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The Guardian - UK
Sport
Katy Murrells at Wimbledon and Tom Bryant (earlier)

Wimbledon 2019: Nadal beats Kyrgios, Kerber loses, Murray wins on return – as it happened

Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) after a fiery encounter on Centre Court.
Rafael Nadal beat Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) after a fiery encounter on Centre Court. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading/emailing/tweeting etc. I’ll leave you with Kevin Mitchell’s report on the match of the day. Do join me for more of the same tomorrow. Bye!

Updated

Murray will play in the second round of the men’s doubles on Saturday, but he’ll be back on court tomorrow when he begins his much-anticipated mixed doubles campaign with Serena Williams.

Murray/Herbert beat Copil/Humbert 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-0

Murray and Herbert are only a game away now, with Herbert serving for a place in the second round at 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 5-0. Fittingly it’s Murray who settles matters at the net on the second match point. The No 1 Court rise to their feet to salute their returning champion. Two years after leaving Wimbledon in such pain, it’s so good to have a healthy Murray back.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Andy Murray celebrate a game point.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Andy Murray celebrate a game point. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated

The British-French pairing are now steamrolling through the fourth set, leading 4-0. And here’s that Kyrgios underarm serve for your viewing pleasure:

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Andy Murray and Herbert, gaining confidence it seems with every game, break at the start of the fourth. But Herbert, who has the strangest of service motions, bending his knees low and waving his racket a few times before tossing the ball up, then struggles to get through on his serve. After a deuce or two or three he and Murray eventually back up the break for 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 2-0.

Updated

Jamie Murray and Skupski wrap up the third 6-3 and play is suspended in the fading light.

Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski
Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski talk tactics. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Updated

Andy Murray and Herbert, who now seem to be finding an understanding in their first match together, take the third set 6-4. The roof is being closed on No 1. Meanwhile Jamie Murray and Skupski look set to secure a two sets to one lead too, they’re 5-3 ahead in the third.

Updated

Some other snippets:

On Nadal saying he could win a slam: “I know what I’m capable of. Just depends. I’m a great tennis player, but I don’t do the other stuff. I’m not the most professional guy. I won’t train day in, day out. I won’t show up every day. So there’s a lot of things I need to improve on to get to that level that Rafa brings, Novak, Roger have been doing for so long. Just depends how bad I want it. But, no, at the moment I don’t think I can contend for a grand slam.”

On Bernard Tomic’s fine: “I don’t agree with fining the guy all of his prize money. He earned his right to be in the draw. He played the whole year. He’s obviously winning enough to be at the most prestigious tournament in the world. To take all his prize money I think is outrageous. I just hope Bernard is all right.”

On Andy Murray’s return: “I saw he’s in, like, a tight battle at the moment in doubles. It’s just good to see him around. I saw him in the locker room. We had a bit of banter. It’s just good to see him. He had five pairs of shoes. I was like, chill. A bit nervous to be back on court. No, he’s good. I’m just happy to see him back. It’s good to have him around. He’s a good guy.”

Kyrgios admitted in his press conference that he deliberately hit Nadal with the ball in that spiky third set. “Yeah, I was going for him. Yeah, I wanted to hit him square in the chest. Why would I apologise? I mean, the dude has got how many slams, how much money in the bank account? I think he can take a ball to the chest, bro. I’m not going to apologise to him at all.”

Updated

Andy Murray, meanwhile, having been in some doubles trouble after losing the first set, appears to have wrested control. He and Pierre-Hugues Herbert lead Marius Copil and Ugo Humbert 4-6, 6-1, 5-3, while Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski are tied at a set apiece in their match with Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Andy Murray celebrate a point.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Andy Murray celebrate a point. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated

The flamboyant Fabio Fognini took three hours and 23 minutes to defeat Frances Tiafoe in round one and he’s now needed three hours and 38 minutes to overcome Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, 6-3 in the deciding set. The Italian – the only other seed remaining in Nadal’s quarter – will next play Tennys Sandgren of the US, who was also extended to five sets, overcoming the French veteran Gilles Simon 8-6. And with that, today’s men’s singles matches come to an end.

