By Matthew Marolf
Serena Williams and Roger Federer will be heavy favorites today against opponents ranked outside the top 100, but Nadal gets to deal with the curious case of Nick Kyrgios. Meanwhile the women’s No.1 as well as the defending champion has been banished to No.2 Court, in a baffling decision by the scheduling department. But that shows just how loaded these halves of the singles draws are on what should be an extremely compelling Day 4 at The Championships.
Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Nick Kyrgios
Five years ago here at Wimbledon, Kyrgios made a name for himself by dismissing Nadal on Centre Court in the round of 16. That was Nick’s first of two times advancing to a Major quarterfinal, but it’s been over four years since he’s repeated that feat. The 24-year-old Australian now finds himself ranked outside the top 40, with only 19 wins over the past 52 weeks. But the often-uninvested Kyrgios usually gets up for matches against “The Big Three,” and he upset Nadal earlier this year in Acapulco on his way to that title.
Rafa presented Nick with a less-than-thrilled handshake following that loss, as there’s definitely some bad blood between these two. On the No Challenges Remaining podcast in May, Kyrgios described Nadal as acting “salty” whenever Nick defeats him. Rafa, like many, respects Nick’s talent, though not all his on-court antics, or all-too-common lack of effort. This all makes for a highly anticipated return to Centre Court for this rivalry, which is tied at 3-3 heading into today.
It will be crucial for Kyrgios to get an early lead and get into Nadal’s head, especially in a best-of-five match that significantly favors the fitness and fighting spirit of Rafa. In the past, there’s been times when Nadal has been rattled by opponents who do not show him full respect, such as Robin Soderling. But I expect Nadal to take Kyrgios out rather easily today. He’ll be eager to avenge his loss here from 2014, and Nick has not been playing well or focusing well of late.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Alison Van Uytvanck
The French Open and Birmingham champion is on a 13-match win streak, but runs into a tricky opponent in her second round. Van Uytvanck made the round of 16 here a year ago, with upsets over Garbine Muguruza and Anett Kontaveit. And she took out two-time Major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova on Tuesday. The 25-year-old from Belgium has flat groundstrokes well-suited for the grass, though no WTA player’s game may be better suited for grass than that of the world No.1. In their only previous meeting, Barty prevailed last summer at the Rogers Cup in straight sets. With all the confidence she’s currently playing with, I suspect we’ll see a similar result here.
Petra Kvitova (3) vs. Kiki Mladenovic
Kvitova looked to be in fine form on Tuesday despite the left arm injury that forced her to miss over a month of action. Petra has beaten Kiki seven of the eight times they’ve played, though Mladenovic has been a much more confident player since adding Sascha Bajin to her team. That being said, grass is historically Mladenovic’s worst surface, as she has a losing record at SW19. This should be rather smooth sailing for the two-time champion, but will be a good indication of just how serious a contender Kvitova should be considered.
Jan-Lennard Struff (33) vs. Taylor Fritz
This is a rare second round encounter between two players ranked 33rd or higher in the world. Struff got bumped up into a seeded position in the draw when Borna Coric withdrew from the tournament. And Fritz is now actually ranked slightly higher than Struff thanks to his title win last week in Eastbourne, a result that occurred after the seedings for this tournament were set.
The 29-year-old German is nearly a decade older than Fritz, but the veteran is coming off his best result at a Major, having made the fourth round of Roland Garros six weeks ago. Both men are currently at career-high rankings, and both easily won their first round matches in straight sets. In their first career meeting, I give the slight edge to Fritz, who is on a six-match grass court winning streak, and seems the more comfortable player on this surface.
Matteo Berrettini (17) vs. Marcos Baghdatis
The 34-year-old Cypriot has announced he will retire after this tournament. A semi-finalist here in 2006, Baghdatis has spent most of this season playing challenger events, as he’s ranked outside the top 100. Marcos got a solid, straight set win in the first round, though he now faces one of the fastest-rising stars on tour. The 23-year-old Italian started the year ranked outside the top 50, but recently debuted inside the top 20 after claiming two titles within two months. Berrettini triumphed on clay in Budapest as well as on grass in Stuttgart. Matteo is obviously comfortable on grass, as he also reached the semis in Halle. In his title run in Stuttgart, he didn’t face a break point the entire week. Based on Berrettini’s current level, this will likely be the swan song for the ever-likable Baghdatis.
Other notable matches on Day 4:
Seven-time champion Serena Williams (11) vs. Kaja Juvan (Q), an 18-year-old from Slovenia.
Eight-time champion Roger Federer (2) vs. Jay Clarke (WC), a 20-year-old from Great Britain.
Defending champion Angelique Kerber (5) vs. Lauren Davis (LL), who has struggled mightily since her epic match with Simona Halep at the 2018 Australian Open.
Kei Nishikori (8) vs. Cameron Norrie, a 23-year-old and current British No.2.
Kiki Bertens (4) vs. Taylor Townshend, a 23-year-old lefty from the United States.
