Monday
Christopher Eubanks +3.5 +102 x 2
Matteo Berrettini +3.5 -115 x 4
Christopher Eubanks +3.5 +102 x 2
Matteo Berrettini +3.5 -115 x 4
Matteo Berrettini wasn't initially regarded as a significant challenge for Carlos Alcaraz at the beginning of the tournament. However, considerable developments have occurred in the past few days, and now the Italian poses as the primary obstacle for the top seed to overcome in order to set up a rematch with world #2 Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard learned a valuable lesson during his grass-court journey in the third round at Wimbledon, facing the powerful server Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean presented a different type of challenge and caused Alcaraz to face difficulties at various stages of the match. However, the experience gained from this encounter will benefit the world #1 in the years to come, particularly when he competes on grass. This experience will prove especially valuable in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, where he will face another formidable server who is even more potent than Jarry.
In his inaugural full season on grass, the 20-year-old has achieved remarkable success by remaining undefeated thus far, although his performances have left room for improvement. He previously emerged victorious in the only grass-court tournament he participated in this year, the ATP London, and has only dropped a single set on his path to the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
The current reigning US Open champion, who also reached the semifinals of this year's French Open, is on the brink of achieving his first-ever quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon. In the previous edition of the tournament, he made it to the round of 16 but was ultimately defeated in four sets by the Italian Jannik Sinner.
Matteo Berrettini's remarkable improvement in both performance and fitness in recent days has been truly astounding and, it must be acknowledged, quite unexpected as well. This turnaround from the Italian has significantly altered the dynamics of the top half of the draw. While it was not surprising to see Berrettini excel on the grass court after being sidelined for several months, his disappointing display against fellow countryman Lorenzo Sonego in Stuttgart last month, as well as a slow start to his Wimbledon campaign against the same opponent, raised doubts about his prospects in the tournament.
Last year, the big-serving Italian also experienced a period of nearly three months without playing any competitive matches due to injury before entering the grass swing. Surprisingly, the lack of action did not hinder his performance on grass, as he went on to win nine consecutive matches and claim two ATP titles. Unfortunately, he was unable to maintain that momentum at Wimbledon, as he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID.
The former world #6 has participated in the tournament three times (excluding 2023), and two of his losses were against players who hold a total of 15 Wimbledon titles between them. In 2019, he was defeated by Roger Federer in the round of 16, and in his most recent appearance in 2021, he fell to Novak Djokovic in the final.
Head-to-head: Carlos Alcaraz leads 2-1 (0-1 in slams, five-setter at the Australian Open 2022, R3). This is the biggest test of Carlos Alcaraz's career on grass so far, as Berrettini poses a much greater threat in these conditions compared to Jannik Sinner, who defeated Alcaraz at the same stage of Wimbledon last year. Unless the Italian experiences a physical breakdown as the match progresses and the intensity rises, he has a real chance of ending Alcaraz's pursuit of revenge against Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard learned a valuable lesson during his grass-court journey in the third round at Wimbledon, facing the powerful server Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean presented a different type of challenge and caused Alcaraz to face difficulties at various stages of the match. However, the experience gained from this encounter will benefit the world #1 in the years to come, particularly when he competes on grass. This experience will prove especially valuable in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, where he will face another formidable server who is even more potent than Jarry.
In his inaugural full season on grass, the 20-year-old has achieved remarkable success by remaining undefeated thus far, although his performances have left room for improvement. He previously emerged victorious in the only grass-court tournament he participated in this year, the ATP London, and has only dropped a single set on his path to the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
The current reigning US Open champion, who also reached the semifinals of this year's French Open, is on the brink of achieving his first-ever quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon. In the previous edition of the tournament, he made it to the round of 16 but was ultimately defeated in four sets by the Italian Jannik Sinner.
Matteo Berrettini's remarkable improvement in both performance and fitness in recent days has been truly astounding and, it must be acknowledged, quite unexpected as well. This turnaround from the Italian has significantly altered the dynamics of the top half of the draw. While it was not surprising to see Berrettini excel on the grass court after being sidelined for several months, his disappointing display against fellow countryman Lorenzo Sonego in Stuttgart last month, as well as a slow start to his Wimbledon campaign against the same opponent, raised doubts about his prospects in the tournament.
