down the line. Peniston nets tamely to hand Murray a 1-0 lead, but both men are still settling into this one.
Greetings all. And psst: CeCe’s version of Somebody Else’s Guy is also well worth everyone’s time btw.
So: Ryan Peniston takes on Wimbledon for the second time. Murray? Despite making his debut in 2005, injuries and that bloody pandemic means this will be his 15th campaign hurtling around the turf. No head-to-head interest to speak of, but a superb all-British rarity on Centre Court.
They’ve just finished hitting up. This is going to be fascinating.
10 years ago btw …
Here come Murray and Peniston, who I hope the locker room know as CeCe, and what a welcome they get! Meanwhile, on No1, Jabeur and Frech are 2-2 in the first, so I’ll leave you here as I’m off to do the school run; here’s Stuart Goodwin to croon you through the next little bit.
Frech has started nicely here, varying speed and spin and leading 2-1 on serve in set one. Meanwhile, Andy Murray prepares to make his entrance; I daresay he’ll be well welcomed.
Next on Centre: Ryan Peniston v Andrew Murray.
No play on outside courts before 4.15pm BST
And anything then looks a huge shout.
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Jabeur and Frech are under way on Court 1, but chances of play on the outside courts looks slim.
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Rogers waits for Rybakina, which is a nice touch, but there’s an interview coming so she departs alone, to the cheers of the crowd.
“I was really nervous, I couldn’t hide it,” says Rybakina. “The double fault said it all at the start of the match.” She got used to Centre last term but it didn’t seem to help, she was still feeling it, and she’d never played with the roof on before – “the grass is full on the baseline” – but on the plus side, she’s feeling much better now. It was unlucky for her to get ill when she did and wasn’t easy for her to get fit to compete, so she’s happy to be through.
Elena Rybakina [4] beats Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-1 6-2!
That’s a colossal win for Rybakina, who’s been off ill for a month. Rogers was superb for a set, but class then told and the champ meets Hibino or Cornet next. She’ll be so much better for that examination.
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Outstanding behaviour from Rogers who, from 0-40 down, saves three break points – the last of them thanks to an ace landed on the final fibre of the line. But then an absolutely hounding forehand, carted long with the hard work done, is backed up by with a double, and at 5-2 in the decider, Rybakina will now serve for the match.
Rogers has improved but Rybakina is playing like Rybakina now – no woman has served more aces than she so far this season, the mark 316 – and she’s only lost two points on serve this set, leading the decider 4-2.
“When I looked up and saw the clobber Federer was sporting,” emails JR in Illinois, “I said to the missus ‘Stripes and polka dots? Can you do that?’ I can only hope he is at least wearing socks and dress shoes. The no socks and sneakers thing with a suit sends me into cloud cuckoo land. Of course I am among the least stylish of people. I don’t even own a suit or dress shoes and what he is wearing almost certainly costs more than I paid for my car.”
I can’t remember the last time I wore a suit, a tie or proper shoes – why would you unless circumstance leaves no choice? – and I’d also take issue with the colour of Federer’s syoot. Beige, why?
No play on outside courts before 3.30pm BST
I don’t feel confident we’re getting owt after that, I’m afraid.
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Next on Court 1: Jabeur [6] v Frech.
Alcaraz reckons he played really well and was happy Chardy improved in set three as he likes to play rallies and to compete in a balanced contest. He doesn’t think the closed roof makes much difference to him – he tries not to think about it – though I reckon the added ball-speed through the air helps him. He thinks it’s beautiful that play can continue when it’s raining, and notes that “I’m a really lucky guy” because he’s received with love everywhere he goes. You can see why too, and it’s not just about what he does on court, but how he speaks and treats people.
Rybakina breaks at the first time of asking in set three, makes it eight out of nine games when she consolidates, and with a 2-0 lead in set three, now looks a cert to progress.
Carlos Alcaraz [1] beats Jeremy Chardy 6-0 6-2 7-5!
A comprehensive hiding finished with two straight aces, and the world number one meets Muller or Rinderknech next; currently, Muller leads 7-6 1-0. And well done on great career Jeremy Chardy, who did really well to make the final set competitive after taking an embarrassing kicking prior to it.
Updated
Obviously Alcaraz breaks Chardy for 6-5 and will now serve for the match; Rogers is off a fair old while so Rybakina chats to her coach and I’m not sure what i think about this. On the one hand, it’s a nice new wrinkle to the game, on the other, being out there on your own is part of what makes it great.
