Wimbledon briefing: Day two recap, Wednesday's order of play and Brits to watch
Here, the PA news agency looks back at Tuesday's events and previews what is to come on day three of the Championships.
Draper's dream start
Jack Draper (right) eased through his first-round match (Adam Davy/PA)
Jack Draper was given the most comfortable of passages through to the second round of Wimbledon when opponent Sebastian Baez pulled out injured.
The Argentinian twice consulted medical staff for what appeared to be a right leg issue after slipping early in the second set and called it quits trailing 6-2 6-2 2-1.
Draper had been in control from the moment the contest started on Court One and, while a short outing in the heat might have seemed optimal, the 23-year-old said: 'I wanted to play a bit longer in all honesty.'
Seeds make swift exits
Coco Gauff was the biggest first-round casualty (Ian Walton/AELTC)
Four of the top 10 players in both the men's and women's draw are out the tournament already.
Women's second seed Coco Gauff's defeat on Court One on Tuesday night saw her follow Jessica Pegula (seeded three), Zheng Qinwen (five) and Paula Badosa (nine) through the exit door.
On the men's side, third seed Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Musetti (seven) were both beaten the day after Holger Rune (eight) and Daniil Medvedev (nine) were sent packing.
Brit watch
Oliver Tarvet will take on Carlos Alcaraz (Mike Egerton/PA)
Monday's record-breaking seven British winners all return to the court on Wednesday looking to reach the third round.
Emma Raducanu faces a tough test against 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the prime time slot on Centre Court, while British number two Katie Boulter and number three Sonay Kartal both take on unseeded opponents after headline-grabbing first-round wins.
Qualifier Oliver Tarvet has the most eye-catching match against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, while Cameron Norrie will play 12th seed Frances Tiafoe and Arthur Fery and Billy Harris face Italian Luciano Darderi and Portugal's Nuno Borges respectively.
Match of the day
Emma Raducanu memorably beat Marketa Vondrousova in 2021 (Adam Davy/PA)
Emma Raducanu's second-round clash with Marketa Vondrousova will be a real draw on day three as two former grand slam champions meet at a relatively early stage of the tournament.
Raducanu won the US Open aged just 18, prior to which she made her main-draw Wimbledon debut during the same season and beat Vondrousova in a memorable match on her way to the third round.
Vondrousova, who won Wimbledon in 2023, comes into the tie in good grass form having won the Berlin Open earlier this month and will be hoping to turn the tables on the British star.
Order of play
Centre Court (from 1.30pm)
Aryna Sabalenka (10 v Marie Bouzkova
Oliver Tarvet v Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Emma Raducanu v Marketa Vondrousova
Court One (from 1pm)
Cameron Norrie v Frances Tiafoe (12)
Katie Boulter v Solana Sierra
Taylor Fritz (5) v Gabriel Diallo
Weather
Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by lunchtime, with a maximum temperature of 27C, according to the Met Office.