Last year, the big-serving Italian also experienced a period of nearly three months without playing any competitive matches due to injury before entering the grass swing. Surprisingly, the lack of action did not hinder his performance on grass, as he went on to win nine consecutive matches and claim two ATP titles. Unfortunately, he was unable to maintain that momentum at Wimbledon, as he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID.
The former world #6 has participated in the tournament three times (excluding 2023), and two of his losses were against players who hold a total of 15 Wimbledon titles between them. In 2019, he was defeated by Roger Federer in the round of 16, and in his most recent appearance in 2021, he fell to Novak Djokovic in the final.
Head-to-head: Carlos Alcaraz leads 2-1 (0-1 in slams, five-setter at the Australian Open 2022, R3). This is the biggest test of Carlos Alcaraz's career on grass so far, as Berrettini poses a much greater threat in these conditions compared to Jannik Sinner, who defeated Alcaraz at the same stage of Wimbledon last year. Unless the Italian experiences a physical breakdown as the match progresses and the intensity rises, he has a real chance of ending Alcaraz's pursuit of revenge against Novak Djokovic.
Even in years when Stefanos Tsitsipas appeared to be a strong contender in slams and other big tournaments, he often experienced early exits at Wimbledon. However, surprisingly, this year he arrived at the grass swing without much preparation, confidence, or motivation, but managed to achieve a rare feat by making it to the second week of the grass-court Slam.
A significant factor contributing to Stefanos Tsitsipas' success at this year's Wimbledon is undoubtedly his favorable draw. Thus far, the opponents he has faced have all been lacking in certain aspects. While early opponents Dominic Thiem and Andy Murray possess a big game and considerable experience in big matches, neither of them is currently fit enough to pose a challenge to top-5 players. On the other hand, Tsitsipas' most recent opponent, Laslo Djere, may be in good form, but he lacks the grass-court skills and significant experience in high-stakes matches to be considered a genuine threat to someone like Tsitsipas.
With one more Grand Slam yet to be played, the 24-year-old has already achieved his career-best season at the Grand Slam level. Prior to this year, he had never won 13 matches in Grand Slams in a single season. He notably reached the final of the Australian Open in January, where he finished as the runner-up to Novak Djokovic. In the French Open, he made it to the quarterfinals but was halted by the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz.
Prior to this year, the world #5 had only once contested for a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, which occurred in 2018. Unfortunately, he was defeated in straight sets, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7, by the American player known for his strong serving abilities, John Isner, during the round of 16.
Christopher Eubanks took a significant stride towards securing a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in his debut main-draw appearance. He achieved this by narrowly defeating Christopher O'Connell in three consecutive tiebreakers, with a score of 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. Notably, Eubanks has been formidable on serve, hitting an impressive 72 aces while only surrendering his serve four times across the 11 sets he has played thus far in the tournament.
Despite a discouraging start to the year in Pune, where he had to withdraw from the tournament due to breathing issues during practice, the American has remarkably transformed his season into his best yet within just six months. His upward trajectory began with a quarterfinal appearance at the Miami Masters, and he recently reached a new milestone by securing his first ATP title in Mallorca a few days ago.
In recent months, his performances against top-ranked players have displayed a notable improvement. He showcased admirable resilience in his quarterfinal battle against eventual champion Daniil Medvedev at the Miami Masters. On clay in Paris, he managed to claim a set against Holger Rune, highlighting his competitiveness. Most recently, he achieved the biggest victory of his career by upsetting world #13 Cameron Norrie in the second round at Wimbledon.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Considering their recent form, it appears that Christopher Eubanks might be the one facing more pressure in the upcoming round-of-16 match. Much will rely on his ability to manage the pressure and maintain composure on the grand stage, as there is no doubting his game and form to trouble Stefanos Tsitsipas on grass.
A significant factor contributing to Stefanos Tsitsipas' success at this year's Wimbledon is undoubtedly his favorable draw. Thus far, the opponents he has faced have all been lacking in certain aspects. While early opponents Dominic Thiem and Andy Murray possess a big game and considerable experience in big matches, neither of them is currently fit enough to pose a challenge to top-5 players. On the other hand, Tsitsipas' most recent opponent, Laslo Djere, may be in good form, but he lacks the grass-court skills and significant experience in high-stakes matches to be considered a genuine threat to someone like Tsitsipas.
With one more Grand Slam yet to be played, the 24-year-old has already achieved his career-best season at the Grand Slam level. Prior to this year, he had never won 13 matches in Grand Slams in a single season. He notably reached the final of the Australian Open in January, where he finished as the runner-up to Novak Djokovic. In the French Open, he made it to the quarterfinals but was halted by the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz.