Another love hold for Rybakina, who secures the second set losing just three points on serve. Rogers nips off and she needs to because this match is running away – is being yanked away – very quickly indeed. Meantime, Chardy holds and leads Alcaraz 5-4 in the third.
Chardy coaxes a forehand down the line and into the empty space … only for Alcaraz to run it down and scythe a cross-court winner low over the net that has Chardy applauding. It raises break point too, but he can’t convert and again we backwards and forward through deuce while, on Centre, Rybakina will serve with new balls for set two, trailing Rogers 4-6 5-1.
I cannot wrap my swede around this rig. What is he thinking?
A legend returns.
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2023
The Centre Court crowd rises for eight-time #Wimbledon champion @RogerFederer pic.twitter.com/0edGz3ncmZ
Rogers won’t often have played better than she did in set one, creaming winners here, there and everywhere but especially line on the forehand side. Michael Johnson is always talking about speed endurance, as important in a sprint as top speed, and we’re seeing similar here, I think: Rogers’ best is a good enough level to trouble Rybakina, the problem comes when she’s no longer hitting it and, as I type that, she’s broken again to love. She leads 6-4 0-4.
Oh my days!
I saw this video of Cilla Black singing The Eye of the Tiger, and now you must suffer too pic.twitter.com/LM7XLXzrDr
— Corey Kitchener (@CoreyKitchener) July 3, 2023
To the surprise of no one, Chardy included, Alcaraz breaks back, while Rybakina holds and leads 3-0 in set two. She’s beginning to find her range.
Long games on both courts, Chardy slugging it out for 11 minutes and breaking for 0-6 2-6 4-2 – you read that correctly, please do not adjust your screens – while Rybakina sees Rogers’ level drop and takes advantage, also breaking for 4-6 2-0. Is that a momentum switch, or a consequence of two doubles? Rybakina hasn’t got her forehand going yet, and if she can’t she’ll still struggle to get out of this.
Updated
Before we go any further, I’d like to welcome our US audience, many of whom are just starting their day. So to recap, it’s raining in London, of course it is, so we’ve got play on the courts with roofs: the defending women’s champ, Elena Rybakina, is a set down to Shelby Rogers, while Carlos Alcaraz, the men’s world no1, leads Jeremy Chardy 6-0 6-2 2-3.
And there it is! An ace secures Shelby a 6-4 set, and the champ is in shtuck.
Updated
Shelby Rogers has only played one match on grass this season – she lost to Camila Osorio, a qualifier, at Eastbourne – but ranked 49 in the world, she’s close to as bad a first-round draw as you can get, and she’s currently serving for the first set…
No play before 2.45pm BST on outside courts
And I’m afraid the prognosis has worsened.
Rybakina guides a fine forehand return down the line that gives her 40-30, but Rogers closes out from there – she’s playing so well – and at 5-3, the champ will now serve to stay in the first set.
Updated
We see aerial shots that suggest we’re nowhere near clear of rain, though in fabulous north London it’s clear. Yup, and as I type that we see it’s nasty as out there, but on Centre Shelby Rofgers doesn’t mind; she hangs onto another service game through deuce then forces Rybakina to work hard for her hold, and leads 4-3. Meantime, Chardy and Alcaraz are 1-1 in set two, Alcaraz having breezed to a 2-0 lead.
“Your talk of Marcelo Ríos reminded me of the great clay-court specialist de mes jours - Thomas Muster,” says Darrien Bold. “The Austrian won 12 titles in 1995, 11 of which were on clay including the French, but he didn’t even play Wimbledon that year. He only turned up to SW19 on 4 occasions, and never won a match on the green stuff.”
What I remember most about Muster is him being hit by a drunk driver, jiggering his knee ligaments in the process, and having a special chair made so he could still practise while recovering.
Alcaraz wants to be home in time for 15-1. He holds to love, securing the second set and a 6-0 6-2 lead.
Oh, apologies; I took a pre-match comfort break and missed Roger Federer arriving into the royal box, to a suitable standing ovation. Imagine, though, how relieved Mirka is that he’s retired – at the last count, she had, I believe, spent 21 years 5 months of her life clapping, working her way through 92,730 pairs of palms in the process.
Updated
Big hold from Rogers who leads Rybakina 3-1, and I guess I’m going to focus more on that match now, given we’ve a suspicion how the other one’ll go. On Centre, Alcarath will shortly serve for set two at 6-0 5-2.