Updated

Kyrgios, meanwhile, has gone straight to the press conference room:

The victor speaks. And he’s even got some praise for his rival:

A tough opponent. I was aware of everything [Kyrgios’s complaints to the umpire], I was just next to him. I don’t want to comment on this. Right now it’s an important victory for me. Sometimes it’s tough to see a couple of things on court. It’s amazing how good he’s able to play. If he’s able to forget about all this stuff, potentially he’s a grand slam winner and fighting for the sport’s best ranking.

Updated

Nadal defeats Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)!

4-2 turns into 5-3, so it’s as you were. Kyrgios goes for the one-two punch but he knocks himself out with an errant forehand. 6-3, three match points. Nadal bounces the ball, fiddles with his shorts, and bounces the ball some more for good measure. Kyrgios’s backhand slumps into the net and Nadal has defeated his nemesis! Given hostilities calmed a little in that fourth set, Nadal’s celebration isn’t perhaps quite as animated as it would have been an hour or so ago, but he still looks mightily pleased to have got through that.

Rafael Nadal celebrates match point.
Rafael Nadal celebrates match point. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Updated

Nadal holds. Ready for another tie-break? Of course you are! A shocking start for Kyrgios as she makes an absolute hash of the smash. So Nadal already has the mini-break, which he consolidates when Kyrgios’s effort goes wide. 2-0. And now Kyrgios is tanking. He doesn’t even move his feet and pats into the net. 3-0. He does at least rally for 3-1 and then 3-2, with ace No 29. But it’s 4-2 at the change of ends as Kyrgios again fails to properly chase down the ball, which he slaps so gently it bounces at least twice before slumping into the net ...

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“I remember Nadal being wound up by Soderling at Wimbledon many years ago,” says Steve Peters. “He did it much more subtly though - mimicking Nadal’s routines/ticks before a point.” That sneaky Swede. Meanwhile Nadal holds, again Kyrgios is under pressure at 30-all on his serve ... and again the Australian comes up with an ace backed up by another winner. Kyrgios, having stopped raging at the umpire at every opportunity, is a picture of near calm. And those are words I never thought I’d type. Kyrgios leads 6-5.

Nick Kyrgios returns.
Nick Kyrgios returns. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated

Right, let’s get back to Centre, where the fourth set is starting to come to the boil, though thankfully Kyrgios is managing to keep a lid on his emotions. Kyrgios is serving at 4-4, 30-15. Nadal nudges to 30-all. A huge point. If Kyrgios were to lose it, Nadal would have a break point which, if he won, would leave him serving for the match. Kyrgios casually fires down an ace. And grabs the next point too for 5-4. So now there’s a bit of pressure on Nadal, who’ll need to hold serve to prolong this set.

Murray has taken the first set. But it’s not that one. Jamie and Neal Skupski lead Croatia’s Ivan Dodig and Slovakia’s Filip Polasek 6-2. As for Andy, he and Pierre-Hugues Herbert are three set points down, trailing 5-4, 40-0 against France’s Ugo Humbert and Romania’s Marius Copil. The former world No 1’s forehand misfires and that’s the set.

Andy Murray, doing well in his doubles match.
Andy Murray, doing well in his doubles match. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated

I, for one, can’t understand the crowd’s reaction to those underarm serves. Why applaud the first and then boo the second? The fickle lot.

Updated

“I agree with Abijhato,” says Mark Woldin. “If one wishes to condemn underarm serves then one would have to condemn panenka penalty shots and baseball change-ups. In fact, tennis servers do change up serve speeds, so there you are.

“While we’re at it: Why need a player apologise for hitting his opponent if he struck from the baseline? His opponent was not helplessly vulnerable. He has the time to defend himself. He won’t be hurt or injured. The etiquette concerns an occasion when both are at the net and one player has his opponent at his mercy.”

Williams’s win, by the way, means the women’s second round is complete. A few results that got missed amid the madness: Kiki Bertens, the fourth seed, defeated Taylor Townsend 6-2 in the third set; Belinda Bencic, Switzerland’s biggest female talent since Martina Hingis, eased past Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi in straight sets; but defeat for the American Amanda Anisimova. The 17-year-old stormed to the semi-finals of the French Open last month but she’s stalled going from red to green, losing 6-4, 7-5 to Poland’s Magda Linette.

The fourth instalment of Nadal v Kyrgios is very much the calm after the third-set storm. Both are moving along on serve with – by the standards of this match, at least – little fuss. So it’s Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 2-2 Kyrgios.

