With many of Day 1’s 64 matches not completed, Day 2’s Order of Play is jam-packed with 80 matches around the grounds. And with rain again possible on Tuesday, the tournament is at risk of falling further behind schedule.
Centre Court on Tuesday sees world No.1 Ash Barty open play in the spot normally reserved for the defending ladies’ singles champion, but unfortunately Simona Halep was forced to withdraw due to injury. Barty will face Carla Suarez Navarro, who just recently announced she is cancer-free after being diagnosed last year with Hodgkin Lymphoma. They are joined on Centre Court by the most decorated duo of No.6 and No.7 seeds in history: 23-time Major singles champion Serena Williams, and 20-time champ Roger Federer.
Each day of the fortnight, this preview will highlight the five most intriguing matchups, while outlining the other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play will begin at 11:00am local time on all outer courts, 1:00pm on No.1 Court, and 1:30pm on Centre Court.
Ash Barty (1) vs. Carla Suarez Navarro – 1:30pm on Centre Court
This will be Barty’s first match since retiring during the second round of Roland Garros due to a left hip injury, meaning she hasn’t played a match on grass since this event two years ago. And Suarez Navarro has only played one match on any surface since returning from her cancer battle. Carla has announced she will retire after this summer’s US Open, so this could very well be her last match at Wimbledon. This will be their first career meeting. Despite her recent injury, Barty is a strong favorite on grass, especially considering the Spaniard’s lack of match play. Regardless, it will certainly be a special moment to watch Suarez Navarro walk onto the sport’s most prestigious court so shortly after being declared cancer-free.
Roger Federer (7) vs. Adrian Mannarino – Second on Centre Court
The last time Federer stepped onto Centre Court, he squandered two championship points in the fifth set of the 2019 final, eventually going down in defeat to Novak Djokovic in the tournament’s first-ever 12-all tiebreak. After undergoing two knee surgeries last year, he’s only played eight matches, with a record of 5-3. Roger went just 1-1 two weeks ago in Halle, playing at a subpar level in a straight-set defeat at the hands of Felix Auger-Aliassime. His preparation for this event has been far from ideal, but the eight-time champion remains a heavy favorite against Mannarino, who celebrates his 33rd birthday on Tuesday. Federer is 6-0 against the Frenchman, and has only lost one of 16 sets they’ve played. Roger has twice defeated Adrian in straight sets at The Championships, and while the left-handed Mannarino can be a tricky opponent, there’s no evidence to support a much different outcome on this day.
Daniil Medvedev (2) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff – Third on No.1 Court
Just two weeks ago in Halle, Struff upset Medvedev in the opening round. But Struff would lose his next two matches in grass court warmup events, while the Russian rebounded quickly to win the title last week in Mallorca. Medvedev has claimed their other three tour-level meetings. The 31-year-old German has played some of his best tennis of late, debuting inside the top 30 last summer. And he upset another Russian, Andrey Rublev, in the first round of the last Major. However, in the best-of-five format, the cerebral No.2 seed should have enough time to figure out a way to advance beyond Struff
Ugo Humbert (21) vs. Nick Kyrgios – Third on Court 12
This is a rematch from February’s Australian Open, where Kyrgios outlasted Humbert in an epic battle 6-4 in the fifth. The 26-year-old Australian went down in defeat to Dominic Thiem in the next round, and hasn’t played a match since. Nick was scheduled to return to action two weeks ago at Queen’s Club, but withdrew due to a neck injury. That same week, Humbert was winning the event in Halle, the biggest title of his career to date. The 23-year-old Frenchman has now won three titles since the beginning of last year, and reached the fourth round of this event in 2019. Humbert should be considered a significant favorite against Kyrgios, who is sorely lacking match play and likely still not 100% healthy.
Bianca Andreescu (5) vs. Alize Cornet – Fifth on No.2 Court
Just 13 days ago in Berlin, Cornet defeated the 2019 US Open champ after two tightly-contested sets. The 21-year-old Canadian has only played four tour-level matches on grass in her career. Cornet is the far more experienced player, especially on this surface, and achieved perhaps the biggest victory of her life at this event. In 2014, she upset Serena Williams 6-4 in the third. Alize’s victory over Bianca wasn’t her only impressive win in Berlin, where she also took out Garbine Muguruza in a third-set tiebreak. It’s a mistake to count out Andreescu based on the fight she has exhibited in big tournaments, but Cornet is a gritty competitor who may even be a slight favorite against the No.5 seed.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Serena Williams (7) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich – Serena is 19-0 in the first round of Wimbledon. Sasnovich is only 1-2 lifetime at this event.
Hubert Hurkacz (14) vs. Lorenzo Musetti – Since winning the Miami Open earlier this year, Hurkacz is now 0-6, which includes a loss to Musetti in Rome. This will be the 19-year-old Italian’s first-ever ATP match on grass.
Angelique Kerber (25) vs. Nina Stojanovic – Last week in her home country, Kerber earned her first title since she won Wimbledon in 2018. Stojanovic was a semifinalist earlier this month on the grass of Nottingham.
Sascha Zverev (4) vs. Tallon Griekspoor (Q) – This is the only Major where Zverev is yet to reach the quarterfinals or better. 24-year-old Griekspoor won two Challenger events this year on clay.
Coco Gauff (20) vs. Francesca Jones (WC) – It was two years ago at this tournament when Coco-mania was born, with her thrilling run to the round of 16 as a 15-year-old. Jones is a 20-year-old Brit ranked outside the top 200.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.