7 months ago
5
Reuters
Jun 27, 2025, 07:03 AM ET
LONDON -- Carlos Alcaraz volition statesman his quest for a 3rd consecutive Wimbledon rubric against unsafe Italian Fabio Fognini, and women's apical effect Aryna Sabalenka volition unfastened her run versus Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine.
Friday's gully conducted astatine the All England Club produced its accustomed intrigue with immoderate eye-catching first-round clashes.
Men's apical effect Jannik Sinner, beaten by Alcaraz successful the French Open final, meets chap Italian Luca Nardi, portion sixth effect Novak Djokovic, seeking to necktie Roger Federer's grounds of 8 Wimbledon singles titles, has a tricky opener against satellite No. 40 Alexandre Muller.
Defending women's champion Barbora Krejcikova, the 17th effect who pulled retired of the Eastbourne tourney Thursday with a thigh strain, faces Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
No. 2 Coco Gauff's first-round hostile is Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska, portion 3rd effect Jessica Pegula, Gauff's imaginable semifinal opponent, plays Italian qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Fourth effect Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up astatine Wimbledon past year, faces Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia and is seeded to conscionable Sabalenka successful the semifinals.
Britain has 23 players successful the singles events, the astir for the location federation since 1984, with men's 4th effect Jack Draper carrying the value of anticipation connected his shoulders aft a accelerated rise. Draper faces a pugnacious path, though, if helium is to emulate two-time champion Andy Murray.
The 23-year-old Draper has a tricky opener against 38th-ranked Sebastian Baez and could look erstwhile runner-up Marin Cilic of Croatia successful Round 2 and Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, whom helium mislaid to astatine Roland Garros, successful the 3rd round.
To triumph the title, Draper could person to bushed Djokovic successful the quarterfinals, Sinner successful the semis and Alcaraz successful the final.
Britain's women's No. 1 Emma Raducanu opens against compatriot Mingge Xu, 1 of 3 British teenage chaotic cards successful the women's draw. Should 2021 US Open champion Raducanu triumph that, she would play 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova oregon 32nd effect McCartney Kessler successful the 2nd circular earlier a imaginable third-round gathering with Sabalenka.
One imaginable standout second-round lucifer could diagnostic Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Alcaraz, who warmed up for Wimbledon by winning the Queen's Club title, volition beryllium wary of the menace posed by the enigmatic Fognini, though the 38-year-old Italian subordinate is not the unit helium was erstwhile helium reached ninth successful the rankings successful 2019.
Alcaraz could past look British qualifier Oliver Tarvet, the satellite No. 719 whose reward for reaching the main gully is simply a first-round lucifer against Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi. Alcaraz's imaginable semifinal hostile is No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who plays France's Arthur Rinderknech successful his opening match.
As defending men's champion, Alcaraz volition unfastened play connected Centre Court connected Monday, which volition diagnostic the bottommost fractional of the men's gully and the apical fractional of the women's draw.
Krejcikova volition statesman play connected Centre Court connected Tuesday.