Rybakina is on the board, trailing Rogers 2-1 in set one, while Alcaraz now leads Chardy 6-0 4-1. The footage I can see makes me think it’s still drizzling a bit – some umbrellas but not loads – the kind of weather in which they might stay out, but won’t start. Hopefully we’ll get some news shortly, because this morning’s main matches were on a rolling boil.
“In Series 2 of Barbecue Showdown,” says Colin Stevens, “I loved the fact that very early on contestant [redacted] was on the verge of walking out as a result of one of his barbecues going badly wrong. He only carried on as a result of the encouragement & support of fellow contestant [redacted]. Spool forward to the final & what do we see [redacted].”
The camaraderie is so great and uplifting. Lucky we’re all part of the barbecue community.
Updated
Felicitations Jérémy! He holds and the crowd patronise a 36-year-old former grand slam quarter-finalist, cheering away as he smiles ruefully. Meantime on Centre, Rogers has broken Rybakina in the first game.
Updated
Alcaraz makes deuce with a characteristically luscious job, breezes through deuce, and breaks again for 6-0 1-0; Chardy is hating this, and I can’t help but think of Stefan Edberg triple-bagelling Stefan Eriksson in the first round of Wimbledon 1987. It was only the third of its kind at a slam in the Open era and the first at SW19; since then there’ve been two others, Ivan Lendl edging Barry Moir later that year in New York and Sergi Brugera pipping Thierry Champion at Roland-Garros 1993. Oh, and Alcaraz has held again for 6-0 2-0.
Rogers and Rybakina arrive onto Centre, and if the champ is healthy – she struggles with an allergy through May, and this year reduced immune system meant she ended up with a virus – she’s a serious threat to retain her title. To do so, though, she might have to beat Jabeur in the quarters and Sabalenka in the semis; I’m salivating already at the thought of those matches.
Alcaraz holds to 15, and that’s the bagel. Chardy could be forgiven for thinking maybe now would be the perfect time to call it a career.
Updated
During Roland-Garros, Mac noted that though Boom Boom Bozzer was the best teenager he’s ever seen, Alcaraz is the best 20-year-old he’s ever seen – Boris struggled a bit after his second Wimbledon – and I can’t think of many I’ve seen, if any, who hit the ball with as much pace and spin as he does. And without the kind of competition the big three have had, if he stays fit and focused, he’ll win a silly quantity of slams. He leads 4-0 and Chardy is learning that you can’t play someone of such calibre on a retirement tour; yet another double, at 0-40, means 5-0, and this is almost painful to watch.
Updated
Since losing to Dan Evans in the second round of the Aussie Open, Chardy hasn’t won a set and already you can see why. In particular, he’s struggling with is toss, so that when Alcaraz consolidates, two more doubles mean he’s to go through deuce for his hold. And he can’t Alcaraz’s forehand taking care of the double break, and it’s just absurd how ridiculous he is. He leads 3-0 and I don’t want to wish our lives away, but imagine what a final we’ll get if it’s him and Djokovic.
No play on outside courts before 2pm BST
But the weather should improve thereafter.
Updated
Chardy, playing his last tournament before retirement, has the fam with him, and promptly makes himself the butt of all their jokes, serving two doubles in the course of being broken in the first game.
And off we go!
Yup, out they are. We’re about 10 minutes away from tennisI’d say, and it’s a little brighter all around the All England club – and, full disclosure, raining in fabulous north London.
We’re a minute away from something happening – we should have Alcarath and Chardy out on No1 very soon.
Updated
Oh my days, what a headline this is.
Though these blogs exist to cover sport, they also exist for us to share the good stuff, so here’s one for today – and please feel free to send in your own: Barbecue Showdown on Netflix. I can’t say it isn’t annoying in parts because ultimately I require painstaking detail on rubs, sauces and cooking, but in both serieses they’ve put together a great group of contestants all of whom you root for, whose wins and losses you’re moved by, and the chemistry between them and the judges is excellent. Do it, I promise.
Ah man, exactly what this rain break needs: a lovely mazal tov. So mazal tov to Ash Barty and Garry Kissick, who’ve had a baby boy, Hayden.
Isa is properly going for it with her “Alcarath”, and rightly so. I hope we can rely on her for more of this.
