With no play completed on the outer courts on Tuesday, and some matches from Monday also yet to be completed, Wednesday will be an extremely busy day around the grounds of The All England Club.
Thankfully, the forecast does not call for more rain on Wednesday. Much of Day 3’s schedule consists of first round matches, many of which were included in yesterday’s preview here. This preview will take a look at what is expected to be some of the more competitive second round matchups scheduled for Wednesday.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Daria Kasatkina (11) vs. Jodie Burrage (WC) – 1:30pm on Centre Court
Kasatkina is now 20-15 on the year, and 9-5 at Wimbledon, after a straight set win in the opening round. She was a quarterfinalist here back in 2018, and is coming off a run to the final last week in Eastbourne. With a versatile style perfect for grass, Daria feels overdue for another deep run at SW19.
Burrage is a 24-year-old British wild card who also reached a final at a grass court leadup event (Nottingham). During that run, she collected wins over names such Magda Linette and Alize Cornet. On Monday, Jodie earned her first victory at a Major by defeating Katy McNally in straight sets.
How will Burrage react to facing a top player in her home country, and on Centre Court no less? If she embraces the moment and the pressure, Jodie’s shown she has enough game to pull off the upset, though of course Kasatkina remains the favorite to advance.
Jannik Sinner (8) vs. Diego Schwartzman – Third on No.1 Court
Sinner is 33-10 in 2023, and looking to improve on his quarterfinal result from a year ago, when he was one set away from defeating Novak Djokovic. The 21-year-old Italian has now achieved four Slam quarterfinals, though he’s yet to go farther. After winning two grass court matches two weeks ago at Halle, he retired when down a set and a break to Alexander Bublik with an adductor injury.
Grass is far from Schwartzman’s favorite surface, and even after a comfortable straight-set win on Monday over Miomir Kecmanovic, he’s just 7-7 lifetime at the AELTC. And is his career, he’s only 10-15 on this surface.
Sinner is 3-0 against Schwartzman, beating him twice this year on clay, and back in 2021 on a hard court. While Diego’s defensive and returning abilities can give anyone trouble on any day, Jannik is a considerable favorite to make it 4-0 against Diego.
Andrey Rublev (7) vs. Aslan Karatsev – Not Before 4:30pm on No.3 Court
Rublev is having another strong season, with a record of 32-13, and is coming off a runner-up effort in Halle. But like Sinner, he’s still searching for his first Slam semifinal, as Andrey is now 0-7 in quarterfinals at this level. And he faces a tough second round draw in a friend he has never beaten.
Karatsev defeated Rublev in their only prior meeting, two years ago in Dubai. Aslan seems to enjoy competing against his Russian friends, as he’s also 4-1 against Daniil Medvedev. Karatsev was a surprise Australian Open semifinalist in 2021, in his first main draw appearance at a Major, and is now back to playing good tennis after the sophomore slump got the best of him in 2022.
However, Aslan only has four main draw wins in his career on grass. So while he’s a threat, Andrey is the favorite.
Alexander Bublik vs. J.J. Wolf – Not Before 4:30pm on Court 8
Is Bublik ready to be a serious title contender? He’s better known for his trick shots, and his occasional lack of effort in matches. But after a terrible start to this season, losing his first eight matches, he’s coming off a title run in Halle, where Alexander took out a load of impressive names: Coric, Struff, Sinner, Zverev, and Rublev.
Wolf is a 24-year-old American who likes playing at big events. This is only his fifth main draw appearance at a Major, yet he’s already reached the third round or better three times, including this year in Australia where he advanced to the fourth round, and was a set away from the quarterfinals.
I would be surprised if Bublik can replicate his Halle form in the best-of-five format. And Wolf has beaten him twice within the past year, both times on hard courts. But considering J.J. has only played five tour-level matches on grass, Alexander should be able to prevail.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo – Swiatek easily advanced on Monday, dropping just four games. She’s now 6-3 at Wimbledon, the only Major where she’s yet to reach the semifinals. Sorribes Tormo is 0-3 in the second round of Wimbledon, and only owns 10 career wins on grass.
Jordan Thompson vs. Novak Djokovic (2) – Djokovic earned his 87th victory at Wimbledon on Monday, and his 29th in a row. Thompson survived a five-setter against Brandon Nakashima on Monday to earn only his fourth win at SW19.
Elise Mertens (28) vs. Elina Svitolina (WC) – Both players prevailed in straight sets on Monday, with Svitolina notably defeating Venus Williams. Svitolina is 3-2 against Mertens, though they’ve never met on grass.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.