Prior to this year, the world #5 had only once contested for a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, which occurred in 2018. Unfortunately, he was defeated in straight sets, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7, by the American player known for his strong serving abilities, John Isner, during the round of 16.
Christopher Eubanks took a significant stride towards securing a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in his debut main-draw appearance. He achieved this by narrowly defeating Christopher O'Connell in three consecutive tiebreakers, with a score of 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. Notably, Eubanks has been formidable on serve, hitting an impressive 72 aces while only surrendering his serve four times across the 11 sets he has played thus far in the tournament.
Despite a discouraging start to the year in Pune, where he had to withdraw from the tournament due to breathing issues during practice, the American has remarkably transformed his season into his best yet within just six months. His upward trajectory began with a quarterfinal appearance at the Miami Masters, and he recently reached a new milestone by securing his first ATP title in Mallorca a few days ago.
In recent months, his performances against top-ranked players have displayed a notable improvement. He showcased admirable resilience in his quarterfinal battle against eventual champion Daniil Medvedev at the Miami Masters. On clay in Paris, he managed to claim a set against Holger Rune, highlighting his competitiveness. Most recently, he achieved the biggest victory of his career by upsetting world #13 Cameron Norrie in the second round at Wimbledon.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Considering their recent form, it appears that Christopher Eubanks might be the one facing more pressure in the upcoming round-of-16 match. Much will rely on his ability to manage the pressure and maintain composure on the grand stage, as there is no doubting his game and form to trouble Stefanos Tsitsipas on grass.
Daniil Medvedev encountered two challenging opponents in the last two rounds, but he handled them impressively, dropping only a single set across both matches. His opponents included former ATP 's-Hertogenbosch champion Adrian Mannarino and former Boys' Wimbledon champion Marton Fucsovics.
Earlier this year, the Russian consistently achieved quarterfinal (or better) results in tournaments, often emerging as the champion. However, a couple of unexpected defeats in recent months had a detrimental impact on his confidence. Consequently, he has not been able to maintain a streak of consecutive quarterfinal appearances since April, when he secured the title at the Miami Masters and reached the quarterfinals at the Monte Carlo Masters.
As it currently stands, Wimbledon marks the 27-year-old's most impressive performance in a Grand Slam this season, and he is just one win away from achieving his first-ever quarterfinal result in this tournament. During his previous appearance in 2021, he came close to reaching the quarterfinals, but unfortunately, rain interrupted his momentum and when play resumed on the following day, he ended up losing both sets.
Talking about the lessons learned from the disappointing defeat in the round-of-16 contest in 2021, which was suspended overnight due to rain, the former world #1 stated, "I remember a couple of years ago I lost over two days against Hurkacz and I kind of prepared for a new match, I did ice bath and everything like I had finished the match. Here (against Adrian Mannarino at Wimbledon 2023, match was suspended due to bad light) I didn't even wash my hair, I was like, I'll wash it after the match, and it worked."
Jiri Lehecka experienced a slight decline in form a few months ago, but he has successfully regained his momentum and embarked on what is undeniably his best season at the highest level. Prior to 2023, he had never secured a victory at Wimbledon or on grass. However, he has now triumphed over the in-form Sebastian Ofner, as well as the 2023 ATP Eastbourne finalists Francisco Cerundolo and Tommy Paul, propelling himself into the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
In a remarkable response to the previous year's first-round exits in all four Grand Slam tournaments, the talented Czech youngster has showcased an impressive resurgence. He is now aiming to secure his second quarterfinal appearance at a Grand Slam this season. His path to the quarterfinals in Melbourne this January involved consecutive victories over top-20 players Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Earlier this year, Lehecka became the first Czech quarterfinalist at the Australian Open since the former world #4, Tomas Berdych. He now strives to replicate this feat at Wimbledon. In the 2017 edition, Berdych achieved notable victories over Dominic Thiem in the round of 16 and Novak Djokovic (who retired) before eventually succumbing to Roger Federer in the semifinals.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Jiri Lehecka's best level can create difficulties for Daniil Medvedev in these conditions. Nevertheless, with his experience and skill, the Russian is anticipated to overcome this challenging test successfully.