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The Guardian
41 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Emma Raducanu storms past 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova in style
On the eve of another tense fortnight at Wimbledon, Emma Raducanu had every reason to feel overwhelmed by the circumstances she found herself in. As her troublesome back injury continued to restrict her work on the practice court, she has also had to deal with undisclosed personal issues. Her expectations for the tournament were low. It is reflective of Raducanu's personal growth and maturity that she has taken those difficulties in her stride and found a way to continue to move forward. In one of her most significant matches of the year so far, the British No 1 spectacularly rose to the occasion on Centre Court, producing a brilliant performance to outplay the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-3 and return to the third round. With the victory, Raducanu set up a highly anticipated showdown with Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1. The Belarusian had earlier defeated Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (4), 6-4. 'I think today I played really, really well,' Raducanu said. 'There were some points that I have no idea how I turned around, one for sure that I remember in the second set. I knew playing Marketa was going to be an extremely difficult match, she's won this tournament and it's a huge, huge achievement. She's also in form really well. I'm just so happy about how I competed, put my game on the court and I was just focused the whole way through.' Despite Vondrousova's lesser ranking of No 73, this was an extremely difficult match against one of the most in-form players in the draw and Raducanu was the underdog. Even though the Czech has endured an injury-ravaged career, her talent has always been undeniable and she offered a reminder of it 10 days ago by spectacularly winning the Berlin Open, with wins over Sabalenka and Madison Keys. Her form, and the fact that she defeated Raducanu in their only meeting this year, in Abu Dhabi in February, made her the favourite. As the late afternoon shadow expanded across the court and both players settled into the familiar surroundings of Wimbledon's showcase, the early exchanges offered few surprises. While the Briton tried to dictate from the beginning by taking the ball early and changing directions frequently, Vondrousova attempted to arrest her rhythm by constantly mixing up the trajectory, spin and speed of her shots while placing the ball in difficult positions. But Raducanu was ready. She served well early on and her comfortable early service games emboldened her to take full control of the baseline. She imposed sustained pressure on Vondrousova with her relentless aggression, eventually taking the first break of the opening set with a supreme running backhand down-the-line passing shot, establishing a 4-2 lead. Raducanu did not allow her poor subsequent service game to dent her confidence, immediately retrieving the break before closing out the set. With the first set secured, Raducanu continued to put Vondrousova under constant pressure, suffocating the Czech with her return and particularly striking her forehand brilliantly. Raducanu's relentless positivity on court has been notable recently; almost every winning shot was punctuated with a triumphant fist-pump, but her composure in the decisive moments was even more impressive. She remained calm throughout the second set, serving extremely well as the finishing line neared. Raducanu said: 'I knew today, I had to be aggressive because Marketa would beat me if I was gonna push the ball around but Mark [Petchey] has helped me a lot. Everyone in that box has really been there for me, my friends, it's amazing to have them here as well.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion In recent months, the British player's perspective towards herself and the way she manages her career has shifted significantly. Raducanu has strived to surround herself with familiar faces she trusts in order to ensure that she can be completely honest with both the people surrounding her and herself. She has come to understand that the only way she can find success in this sport is if she understands how to enjoy her work. Along with the improvements to her mental approach, this performance was also a reflection of three months of work with Petchey, her current coach. Despite their unusual ad-hoc setup, with Petchey often planning their work around his broadcasting schedule, Raducanu has taken positive steps forward. They have worked hard on her serve, which after being a massive liability earlier this year was excellent in the important moments, particularly as she fended off break chances deep in the second set. She has forced herself to dictate more with her forehand, and the improvements on that stroke were clear as Raducanu ensured that her forehand was the dominant stroke in the match. She will now try to bring both her growing confidence and quality to her upcoming meeting with the best player in the world.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Oliver Tarvet toasts the ‘most special day' after impressing Carlos Alcaraz
