First round singles action is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday. But with some matches carried over from Monday, and with rain possible throughout the day Tuesday, that will be challenging at best.
Weather permitting, two-time Major runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem in a high-profile opening round matchup on Tuesday, which is bizarrely scheduled out on Court 2. Other ATP players making their Wimbledon 2023 debuts on Day 2 include two-time champion Andy Murray and the last two US Open champs: Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz.
As per tradition, Day 2 play on Centre Court will be opened by the defending ladies’ singles champion Elena Rybakina. Last year’s runner-up, Ons Jabeur, will also be featured on Tuesday, as will this year’s Australian Open champ Aryna Sabalenka and recent Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) – 11:00am on Court 2
Neither player refers to grass as their favorite surface, nor does either arrive at SW19 with much confidence. Tsitsipas is 5-5 lifetime at The Championships, and while he’s 30-12 overall this season, the Greek went 1-3 at grass court leadup events. Stefanos has been dealing with a wrist injury, which was taped up and appeared to be bothering him during practice on Monday.
Thiem understands wrist injuries all too well, as he’s yet to come close to recapturing his Major-winning form of three years since undergoing wrist surgery. The Austrian is 5-6 at Wimbledon, and is on a five-match losing streak on grass, dating all the way to 2018. And Dominic is just 7-14 this year at tour level.
Thiem narrowly leads their head-to-head 5-4, and while they’ve never met on grass, he leads 4-2 on hard courts. They played just two months ago on clay in Madrid, with Tsitsipas escaping the upset in a third-set tiebreak. Stefanos would normally be the favorite to even this rivalry at 5-5, but with his ailing wrist, it would not be surprising to see Dominic prevail.
Ryan Peniston (WC) vs. Andy Murray – Second on Centre Court
The winner of this matchup will face the winner of Tsitsipas/Thiem in the second round. And this could be a golden opportunity for the two-time Olympic gold medalist to make his deepest run at a Major in quite some time. Murray won two Challenger titles a few weeks ago on grass, as he aims to reach the second week of a Slam for the first time since this event in 2017, at the Slam where he has by far won the most matches (60).
Peniston is a 27-year-old fellow Brit who made waves during 2022’s grass court season with upsets over Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. But Ryan only owns one career win at a Major, which occurred here a year ago. And he has never been ranked inside the top 100. In his first career meeting with the all-time great Brit, and on Centre Court of all places, Peniston will likely be outmatched and overwhelmed.
Frances Tiafoe (10) vs. Yibing Wu – Last on Court 12
Is Tiafoe ready to make another deep run at a Major? The American is in the Alcaraz quarter of the draw, where the two could meet in a rematch of their excellent five-setter from last year’s US Open semifinals. Tiafoe is 28-10 this season, and won a grass court title a few weeks ago in Stuttgart.
Yibing is one of the breakout stars of the first half of 2022. The 22-year-old started the year ranked outside the top 100, but has cut that in half, mostly thanks to his title run in Dallas. He is the highest-ranked male Chinese player in history, and the first Chinese man in the Open Era to win an ATP title.
This should be a fun first-time encounter, between two of the ATP’s speediest players. But the superior power of Tiafoe makes him a considerable favorite, especially since Yibing is only 1-3 lifetime on grass.
Karolina Muchova (16) vs. Jule Niemeier – Last on Court 18
Can Muchova follow-up on her breakthrough run to the Roland Garros final from last month? This will be her first match since losing that high-quality final to Swiatek. But Karolina’s initial success at a Major came at this event, reaching the quarterfinals in her first two appearances (2019, 2021).
Niemeier achieved that same feat a year ago, in a surprise run to the quarters of The Championships, and getting just a few points away from the semifinals. While she is a dismal 6-17 on the year, Jule did defeat Ons Jabeur two weeks ago in Berlin on grass.
This should be another entertaining first career meeting, as both players possess styles suitable for this surface, employing plenty of slices. But based on their form this season, and the pressure Niemeier will surely feel defending so many points for the first time, Muchova should be favored to advance.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Matteo Berrettini vs. Lorenzo Sonego – Berrettini was the runner-up here two years ago, but is only 7-7 this season, as he’s been battling an abdominal injury. And just a few weeks ago in Stuttgart, he lost to Sonego 6-1, 6-2, with Matteo leaving the court in tears due to his physical limitations.
Shelby Rogers vs. Elena Rybakina (3) – Rybakina is now 33-8 on the year, though she went just 1-1 on grass after withdrawing from Roland Garros due to illness. Rogers is 14-13 in 2023, and only 4-6 lifetime at this tournament. Elena leads their head-to-head 3-2, though Shelby defeated her last season on grass.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Jeremy Chardy – Alcaraz is a stellar 40-4 this year, and is coming off a grass court title at Queens Club. Chardy has announced this will be the last tournament of his career, and he’s only played four tour-level matches this season.
Ons Jabeur (6) vs. Magdalena Frech – Jabeur has battled injuries throughout the year, and is just 16-9. Frech is a 25-year-old from Poland who reached the third round here a year ago. Earlier this season at Indian Wells, Jabeur bested Frech in three sets.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (31) vs. Arthur Fils – This is a rematch from the same round of Roland Garros, where Davidovich Fokina prevailed in four sets just days after Fils won his first ATP title. Both men went 0-2 in the main draws of grass court leadup events.
Milos Raonic vs. Dennis Novak – This will only be Raonic’s second tournament since July of 2021, as injuries have completely disrupted the 32-year-old’s career. Five years ago at this event, he beat Novak in four sets.
Panna Udvardy vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka is 35-7 this season, and reached the semifinals the last time she played Wimbledon. Udvardy’s lone main draw victory at a Slam came at this event 12 months ago.
Daniil Medvedev (3) vs. Arthur Fery (WC) – Medvedev leads the ATP with 41 match wins through the first six months of 2023, but this is the only Major where he’s yet to advance beyond the fourth round. Fery is a 21-year-old British wild card ranked 391st in the world.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