Earlier this year, the Russian consistently achieved quarterfinal (or better) results in tournaments, often emerging as the champion. However, a couple of unexpected defeats in recent months had a detrimental impact on his confidence. Consequently, he has not been able to maintain a streak of consecutive quarterfinal appearances since April, when he secured the title at the Miami Masters and reached the quarterfinals at the Monte Carlo Masters.
As it currently stands, Wimbledon marks the 27-year-old's most impressive performance in a Grand Slam this season, and he is just one win away from achieving his first-ever quarterfinal result in this tournament. During his previous appearance in 2021, he came close to reaching the quarterfinals, but unfortunately, rain interrupted his momentum and when play resumed on the following day, he ended up losing both sets.
Talking about the lessons learned from the disappointing defeat in the round-of-16 contest in 2021, which was suspended overnight due to rain, the former world #1 stated, "I remember a couple of years ago I lost over two days against Hurkacz and I kind of prepared for a new match, I did ice bath and everything like I had finished the match. Here (against Adrian Mannarino at Wimbledon 2023, match was suspended due to bad light) I didn't even wash my hair, I was like, I'll wash it after the match, and it worked."
Jiri Lehecka experienced a slight decline in form a few months ago, but he has successfully regained his momentum and embarked on what is undeniably his best season at the highest level. Prior to 2023, he had never secured a victory at Wimbledon or on grass. However, he has now triumphed over the in-form Sebastian Ofner, as well as the 2023 ATP Eastbourne finalists Francisco Cerundolo and Tommy Paul, propelling himself into the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
In a remarkable response to the previous year's first-round exits in all four Grand Slam tournaments, the talented Czech youngster has showcased an impressive resurgence. He is now aiming to secure his second quarterfinal appearance at a Grand Slam this season. His path to the quarterfinals in Melbourne this January involved consecutive victories over top-20 players Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Earlier this year, Lehecka became the first Czech quarterfinalist at the Australian Open since the former world #4, Tomas Berdych. He now strives to replicate this feat at Wimbledon. In the 2017 edition, Berdych achieved notable victories over Dominic Thiem in the round of 16 and Novak Djokovic (who retired) before eventually succumbing to Roger Federer in the semifinals.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Jiri Lehecka's best level can create difficulties for Daniil Medvedev in these conditions. Nevertheless, with his experience and skill, the Russian is anticipated to overcome this challenging test successfully.
Holger Rune experienced a devastating loss at the Australian Open earlier this year, where he had a commanding 7-3 lead in the super tiebreaker against Andrey Rublev in the round of 16. Unfortunately, the impact of that defeat lingered, leading to several uncharacteristic losses in close matches during the subsequent weeks. However, he recently found a chance for redemption at Wimbledon when he managed to turn the tables in a similar fashion. In his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Rune fought back from a 2-6 deficit in the super tiebreaker and emerged victorious.
The player who executed the sensational comeback against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was the true Rune, distinct from the one who had previously struggled to maintain winning positions earlier in the year. This unwavering determination has been a consistent trait of the talented Dane throughout his career, spanning various levels of competition. A notable illustration of his resilience occurred in his inaugural championship match at the Masters level, where he fought back from being a set down to stun Novak Djokovic in Paris last year.
However, despite his impressive comebacks and successes, it is evident that Holger Rune's inexperience and weaknesses on grass are noticeable, indicating that he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to achieve significant accomplishments on this surface. He was unconvincing against the significant underdogs George Loffhagen and Roberto Carballes Baena in the earlier rounds and only narrowly avoided defeat against former Boys' Wimbledon champion Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
So far in 2023, the world #6 has fallen significantly short of his goal, which was to win a Grand Slam. He missed match points as well as massive leads against Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 at the Australian Open and went one step further at the French Open, where he was dominated by his Scandinavian rival Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals.
Grigor Dimitrov has arguably been the most dominant performer at Wimbledon this fortnight, and it is only his lack of success in big events and important matches in recent years that is still keeping him under the radar. He won all three matches in straight sets, including a victory against the world number 10 and last month's ATP Stuttgart champion, Frances Tiafoe. Impressively, he did not concede more than four games in any of the nine sets.
Unlike many other top-ranked players, the former world #3 is a proven performer on grass. He won the Boys' Wimbledon title in 2008 and reached the semifinals of this tournament in 2014 when he upset Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and had four set points to force a deciding set against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
He has been displaying a heightened level of confidence and consistency since the start of the 2023 season. Remarkably, this is the first time he has achieved two round-of-16 results at the Grand Slam level in a single season since 2019. He advanced to this stage at the French Open without losing a set before getting outclassed by Alexander Zverev in R16.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Grigor Dimitrov is easily the better player on grass, but the uncertainty lies in whether he can perform at his highest level in significant matches.