Tarvet, ranked 733 in the world, completed a remarkable journey from total unknown to taking on the defending champion on Centre Court. It might have seemed like some kind of fever dream to most of us, but the 21-year-old mixed it with the five-time grand slam winner before succumbing to a 6-1 6-4 6-4 defeat. 'It's not every day that you get to play against maybe the best player in the world,' said the right-hander from St Albans. 'So yeah, it was really important for me going into the match to enjoy it, enjoy the opportunity. 'I think I did a pretty good job of kind of enjoying the moment and trying to also play some good tennis at the same time. 'I kind of knew that the first set might be difficult because it's not a stage that I'm used to. 'Even though the first set scoreline was 6-1, I still had break points in three games. I definitely had chances. I think that should give me confidence that I was competing. 👏🏻💥🌱🤝🏻😀❤️ — Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 2, 2025 'Credit to him, he plays the big points just incredibly well. That's the difference. You kind of feel like you're in the set, you lose it 6-1, it's tough. 'But yeah, even though it was not the result that I wanted today, it was definitely the most special day of my life.' Tarvet will not see much of the £99,000 he has earned for coming through qualifying and reaching the second round as he is still a US college student playing under national association rules. But he certainly gave Alcaraz a run for his money, breaking the two-time Wimbledon champion's serve twice. Alcaraz, now on a 20-match winning streak after his title successes in Rome, at the French Open and at Queen's Club, was full of praise for his opponent. 'I told him just congratulations for the run, keep it going, keep working hard,' he said. 'It seems like he's a really nice guy and a really nice, hard worker. It seems like he loves tennis. He played with such a good passion out there, that is really important. 'How far he can go, I don't know. If he chooses to stay in college, the level that we can see in college is pretty high. 'Let's see, if he keeps working hard, if he keeps practising hard and playing in a professional level, I think he can go far.' Elsewhere in SW19, fifth seed Taylor Fritz came through his second five-setter – this time just beating the 11pm curfew having fallen foul of it on Monday – to beat Canadian Gabriel Diallo 3-6 6-3 7-6 (0) 4-6 6-3. Teenage sensation Joao Fonseca brought hundreds of rowdy Brazilian fans to Court 12 and delighted them all by beating American Jenson Brooksby 6-4 5-7 6-2 6-4 to set up an all-South American clash with Chile's Nicolas Jarry. Russian 14th seed Andrey Rublev dropped the opening set against South African Lloyd Harris, but hit back to win in four and will face Adrian Mannarino of France in round three.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Emma Raducanu full of confidence after stylishly setting up Aryna Sabalenka test
The British number one produced one of her best performances at the All England Club to defeat former champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 6-3 on Centre Court. The Czech may be ranked down at 73 following shoulder problems but not only is she the 2023 title winner, she also defeated Sabalenka and Madison Keys on her way to winning the warm-up event in Berlin last month. That was something special from @EmmaRaducanu 😍 Through to the third round at @Wimbledon! — LTA (@the_LTA) July 2, 2025 'I feel amazing,' said a beaming Raducanu. 'I think that was just a really great match. Playing Marketa, I knew it was going to be very challenging. 'She's won Wimbledon. She's in amazing form right now having won Berlin. I'm just very proud of how I went out there and competed and kept committing and came through that one. 'I think that was one of the best matches I've played in a long time. At the same time, I didn't feel like I was doing anything outrageous, which gives me a lot of confidence. 'I think I was just doing the basics very, very well. I think I executed really well today. I'm just so happy to have that level. 'I think there's no better feeling than winning here at Wimbledon, winning on Centre Court. It honestly makes everything worth it. You forget about everything, all the ups and downs, when you're out there and you win. It's so fleeting.' Raducanu's reward, if it can be deemed as such, is a first meeting at a grand slam with a world number one. Sabalenka is yet to really find her stride at the All England Club this year, though, and is likely to feel a great deal of pressure having seen many of her rivals fall already. 'I think having won today against Marketa, she's also a really top opponent, so that gives me confidence, too, for my level,' said Raducanu. 'Of course, Aryna is number one in the world, been so dominant in the women's game as of the last few years. 'I know it's going to be a massive challenge. I'm going to have to play some really good tennis. For the rest of the evening I just want to savour that one and enjoy it.' She could consider herself unfortunate to come up against the top seed at this stage, but Raducanu added: 'You want to play the best. You are going to have to play them at some point if you want to win one of these tournaments. 'Even though it's early in the tournament, I'm looking forward to the opportunity.' Raducanu had beaten Vondrousova at the same stage four years ago to announce herself to the tennis world, and from the start of this contest the Kent player was clear-minded in how she wanted to play. She has lavished praise on coach Mark Petchey and this was another demonstration that the partnership, while unconventional given Petchey's broadcasting commitments, is proving a very positive one. The former US Open champion mixed up her tactics and defended well, while also taking the opportunities she created to step into the court and take control. Vondrousova looked to her box in frustration at several moments as Raducanu found the answers to everything the crafty Czech could throw at her. One deep defensive lob followed by a cross-court winner in the second set drew a prolonged ovation from the crowd, and Raducanu said: 'I turned one point around that I think is probably the best point I've ever played, so that was pretty crazy. 'I'm just so grateful to be playing in Centre Court. There was one moment in the second set where I looked up, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, how am I meant to hit the ball right now? I'm on Centre Court playing.' 'I managed to stay focused and locked in. It's pretty special when you take a moment to soak it all up what you're actually doing out there.'
