The first round of Wimbledon 2023 finally came to an end on Thursday, July 6, after being delayed by rain for 48 hours. Alexander Zverev sealed his victory over Gijs Brouwer with a score of 6–4, 7–6 (4), 7–6 (5). Originally scheduled to play on Tuesday, Zverev didn’t set foot on the court until 17 1/2 hours after Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round.
Zverev playfully joked, “Took me three days, but I’m here.”
The All England Club was finally graced with some sunshine as play resumed with 56 matches. One highly anticipated match, between Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas, set Center Court alight but was suspended at 10:40 p.m. due to time constraints and will resume the following day. Despite Tsitsipas winning the first set 7–6 (3), Murray bounced back to claim the next two sets with scores of 7–6 (2) and 6–4 before the match was halted.
The day was not without its fair share of drama and emotion. Alizé Cornet suffered a painful leg injury during her match against defending champion Elena Rybakina, which she ultimately lost 6–2, 7–6 (2). Donna Vekic also experienced a rollercoaster of emotions after coming back from a set and 5–2 deficit to defeat 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens.
“There were times when I felt like I was getting killed,” Vekic admitted.
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, acknowledged the challenges he would face in his upcoming match against Djokovic. Despite a victory against Tomás Martín Etcheverry with a score of 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, Wawrinka remained realistic about his chances of winning Wimbledon.
“There’s zero opportunity to win Wimbledon for me, I think,” he conceded. “It’s an honor to play Novak here. Hopefully, I can make a competitive match, but if you look at recent results, I don’t really stand a chance.”
Several players accomplished major milestones at Wimbledon 2023. Lorenzo Musetti, Maximillian Marterer, Mikael Ymer, Quentin Halys, and Roman Safiullin all advanced to the third round for the first time in their careers. Ymer’s impressive comeback from a two-set deficit against No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz captivated the crowd, ending in a 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 victory for Ymer.
Among the American players, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul secured their spots in the third round. Tiafoe, a semifinalist in the 2020 U.S. Open, and Tommy Paul, a semifinalist in the 2021 Australian Open, joined No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
The disappointment continued for Casper Ruud, who lost to Liam Broady on Centre Court with a score of 6–4, 3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–0. Ruud, the runner-up in three of the past five majors, has struggled to make an impact at Wimbledon and intends to keep striving for success.
“I honestly love coming here. It’s such a special place,” Ruud expressed his admiration for the tournament.
Anett Kontaveit, who was the last player to lose to Serena Williams at the 2022 U.S. Open while ranked No. 2, announced her retirement from tennis due to a chronic back injury before Wimbledon began.
Finally, 16-year-old qualifier Mirra Andreeva from Russia showed promise by reaching the third round for the second consecutive major. Andreeva advanced to the next round when 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova withdrew from their match while trailing 6–3, 4–0 due to injury.
While Andreeva was aware that it wasn’t the ideal way to win, she nonetheless expressed her happiness and excitement for progressing to the next round.
By Howard Fendrich
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