The player who executed the sensational comeback against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was the true Rune, distinct from the one who had previously struggled to maintain winning positions earlier in the year. This unwavering determination has been a consistent trait of the talented Dane throughout his career, spanning various levels of competition. A notable illustration of his resilience occurred in his inaugural championship match at the Masters level, where he fought back from being a set down to stun Novak Djokovic in Paris last year.
However, despite his impressive comebacks and successes, it is evident that Holger Rune's inexperience and weaknesses on grass are noticeable, indicating that he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to achieve significant accomplishments on this surface. He was unconvincing against the significant underdogs George Loffhagen and Roberto Carballes Baena in the earlier rounds and only narrowly avoided defeat against former Boys' Wimbledon champion Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
So far in 2023, the world #6 has fallen significantly short of his goal, which was to win a Grand Slam. He missed match points as well as massive leads against Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 at the Australian Open and went one step further at the French Open, where he was dominated by his Scandinavian rival Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals.
Grigor Dimitrov has arguably been the most dominant performer at Wimbledon this fortnight, and it is only his lack of success in big events and important matches in recent years that is still keeping him under the radar. He won all three matches in straight sets, including a victory against the world number 10 and last month's ATP Stuttgart champion, Frances Tiafoe. Impressively, he did not concede more than four games in any of the nine sets.
Unlike many other top-ranked players, the former world #3 is a proven performer on grass. He won the Boys' Wimbledon title in 2008 and reached the semifinals of this tournament in 2014 when he upset Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and had four set points to force a deciding set against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
He has been displaying a heightened level of confidence and consistency since the start of the 2023 season. Remarkably, this is the first time he has achieved two round-of-16 results at the Grand Slam level in a single season since 2019. He advanced to this stage at the French Open without losing a set before getting outclassed by Alexander Zverev in R16.
Head-to-head: 0-0. Grigor Dimitrov is easily the better player on grass, but the uncertainty lies in whether he can perform at his highest level in significant matches.
Madison Keys has extended her perfect grass-court swing to 8-0 in matches and 16-0 in sets. Competing at Wimbledon after missing 2022, the American defeated wildcard Sonay Kartal, 6-0, 6-3, former quarterfinalist Viktorija Golubic, 7-5, 6-3, and Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 6-1. She didn't spend more than 80 minutes in any round.
Until a few weeks ago, it was turning out to be a tough year, exiting in the first weeks of the first two majors and having to rest for a month after Charleston due to health issues. Her bounce back has been perfect, starting with a third career grass-court title in Eastbourne despite not having reached a UK quarterfinal since 2016.
She has lost two of her three fourth-round matches at Wimbledon, to Simona Halep in 2016 and Viktorija Golubic in 2021. The 25th seed has been as far as the quarterfinal in 2015. Overall, she is 8-9 in major last-16 matches, and has posted only one quarterfinal appearance in the last four years (at the 2022 Australian Open).
Mirra Andreeva continues to win new fans by the heaps. The qualifier, who turned 16 less than three months ago, has now won six matches in a row in her grass-court debut (counting juniors). After edging Wang Xiyu 7-5 in the third set, she benefited from the retirement of Barbora Krejcikova and beat Anastasia Potapova, 6-2, 7-5.
The teenager rallied from a 1-4 down in the second set and fended off two consecutive set points against her compatriot, and has consolidated her top 50 win-loss to 5-2. Just a month ago, she made her Grand Slam debut at Roland-Garros, also played as a qualifier, and only lost to Coco Gauff in the third round.
She was playing junior tennis until a few months ago, including making the Australian Open final, and now may enter the top 60 as a pro. The Siberian is looking to become the 21st woman to reach the quarterfinal on her Wimbledon debut and the third in the last four editions (Jule Niemeier, 2022 and Karolina Muchova, 2019).
Head-to-head: 0-0. Mirra Andreeva aims to be the youngest quarterfinalist at a major since Sesil Karatantcheva at 2005 Roland-Garros, and the youngest at SW19 since compatriot Anna Kournikova in 1997. Madison Keys, who lost to Kayla Day in Paris, has never lost multiple career slam matches to outside top 100 players in one year.
