With the tournament still backlogged due to rain early in the week, Friday provides one of the strongest daily schedules you’ll find all year, featuring both second and third round singles action.
Stan Wawrinka has defeated Novak Djokovic at all three other Majors, yet the 38-year-old stated on Thursday that he does not “stand a chance” against Novak on Centre Court at Wimbledon. But was Stan being coy? Does he really believe that’s true?
That’s just one of a smorgasbord of great matchups on Day 5. Other names featured include reigning Slam champs Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka. And Friday will also see the conclusion of the second round encounter between Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas, which was suspended on Thursday night with Murray leading two-sets-to-one.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Alex de Minaur (15) – Second on Court 18
It’s been a tough season for Matteo Berrettini. After losing a heartbreaking five-setter to Andy Murray in Melbourne, where he missed an easy put away while holding match point, Berrettini just can’t stay healthy. The Italian has missed about half the season, mostly due to an abdominal injury. In his comeback match a few weeks ago in Stuttgart, he left the court in tears, as he was clearly not physically ready to compete. But on Thursday, he completed a first-round victory over the same man who beat him in Stuttgart, his good friend Lorenzo Sonego. Of course Matteo was the runner-up here two years ago, and unfortunately missed last year’s Wimbledon due to contracting COVID-19.
De Minaur is 22-13 this year, and is coming off a run to the final of Queen’s Club. At that event, he earned wins over the likes of Andy Murray and Holger Rune. Alex reached the round of 16 at W19 a year ago, his best result to date.
So what will win out on Friday: the power of Matteo, or the speed of Alex? They have split two prior tour-level matches, with their grass court meeting going to Berrettini. But based on recent form and health, de Minaur is a slight favorite to prevail in this second round matchup.
Daria Kasatkina (12) vs. Victoria Azarenka (19) – Third on Court 12
Kasatkina has easily advanced to this stage, dropping only seven games through four sets. Azarenka survived a stern test in the opening round from Yue Yuan, but beat Nadia Podoroska 6-3, 6-0 on Thursday.
Vika has taken all three of their prior encounters, though Daria was forced to retire the last time they played due to injury. And they’ve never met on grass, a surface which should favor Kasatkina’s variety. Yet Azarenka is the one who is a two-time semifinalist at The Championships, back in 2011 and 2012, with Kasatkina only reaching a quarterfinal back in 2018.
Both players have similar win-loss records in 2023. But on this surface, I give Daria the edge despite their head-to-head history.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Petra Martic (30) – Third on Centre Court
Swiatek is now 40-6 this year, as she looks to become a threat on grass after her recent domination on clay and hard courts. And she’s done just that during this grass court season thus far, with a 5-0 record. However, she’s still just 7-3 at Wimbledon, and is yet to advance beyond the fourth round.
That’s also Martic’s best result at this tournament, which she’s achieved three times. Martic is 19-14 on the year, and has a style similar to Kasatkina’s, which this surface often rewards. But considering Petra is 0-2 against Iga, with neither matchup being close, Swiatek is a strong favorite to advance on Day 5.
Stan Wawrinka vs. Novak Djokovic (3) – Fourth on Centre Court
Djokovic has a whole lotta streaks going on: 23 matches at Majors, 30 matches at Wimbledon, and 41 matches on Centre Court. Amazingly, Novak has not lost on Centre Court since 2013. He’s now 29-4 overall this year, and comfortably won his first two rounds in straight sets.
Wawrinka is 17-12 this year at all levels, and is into the third round of a Slam for the first time in over three years, with the loss of only one set. But this is easily the worst Major in his career, with a record of just 22-16 despite two quarterfinal appearances.
Stan is 4-4 against Novak at Slams, and they’ve played some epic matches at this level. After losing two five-setters at Majors to Djokovic is 2013, Wawrinka finally upended him at the 2014 Australian Open by a score of 9-7 in the fifth, on his way to his first Slam title. He then defeated Novak in two Major finals: the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open.
But overall, Djokovic is 20-6 against Wawrinka, in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 2006. And on this surface, and this court of all courts, Stan is likely correct in stating he doesn’t stand much of a chance against Novak. Regardless, it will be fun to these two old rivals battle on a big stage one more time.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Alexandre Muller – Alcaraz is 41-4 in 2023, and now 10-2 in his career on grass. Muller is a 26-year-old Frenchman who has won 36 matches this season at all levels, mostly at Challengers.
Varvara Gracheva vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka is 36-7 on the year, and was a semifinalist here two years ago. Gracheva just recently started representing France instead of her birth country of Russia, and took out another big hitter, Camila Giorgi, in the first round.
Lorenzo Musetti (14) vs. Hubert Hurkacz (17) – Both men are yet to drop a set through two rounds, so this could be a gripping third round contest. Musetti leads their head-to-head 2-1, though Hurkacz claimed their only meeting on grass, two years ago at this same event.
Bianca Andreescu vs. Anhelina Kalinina (26) – Andreescu is just 14-13 this season, as she still struggles to rediscover her 2019 form. Kalinina was a surprise finalist two months ago in Rome on clay.
Cameron Norrie (12) vs. Christopher Eubanks – Norrie reached the semifinals here last year, and is now 32-12 this year. 27-year-old Eubanks is having the season of his life, winning 31 matches at all levels, and claiming his first ATP title just last week in Mallorca.
Marketa Vondrousova vs. Donna Vekic (20) – Vekic made a dramatic comeback on Thursday, from a set and 3-0 down against Sloane Stephens. On the same day, Vondrousova upset 12th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova. Vekic claimed their only previous meeting, five years ago in Hobart on a hard court.
Elina Svitolina (WC) vs. Sofia Kenin (Q) – Svitolina has already notched two impressive wins this week, over Venus Williams and Elise Mertens. Kenin upset Coco Gauff on Monday, in an extremely high-quality affair. Svitolina is 3-2 against Kenin, with all five matches taking place in 2019.
Andrey Rublev (7) vs. David Goffin (WC) – Both players have reached quarterfinals at three different Majors, but are yet to advance farther. Rublev has taken both of their prior encounters, though both were close.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
