With rain forcing the cancellation of a few matches on Tuesday, the tournament will try to get back on schedule on Wednesday. For a preview of the rescheduled contest between Daniil Medvedev and Aslan Karatsev, click here to see Tuesday’s preview. Thankfully, Wednesday’s forecast looks rather dry.
In women’s singles, nine of the top 10 in the world will be in action, and a total of 10 Major champions. The most marquee matchup features two of those Slam champs facing off, as Simona Halep takes on Angelique Kerber. And notably, Serena Williams will make her 2021 clay court debut.
In men’s singles, seven of the top 10 will play their second round matches, which does not include Novak Djokovic. He already advanced to the third round on Tuesday despite a rain delay, and despite an explosive exchange with the chair umpire, who allowed Novak’s match to continue amidst heavy rainfall. On Wednesday, nine-time champion Rafael Nadal will face Italian teenage phenom Jannik Sinner, in a rematch from last fall’s Roland Garros.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s two most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play begins at 10:00am local time.
Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Jannik Sinner – Not before 6:00pm on Center Court
In the quarterfinals of last year’s French Open, Nadal prevailed over Sinner in straight sets. That was easily Jannik’s best performance at a Major to date, as he’s just 1-4 outside of that run. But Sinner has found plenty of success elsewhere. Over the last six months, he won his first two ATP titles, and reached the final of the Miami Masters. On the clay of Barcelona, he scored impressive wins over both Roberto Bautista Agut and Andrey Rublev.
Nadal won his 12th title in Barcelona, though he was in subpar form during his losses in both Monte-Carlo and Madrid. Except for a blip in 2008 when he lost in the opening round of Rome to Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rafa has never failed to reach the quarterfinals here. I’m curious to see if the lack of fans in the stadium impacts the Italian: will he relax in that environment, or miss the energy of the partisan crowd? He rarely shows his emotions on court, so I’m not sure he’ll mind the quiet. A win for Sinner would definitively be the biggest of his career, but Nadal remains the favorite in spite of some recent struggles.
Simona Halep (3) vs. Angelique Kerber – Fifth on Grand Stand Arena
Halep is the defending champion of this event, which was part of a 17-match win streak last season. But in 2021, Simona is a modest 11-4 thus far, and is yet to reach a final, though it’s worth noting she did suffer a shoulder injury in March. Kerber is only 7-7 on the year, and hasn’t been in the final of any event in nearly two years. Her troubles on clay continue: since the start of 2019, Angelique is 5-6 on the red dirt. And she’s lost in the first round of Roland Garros in four of the last five years.
These two friends, and occasional doubles partners, have had some epic battles in the past. Their 2018 Australian Open semifinal was most memorable, when Halep outlasted Kerber 9-7 in the third after saving match points. Overall, Simona leads their head-to-head 6-5, and they’re 1-1 on clay. But on this surface, Halep must be favored, especially at an event where she’s advanced to the final in three of the last four years.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Serena Williams (8) vs. Nadia Podoroska – This will be Serena’s first match since her Australian Open semifinal loss to Naomi Osaka three months ago, and her first on clay since last September’s Roland Garros That was Podoroska’s breakout event, where she made a surprise run to the semifinals.
Naomi Osaka (2) vs. Jessica Pegula – Osaka has only played three matches on clay since the 2019 French Open. Both players have achieved their best success on hard courts. Naomi claimed their only previous meeting, two years ago in Beijing.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova (SR) – Barty is coming off a loss in the final of Madrid, where she appeared to be slightly hampered by a leg injury. On Tuesday, Shvedova earned her first tour-level win in four years, taking out Italian wild card Martina Trevisan in a third set tiebreak. Shvedova missed several years of competition due to injury and childbirth.
Sofia Kenin (4) vs. Barbora Krejcikova – This will be Kenin’s first match without her father Alex as her coach. Krejcikova was a doubles champion last week in Madrid, and dropped only two games in her opening match here.
Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Amanda Anisimova – Svitolina is a two-time champion of this event. 19-year-old Anisimova was a semifinalist two years ago at Roland Garros. They’ve split two previous meetings, both on hard courts.
Aryna Sabalenka (7) vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo – Sabalenka won her third WTA 1000 title on Sunday in Madrid. Sorribes Tormo survived a near-four-hour marathon against Camila Giorgi on Monday night. Sabalenka defeated Sorribes Tormo last October in Ostrava.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) vs. Marin Cilic – Tsitsipas is 10-2 on clay this season, as he won the title in Monte-Carlo and reached the final of Barcelona. Cilic reached the semifinals of Estoril a few weeks ago. Cilic is 1-0 against Tsitsipas, though that match occurred four years ago on a hart court.
Dominic Thiem (4) vs. Marton Fucsovics – Thiem is only 8-5 lifetime in Rome, and is currently on a three-match losing streak here. Fucsovics advanced to the fourth round of last year’s French Open. Thiem has taken all their prior clashes in straight sets.
Sascha Zverev (6) vs. Hugo Dellien (Q) – Zverev is coming off his fourth Masters title last week, and won this event four years ago. 27-year-old Dellien is ranked 127th in the world, and lost to Zverev 6-3 in the third when they met two years ago in Geneva.
Matteo Berrettini (9) vs. John Millman – On Tuesday, less than 48 hours after losing in the final of Madrid, Berrettini survived a three-setter against Nikoloz Basilashvili. Millman has a losing record in his tour-level career on clay, but has impressively accumulated seven wins on this surface since last month.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