Until a few weeks ago, it was turning out to be a tough year, exiting in the first weeks of the first two majors and having to rest for a month after Charleston due to health issues. Her bounce back has been perfect, starting with a third career grass-court title in Eastbourne despite not having reached a UK quarterfinal since 2016.
She has lost two of her three fourth-round matches at Wimbledon, to Simona Halep in 2016 and Viktorija Golubic in 2021. The 25th seed has been as far as the quarterfinal in 2015. Overall, she is 8-9 in major last-16 matches, and has posted only one quarterfinal appearance in the last four years (at the 2022 Australian Open).
Mirra Andreeva continues to win new fans by the heaps. The qualifier, who turned 16 less than three months ago, has now won six matches in a row in her grass-court debut (counting juniors). After edging Wang Xiyu 7-5 in the third set, she benefited from the retirement of Barbora Krejcikova and beat Anastasia Potapova, 6-2, 7-5.
The teenager rallied from a 1-4 down in the second set and fended off two consecutive set points against her compatriot, and has consolidated her top 50 win-loss to 5-2. Just a month ago, she made her Grand Slam debut at Roland-Garros, also played as a qualifier, and only lost to Coco Gauff in the third round.
She was playing junior tennis until a few months ago, including making the Australian Open final, and now may enter the top 60 as a pro. The Siberian is looking to become the 21st woman to reach the quarterfinal on her Wimbledon debut and the third in the last four editions (Jule Niemeier, 2022 and Karolina Muchova, 2019).
Head-to-head: 0-0. Mirra Andreeva aims to be the youngest quarterfinalist at a major since Sesil Karatantcheva at 2005 Roland-Garros, and the youngest at SW19 since compatriot Anna Kournikova in 1997. Madison Keys, who lost to Kayla Day in Paris, has never lost multiple career slam matches to outside top 100 players in one year.
Elena Rybakina had hiccups in her first two matches, needing a third set against Shelby Rogers and fending off a tiebreak against Alize Cornet. However, she faced no such troubles against British No. 1 Katie Boulter and humbled the local favorite, 6-1, 6-1, in 57 minutes to ensure her third straight Wimbledon second week.
She has become the first defending women's champion to reach the second week of the tournament since Serena Williams defended her 2015 title in 2016. The third seed has consolidated her career win-loss at the All England Club to 13-1, with the only defeat coming to Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth-round stage in 2021.
The Kazakh, also the current Australian Open finalist, holds a 3-1 record in major last-16 matches. One more win would make it the first time she has reached the quarterfinal of a given major twice. It would be most welcome by the reigning Indian Wells and Rome champion, struck by a bout of illness coming into this fortnight.
Beatriz Haddad Maia was asked to come from a set down against Yulia Putintseva and Jaqueline Cristian, two outside top 50 players, in the first two rounds. She received a respite in her third round and eased past world No. 37 Sorana Cirstea, 6-2, 6-2, with 80% first-serve win and 23 winners to only 11 unforced errors.
She is finally playing good tennis at Grand Slams at the age of 27. Until last month, the Brazilian had never gone past the second round of any major despite being a top 20 player for nearly a year. She overcame her sordid record in slams with a semifinal at Roland-Garros, en route surviving four consecutive three-set matches.
The world No. 13, who briefly joined the top 10, held a 2-3 career record at Wimbledon before this fortnight. It included a first-round loss in 2022 despite coming in with titles in Nottingham and Birmingham and a semifinal in Eastbourne. She has five career top 5 wins to her name but is 0-3 against such foes in slams.
Head-to-head: Beatriz Haddad Maia leads 2-0. The pair will meet for the third time in 2023 on three different surfaces. Elena Rybakina wasn't fully fit in either of the previous matches. She lost the Abu Dhabi quarterfinals from a set lead (withdrew from Dubai due to lower back) and retired in Stuttgart due to the same reason.
She has become the first defending women's champion to reach the second week of the tournament since Serena Williams defended her 2015 title in 2016. The third seed has consolidated her career win-loss at the All England Club to 13-1, with the only defeat coming to Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth-round stage in 2021.
The Kazakh, also the current Australian Open finalist, holds a 3-1 record in major last-16 matches. One more win would make it the first time she has reached the quarterfinal of a given major twice. It would be most welcome by the reigning Indian Wells and Rome champion, struck by a bout of illness coming into this fortnight.