Updated
It’s looking a bit brighter now; there are plenty on Court 2 without umbrellas, so hopefully we’re away all over within the next hour.
We start on Court 1 at 1pm BST, so 23 minutes from now, with Carlos Alcaraz v Jeremy Chardy, and on Centre at 1.30pm BST with Shelby Rogers v Elena Rybakina.
Email! “Re Calv Betton on Stefanos and Thiem, “ begins Kerrtih Britland,”is there some general consensus on why top players can’t/won’t/don’t adapt to grass? It feels as if past generations (I’m including Roger, Rafa, Novak in this) didn’t mind it, while a lot of players now pigeonhole themselves (looking at you, Daniil) to a particular surface.
Furthering this, grass god Rog’s record on clay was pretty good - he was beaten by Nadal in four or five consecutive RG finals. Likewise Nadal adapted to the grass even though his game was built for clay (more than anyone currently on tour, probably).”
I guess relatively few players grow up on grass and the season is short, so if you’re planning a career, it probably makes more sense, professionally and financially, to focus elsewhere. In which case, we probably can’t look at two of the greatest ever to play the game as examples of what can be done, as they’re not worrying about making money or getting into competitions, they’re trying to win them and know they’ve the ability to do that. Other hand, Medvedev and Tsitsipas are trying to get good enough to win majors on their main surfaces.
Oh, and it’s also worth noting that when I were a lad, there were players who just missed Wimbledon – Andre Agassi and Marcelo Rios, say – although in fairness, the courts then were much faster, so much harder for those schooled in other conditions.
Ach, the dreaded words – “set-in”, most commonly spoken by Michael Atherton during the cricket – have been uttered at Wimbledon. Far be it from me to note that in north London, it is, of course, drier than the Tory party conference.
We do, of course, have other sport for you:
Yup, nets down and covers on, so let’s go around the courts and update some scores: Thiem leads Tsitsipas 6-3 3-4 on serve; Brengle leads Errani 6-3 3-0; Pera leads Tomova 7-6(3) 0-1; Shelton leads Daniel 6-4 4-2; Fucsovic leads Griekspoor 6-4 3-1; Potapova leads Naef 6-3 3-3; Alexandrova leads Navarro 6-4 5-2; and Saville leads Boulter 6-5.
It's raining and play is suspended
I’m not sure we’ll get much action until Centre and Court 1 are away, unless we move matches to there.
Well done Lorenzo Sonego! His good friend Berrettini nets and that’s the first set to him 7-6(4)! I think we may be here a while, this has the makings of an epic.
A backhand error from Loffhagen gives Rune a further mini-break and we’re now at 5-4; and look at that! Songeo whumps a forehand down the line for 6-5 and set point on serve right as Rune glides a gorgeous volley into the corner that gives him the first set 7-6(4). Loffhagen, though, is playing really well – he’s miles better than his 371 ranking.
Rune moves from a mini-break down to a mini-break up, but Loffhagen plants a really good backhand slice onto his tootsies to snatch it back and make 3-3. Meantime, Sonego has also retrieved Berrettini’s advantage and now leads 5-3…
Updated
It’s difficult for Rune, but he holds to 30 and here comes our first-set breaker; Loffhagen begins it with a service winner whole, on Court 12, Sonego shanks a forehand to give Berrettini the mini-break at 3-1. On 2, Thiem leads Tsitsipas 6-3 2-2.
Massive hold for Loffhagen, who has to battle through deuce but now leads Rune 6-5, whole Berrettini also holds, meaning he and Sonego will now play a breaker.
Gosh, this doesn’t look great, does it? At least we won’t get yesterday’s hour-long Centre Court break, as i imagine the roof won’t open, but we’ll likely have ourselves a backlog into tomorrow.
Loffhagen is still competing well against Rune – they’re at 5-5 in set one; Fucsovics has taken the first set off Griekspoor, the 28 seed, 6-4;Shelton, seeded 32, leads Daniel 6-4 2-0; Potapova, the 22 seed in the women’s competition, leads Naef 6-3; and Saville leads Boulter 4-3.. Oh, and Songeo hangs on for 6-5, so Berrettini will now serve for a breaker.
I just saw Mario Berretttini hit a drive backhand! Swear down! It was cross-court so, I think, a bit easier for him than down the line, but still. If he could do that on a regular and with consistency, he’d be a major champion already; if he can learn, he’s got plenty of time. But serving at 5-5 15-30, Songeo runs around the backhand to drill a winner, also line … only for a bad bounce on a decent return to elicit an error and raise break point. No matter: Sonego slams down an ace and we’re back at deuce.
