
Emma Raducanu to face young British wild card Mimi Xu in Wimbledon opener
The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section.
It was a tough draw for the British players overall, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger.
The bottom quarter could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff having dropped to eighth in the rankings.
Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time.

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Reuters
34 minutes ago
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Swiatek cruises past second-seed Paolini to reach first ever grass final
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Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Wimbledon set for scorching start as heatwave looms
LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - Wimbledon is braced for its hottest ever start with London set to endure a searing heatwave that is forecast to peak as play begins at the All England Club on Monday. With the mercury expected to rise into the mid-30s Celsius on Monday after a hot weekend, players, organisers, ticket holders and those queuing face a challenging day. The previous record temperature for the start of the grass court Grand Slam event was set in 2001 when 29.3C was reached. Monday's expected blast of heat could even surpass the tournament record of 35.7 degrees in 2015 when on-court temperatures were significantly higher than that. Wimbledon's heat rule will likely come into force, allowing a 10-minute break in play when the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is at or above 30.1 degrees Celsius. The WBGT, which will be taken before the start of play and then at 1400 and 1700, takes various factors into account including ambient temperature, humidity, wind and sun angle. The rule will apply after the second set for all best of three set matches, and after the third for all best of five set matches with players allowed to leave the court during the break, but not to receive coaching or medical treatment. While welcoming the heat rule, Chris Taylor, an environmental physiology researcher at the University of Roehampton, said the heat could affect the quality of matches. "It's good that they have a rule that uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature but what it doesn't factor in is what the players are doing," he told Reuters. "Most of the heat risk for players relates to their actual body temperature increasing, 80% of their body temperature is related to what they're doing. "Many players will change the way they play if it's that warm, shorter points and perhaps less interesting for the fans. "Top players with the resources for warm weather training are used to heat and are conditioned and will probably be okay, but the real problem is for players who are not used to it and cannot adapt their play." He also said iced towels applied to the back of the neck during changeovers are not necessarily the best way for players to cool down. "It's like a football team giving a pain-killing injection to their star player before a cup final, it makes them feel better but the injury is still there," he said. "If it's core body temperature you want to bring down, the towels aren't really going to do much. "The feet and the forearms have a lot of blood vessels and (cooling them down) is quite a good method of heat exchange, also the groin where you have the femoral artery." While elite players are likely to cope with the expected heat, Wimbledon organisers are taking precautions to protect the general public and staff, including ball boys and girls (BBGs). "Adverse weather is a key consideration in our planning for The Championships, and we are prepared for the predicted hot weather, with comprehensive plans in place for guests, players, staff and the BBGs," a club statement said. More free water refill stations will be provided around the grounds and real-time weather alerts will be announced on big screens and via the tournament website. Staff shifts will also be adjusted to mitigate the heat while 'shade-mapping' will help people get away from the sun. After extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday, temperatures are expected to drop to the low to mid 20s for the rest of the week with some rain showers likely.

Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Jack Draper on collision course with Djokovic and Sinner in tough Wimbledon draw
The 23-year-old goes into the tournament as a genuine title contender for the first time after climbing to fourth in the world rankings and will take on Argentinian Sebastian Baez in the opening round. But from there things are set to get significantly tougher with former finalist Marin Cilic a likely second-round opponent and Alexander Bublik, the player he lost to in the fourth round of the French Open and who won the big grass-court warm-up event in Halle last weekend, his first scheduled seeded rival in the third round. Not long until the gates open 🕒#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2025 Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has made the final in every edition since 2017, could be waiting in the quarter-finals, with world number one Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is in the bottom half of the draw and will open the tournament on Centre Court on Monday against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini. Emma Raducanu will take on 17-year-old wild card Mimi Xu, one of three home teenage debutants, in an eye-catching opening round. The former US Open champion reached the fourth round last year but faces an uphill battle to do so again, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova both in her section. ✨ The opening round draw for the Brits at @Wimbledon in full: Jack Draper vs Sebastian BaezJacob Fearnley vs Joao FonsecaCam Norrie vs Roberto Bautista AgutBilly Harris vs Hubert HurkaczDan Evans vs Jay ClarkeJack Pinnington Jones vs Tomás Martín EtcheverryHenry Searle… — LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2025 It was a nightmare draw for the leading British women, with Katie Boulter – unseeded this year – taking on top-10 star Paula Badosa, while British number three Sonay Kartal faces 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko. Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic also drew seeds, with the former facing former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Stojsavljevic meeting Ashlyn Krueger. The bottom quarter of the women's event could throw up some big-hitting contests in the second week with Iga Swiatek potentially facing a fourth-round clash against former champion Elena Rybakina and a quarter-final with second seed Coco Gauff, having dropped to eighth in the rankings. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, will take on exciting Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala in the opening round, provided the Czech recovers from a leg injury in time. There is also an all-British contest in the first round of the men's draw, with veteran Dan Evans facing fellow wild card Jay Clarke. The winner of that is likely to get a shot at Djokovic while 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet, who came through qualifying to make it 23 British players in the main singles draws, has the carrot of a second-round meeting with Alcaraz if he can beat Leandro Riedi. British number two Jacob Fearnley will try to get a first win against hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie takes on veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, who performed strongly at Queen's Club. Hull's Johannus Monday was given the toughest draw of the British debutants on the men's side against 13th seed Tommy Paul, while Jack Pinnington Jones will take on Argentina's Tomas Etcheverry and Oliver Crawford faces Mattia Bellucci of Italy.