Beatriz Haddad Maia was asked to come from a set down against Yulia Putintseva and Jaqueline Cristian, two outside top 50 players, in the first two rounds. She received a respite in her third round and eased past world No. 37 Sorana Cirstea, 6-2, 6-2, with 80% first-serve win and 23 winners to only 11 unforced errors.
She is finally playing good tennis at Grand Slams at the age of 27. Until last month, the Brazilian had never gone past the second round of any major despite being a top 20 player for nearly a year. She overcame her sordid record in slams with a semifinal at Roland-Garros, en route surviving four consecutive three-set matches.
The world No. 13, who briefly joined the top 10, held a 2-3 career record at Wimbledon before this fortnight. It included a first-round loss in 2022 despite coming in with titles in Nottingham and Birmingham and a semifinal in Eastbourne. She has five career top 5 wins to her name but is 0-3 against such foes in slams.
Head-to-head: Beatriz Haddad Maia leads 2-0. The pair will meet for the third time in 2023 on three different surfaces. Elena Rybakina wasn't fully fit in either of the previous matches. She lost the Abu Dhabi quarterfinals from a set lead (withdrew from Dubai due to lower back) and retired in Stuttgart due to the same reason.
Aryna Sabalenka hasn't been perfect in the first week, but she has done enough to earn her second appearance in the second week of the tournament. After pulling away from the brink against Varvara Gracheva, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, the second seed rallied from a break down in the second set to beat Anna Blinkova, 6-2, 6-3.
The world No. 2 has won 15 of 16 matches in majors this season, and 40 of 48 since the start of 2021. It was at Wimbledon two years ago where she surged into her maiden Slam quarterfinal and semifinal, en route to beating rivals Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina. The biggest prize, of course, came at the Australian Open in January.
She has always been a threat on grass courts and currently owns six quarterfinal-or-better results to her name. Curiously enough, the 25-year-old has lost nine of her last 12 clashes with top 30 players on grass courts; the last three of such meetings came against Russians and she ended up losing all those matches.
Ekaterina Alexandrova must have breathed a huge sigh of relief after getting past Dalma Galfi, 6-0, 6-4, in under an hour in the third round, and reaching the second week of a major for the first time. In the previous match, in contrast, the 21st seed needed almost three hours and three tiebreaks to get rid of Madison Brengle.
The world No. 22 had ended all of her past five visits to the All England Club in the first or second rounds. She held a 0-6 record in major third-round matches before dismissing the Hungarian on Saturday. The 28-year-old is about to face her first top 50 opponent of the campaign but will be ready with her 10-1 grass swing so far.
She marked her return to grass with a title defense in 's-Hertogenbosch, where the Russian defeated a top seed (Veronika Kudermetova in this case) in the final for the second year in a row. It was followed by a semifinal in Berlin at the cost of Coco Gauff (11th career top 10 win, third on the grass) and Liudmila Samsonova.
Head-to-head: Ekaterina Alexandrova leads 3-2. In addition to winning their first professional meeting (at ITF Shenzhen in 2017), the Russian has won their last two WTA clashes as well, in the quarterfinal of Moscow in 2021 and 's-Hertogenbosch final last year. Aryna Sabalenka is about to face a third straight Russian-born foe.
The world No. 2 has won 15 of 16 matches in majors this season, and 40 of 48 since the start of 2021. It was at Wimbledon two years ago where she surged into her maiden Slam quarterfinal and semifinal, en route to beating rivals Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina. The biggest prize, of course, came at the Australian Open in January.
She has always been a threat on grass courts and currently owns six quarterfinal-or-better results to her name. Curiously enough, the 25-year-old has lost nine of her last 12 clashes with top 30 players on grass courts; the last three of such meetings came against Russians and she ended up losing all those matches.
Ekaterina Alexandrova must have breathed a huge sigh of relief after getting past Dalma Galfi, 6-0, 6-4, in under an hour in the third round, and reaching the second week of a major for the first time. In the previous match, in contrast, the 21st seed needed almost three hours and three tiebreaks to get rid of Madison Brengle.
The world No. 22 had ended all of her past five visits to the All England Club in the first or second rounds. She held a 0-6 record in major third-round matches before dismissing the Hungarian on Saturday. The 28-year-old is about to face her first top 50 opponent of the campaign but will be ready with her 10-1 grass swing so far.
She marked her return to grass with a title defense in 's-Hertogenbosch, where the Russian defeated a top seed (Veronika Kudermetova in this case) in the final for the second year in a row. It was followed by a semifinal in Berlin at the cost of Coco Gauff (11th career top 10 win, third on the grass) and Liudmila Samsonova.
