By Matthew Marolf
The British No.1 will face the 2017 US Open champion. A 23-time Major singles champion gets an early test in a rematch from last year’s semi-finals. A 20-time Major singles champion runs into his first seeded opposition, in a Slam semi-finalist from earlier this year. And an 18-time Major singles champion takes on a two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist. Who will survive and advance to the second week of The Championships?
Sloane Stephens (9) vs. Johanna Konta (19)
This is a rematch from the French Open quarterfinals last month, when Konta put on quite a serving display and easily dispatched of last year’s Roland Garros finalist. A semi-finalist at her home Slam two years ago, Johanna saw her ranking drop as low as 50th in the world last year during a severely rough patch in her career.
And while clay was never a good surface for Konta, she went on a terra baute tear this season, rediscovering her mojo. Johanna is now 3-0 against Sloane, with all those victories coming in 2019. And her serve should do even more damage on the grass. With the British crowd on No.1 Court firmly behind her, I like Konta’s chances to make it 4-0 against Stephens.
Serena Williams (11) vs. Julia Goerges (18)
Speaking of 4-0, that’s Serena’s record against Goerges. She’s never even dropped a set to the 30-year-old German. In last year’s semi-finals, Serena prevailed 6-2, 6-4. But Williams has battled injuries throughout 2019, and her slowed movement has been evident in her first two matches during this fortnight.
And that could prove costly when facing the offensive weapons of Goerges on this surface. Julia has been playing good grass court tennis, advancing to the final in Birmingham a few weeks ago. While this matchup still favours the seven-time champion, I expect Goerges to make this a much tighter battle than their previous encounters.
Roger Federer (2) vs. Lucas Pouille (27)
The 25-year-old Frenchman was a quarterfinalist here three years ago, and followed that up by also reaching the quarters in New York. In an impressive effort, Pouille took out Rafael Nadal in a fifth set tiebreak in the 2016 US Open. But he underperformed in the next two seasons, leading to him hiring 2006 Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach. The results came immediately, as Lucas reached his first Slam semi-final in Australia six months ago.
But the success did not last, as Pouille subsequently lost in the opening round of his next five tournaments. He reacted by playing a challenger event in Bordeaux, which got him back on the winning track as he claimed that clay court title. Lucas then went on to lose a heart-breaking five-setter to Martin Klizan in the second round of his home Major, though he did pick up a few impressive grass court wins over Feliciano Lopez and Daniil Medvedev leading up to this event.
Pouille was defeated in straight sets in his only previous match against Federer, which was five years ago on a hard court. After dropping the opening set of his first round match, Roger has looked sharp this first week. While Pouille will be his first true test here, Federer should advance comfortably. Lucas does not possess the fire power to trouble Roger on his favourite surface.
Rafael Nadal (3) vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Tsonga holds a relatively strong 4-7 record against this all-time great, which includes a win in their only grass court meeting. However, that was eight years ago, and in a best-of-three match at Queen’s Club. And it’s been a challenging few years for the 34-year-old Frenchman. After undergoing knee surgery last year, Tsonga ended 2018 ranked outside the top 200.
Despite that, he’s been able to accumulate 21 tour-level wins this season. And a few weeks ago in Halle, he pushed Federer all the way to 7-5 in the third before going down in defeat. He’ll likely embrace the opportunity to return to Centre Court, and always has a chance on this surface when he’s firing winners.
But Nadal is currently in top form, and will feel even more confident after eliminating Nick Kyrgios in a contentious second round match on Thursday. After several years of early round exists at SW19, Rafa should smoothly navigate his way to the second week of Wimbledon for the third straight year.
Kiki Bertens (4) vs. Barbora Strycova
The No.4 seed is lucky to still be alive in this tournament. American Taylor Townsend had an easy forehand on match point in the second round, but dumped it into the net. Bertens was able to then take the second set in a tiebreak, and ran away with the third 6-2. While she’ll find relief in having a second life this fortnight, the competition only intensifies here.
Strycova reached her only Major quarterfinal five years ago here, and has a game well-suited for the grass. Also, the 33-year-old Czech beat Bertens in their only previous meeting. Kiki herself was a quarterfinalist here a year ago, a surprising result considering her losing record at The All England Club up until that time. Strycova is still a threat, though her best singles days are likely behind her. Bertens should play more freely today after surviving Thursday’s scare, and book herself a spot on Manic Monday.
Other notable matches on Day 6:
French Open champion Ash Barty (1) vs. 22-year-old Brit Harriet Dart.
Two-Time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova (3) vs. Magda Linette, who upset Amanda Anisimova in the last round.
Kei Nishikori (8) vs. Steve Johnson, who survived a five setter over Alex de Minaur two days ago.
In the second round of the gentlemen’s doubles, Andy Murray and Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs. Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor (6).
And in their debut as a team, and their respective second matches of the day, Andy Murray and Serena Williams vs. Andreas Mies and Alexa Guarachi.