Tsitsipas has just started served out for 3-5; Thiem will now try and secure the opening set. “This is impossible to call cos they’re both crap on grass and both in terrible form,” says Calv Betton. spent all year trying to get seeded at Wimbledon so he could have a better draw, ended up not getting it and got the best draw imaginable. If he’d got a low seeding he’d have to faced one of the top players in round 3. Now he’ll beat Tsitsipas and take the 5th seed position in the draw instead.” Thiem raises two set points with an ace, then goes long so here he goes again at 40-30 … and Tsitsipas goes long on the backhand! Thiem leads 6-3!
It’s stopped raining and off we go again, the All England microclimate changing once more.
Boulter has broken Saville … oh and Saville has broken back for 2-2. But what’s this? Er, I’m afraid it’s raining. Centre and Court 1 have roofs closed, so I wonder if they’ll move a couple of matches to there – I think Tistsipas said he’s happy for that – but they’ll want to know it’s worth the logistical aggro before they schlep everyone over, which will presumably be contingent on how long they think the weather will last.
Updated
Ohhhhh yessssss! Up 3-2 and advantage, Thiem is sent wide by a second serve and absolutely smokes a trademarked backhand return down the line for the break! He leads 4-2 and in the time it takes me to update that, consolidates to love! Thiem leads Tsitsipas 5-2!
George Loffhagen, currently 2-2 with Rune, is a good player and a good lad who wasn’t sure he wanted to be a tenniser. So he took a year off the game, discovered he loved it, so is back playing. “He’s the best athlete we’ve had in British tennis in about 15 years,” writes Calvin Betton, our resident coach. “Amazing balance. He’s got a lovely backhand. His forehand is a bit gippy though.” He’s also saved three break points in the time it took me type that making it six in total so far – his forehand is working well, especially top-spin, cross-court – and he holds for 4-4.
We’re on serve all over, Thiem looking to extend the points to try and create more of a clay-court kind of match; he and Tsitsipas are 1-1. Elsewhere it’s Berrettini 2-2 Sonego, Loffhagen 2-1 Rune and Boulter 0-1 Saville.
Updated
As we start day two, let’s quickly recall the end of day one, which was a right buzz. First, Michael Mmoh delivered the win of his life to see off an admittedly injured Felix Auger-Aliassime, then Sofia Kenin announced her re-emergence as a serious factor, binning Coco Gauff in the best match we’ve seen so far – but what a brutal draw that was for the no7 seen.
On Court 2, Tsitsipas opts to receive as per the vogue and we’ll soon be away.
I’m trying to decide which matches to watch – why do bad things happen to good people? Obviously Thiem v Tsitsipas [5], and then I think I’ll go for some UK interest – Loffhagen v Rune [6] and Boulter v Saville – along with Berrettini v Sonego.
There’s a load of traffic around Wimbledon, apparently, so crowds might be sparse to begin with. Our kingdom for a joined-up, competent and fairly-priced train service.
Updated
Preamble
Morning all and welcome to Wimbledon 2023 – day two!
Goodness me, there’s an absolutely indecent amount of glorious tennis awaiting us as we draw relentlessly, remorselessly closer to death. Opening proceedings on Court 2, we’ve got Dominic Thiem v Stefanos Tsitsipas, a ridiculous first-round pairing if ever there was one, with the winner of that moving on to meet Ryan Peniston ... or Andy Murray, their match second on Centre.
Before that, though, Elena Rybakina begins her defence of the women’s crown with a potentially nasty encounter against Shelby Rogers – and how fit is she after withdrawing from both the French Open and Rothesay International with illness? Then, later on, Court 18 sees what could be a really great match between Karolína Muchová, so impressive in reaching the final at Roland Garros, and Jule Niemeier, a quarter-finalist last term.
Otherwise, we’ve only got Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Ons Jabeur, Cameron Norrie, Petra Kvitova, Dan Evans, Heather Watson v Barbora Krejcikova, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz, Maria Sakkari, Mario Berrettini – and how fit is he? – Denis Shapovalov, Francis Tiafoe, Katie Boulter, and Jiri Vesely v Seb Korda to amuse us. Frankly, it’s a dizzgrace.
Play: 11am BST