Head-to-head: Ekaterina Alexandrova leads 3-2. In addition to winning their first professional meeting (at ITF Shenzhen in 2017), the Russian has won their last two WTA clashes as well, in the quarterfinal of Moscow in 2021 and 's-Hertogenbosch final last year. Aryna Sabalenka is about to face a third straight Russian-born foe.
Ons Jabeur returns to the second week of Wimbledon for the third time in a row after a hectic match against Bianca Andreescu. She needed to wait an hour or so before resuming the center court match. The defending finalist rallied from a break down in the third set to prevail, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in her first three-setter of the week.
The Tunisian has been as far as the quarterfinals in 2021 and became runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2022 in her maiden slam final appearance. While she came into the tournament with a 1-2 warm-up, she has earned a whopping 25-5 win-loss on grass courts since the start of 2021, the most wins of anyone in this period.
She holds a pretty decent 5-2 record in grand slam round-of-16 matches, including winning each of the last four. The former world no. 2 has been hampered by a couple of injury issues this season, missing the month of February and retiring in Stuttgart, and therefore would appreciate a second slam quarterfinal in two months.
Petra Kvitova was delighted to have joined the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since 2019 and only for the second time in eight visits. She made a questionable start, needing three sets against Jasmine Paolini, but then dispatching Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-2, and world no. 225 Natalija Stevanovic, 6-3, 7-5.
It is ironic that while the 33-year-old won both of her majors at Wimbledon, in 2011 and 2014, she has since been unable to reach its quarterfinals. There was a time when she reached its last-eight stage five years in a row (2010-2014) and yet her best performance thereafter is a three-set loss to Johanna Konta in the 2019 last-16.
Overall she holds a 13-9 career record in grand slam fourth-round matches and lost the latest one to Jessica Pegula at the US Open last year. She hasn't made a quarterfinal at this level since 2020 Roland-Garros (SF) but would be empowered by 2023 title runs in Miami and Berlin, and her eight-match winning streak on grass.
Head-to-head: Petra Kvitova leads 4-1. After winning their first three clashes in straight sets, the Czech was forced to split their two 2022 matches; she lost in Sydney but bounced back in Cincinnati. It is at Wimbledon where the pair met each other for the first time, with the former champ winning the 2019 opener, 6-4, 6-2.
The Tunisian has been as far as the quarterfinals in 2021 and became runner-up to Elena Rybakina in 2022 in her maiden slam final appearance. While she came into the tournament with a 1-2 warm-up, she has earned a whopping 25-5 win-loss on grass courts since the start of 2021, the most wins of anyone in this period.
She holds a pretty decent 5-2 record in grand slam round-of-16 matches, including winning each of the last four. The former world no. 2 has been hampered by a couple of injury issues this season, missing the month of February and retiring in Stuttgart, and therefore would appreciate a second slam quarterfinal in two months.
Petra Kvitova was delighted to have joined the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since 2019 and only for the second time in eight visits. She made a questionable start, needing three sets against Jasmine Paolini, but then dispatching Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-2, and world no. 225 Natalija Stevanovic, 6-3, 7-5.
It is ironic that while the 33-year-old won both of her majors at Wimbledon, in 2011 and 2014, she has since been unable to reach its quarterfinals. There was a time when she reached its last-eight stage five years in a row (2010-2014) and yet her best performance thereafter is a three-set loss to Johanna Konta in the 2019 last-16.
Overall she holds a 13-9 career record in grand slam fourth-round matches and lost the latest one to Jessica Pegula at the US Open last year. She hasn't made a quarterfinal at this level since 2020 Roland-Garros (SF) but would be empowered by 2023 title runs in Miami and Berlin, and her eight-match winning streak on grass.
Head-to-head: Petra Kvitova leads 4-1. After winning their first three clashes in straight sets, the Czech was forced to split their two 2022 matches; she lost in Sydney but bounced back in Cincinnati. It is at Wimbledon where the pair met each other for the first time, with the former champ winning the 2019 opener, 6-4, 6-2.
To be continued... Novak Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacz will return tomorrow with the real #1 leading 2-0 in sets
Elena Rybakina is through to the quarter-finals after Beatriz Haddad Maia retires due to injury
An injury has forced Jiri Lehecka to retire against Daniil Medvedev
Sabalenka defeats Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-0 to advance to the quarter-finals