Updated

Next up for Evans in the third round is Portugal’s Joao Sousa who, in some quirk of the draw, he’s playing in the men’s doubles right now. Evans and his British partner Lloyd Glasspool are locked at a set all against Sousa and Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer.

Emotional scenes on No 2 Court, where Marcos Baghdatis’s colourful career has ended in a 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-3 defeat to the Italian 17th seed Matteo Berrettini. The 34-year-old Cypriot was a surprise semi-finalist here back in 2006 but will be best remembered for his run to the Australian Open final the same year.

Marco Baghdatis rests on the net after losing a point to Matteo Berrettini.
Marco Baghdatis rests on the net after losing a point to Matteo Berrettini. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

Updated

“I don’t get the uproar against underarm serves,” emails Abhijato Sensarma. “They’re quite a clever way of punishing your opponents for exploiting the baseline while also keeping them on their toes. Since it can’t be overused, people shouldn’t be so worried and talk about the lack of an ambiguous sportsman’s spirit. Most professionals in the sport would instead do well to create real strategies and practice returns to such ingenious improvisation from the likes of Nick.”

This just about sums it up:

Seriously though, what a pulsating encounter. I’m not sure I can remember seeing Nadal so wound up by an opponent before. The constant fist pumps and jumps of his early career are back in full force this evening. How will Kyrgios, having produced such a high level of tennis in that third set, recover from losing it? Does he fancy going five sets?

The early signs are good as he holds at the start of the fourth courtesy of three aces, though the highlight was a quite ridiculous point with Kyrgios attacking, Nadal defending, Kyrgios attacking, Nadal defending, Kyrgios attacking and Nadal defending some more before suddenly launching his own attack with a wicked winner down the line. It’s Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 0-1 Kyrgios.

Updated

Thanks Michael. So I haven’t missed anything, have I?!

Phew, what a match. Katy Murrells will take you through the rest of it (as well as all the other games including Murray’s doubles match on Court 1). Enjoy!

Nadal wins the second set 7-6 (4)! He leads Kyrgios two sets to one! Kyrgios slinks back to his chair with his head bowed, he’ll have to take it to five sets if he wants to win this one.

Rafael Nadal takes the second set.
Rafael Nadal takes the second set. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

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Nadal still has the one mini-break, though, and after a few points on serve, he has a serve to win the second set …

One of the most impressive things about Kyrgios strokeplay is the way he can generate so much power, even when his feet aren’t set correctly. So much of forehand power comes from your core, and Kyrgios often doesn’t look like he’s ready to hit the ball – but then despatches one down the line at close to 100mph. Unreal. 5-3 to Nadal.

Nick Kyrgios with a double handed return.
Nick Kyrgios with a double handed return. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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Kyrgios scrambles back to 2-4 for the changeover – one that takes Nadal a good minute to complete (much to Kyrgios’s annoyance) – but then Nadal gets a second mini-break, Kyrgios sending one just long as he scampered into the net. 5-2 to Nadal.

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Nadal is the first to get the mini-break in the tie-break, a flat backhand finds the corner, right up in the postage stamp. A loose backhand from Kyrgios and a Nadal ace gives the veteran some breathing room. 4-1 up to the Spaniard, that is only Nadal’s sixth ace of the match.

Kyrgios does indeed hold – winning the game with second-serve ace – and it’s off to the tie-break we go! Kyrgios’s dad, drenched in sunlight in the player’s box, is a happy man, wolf-whistling and cheering his son on.

Both Kyrgios and Nadal hold their own serves, to take the scores to 5-6. The Australian will serve to take this to a third-set tie-break.

With Serena finished on Court 1, her mixed doubles partner, Andy Murray, takes to the grass with his other doubles partner, Pierre-Hugues Herbert. That’s an unexpected and pleasant surprise for all the fans on Court 1, who let out shrieks of anticipation.

You can read Kevin Mitchell’s preview of this match right here.

With the scores at 4-4 in the third set, there are more fireworks on Centre Court! With Nadal at the net, Kyrgios fires a fierce forehand right at the body of the Spaniard to win the point. It was right on the edge of being legal, but the point stands and Nadal sends absolute daggers across the net with his eyes, as if to say: “OK, you’re dead now.”

Nadal is fired up now, and recovers from break point down to win the game with a series of blurry baseline strokes, celebrating game point with a huge roar and leap. We never see Nadal like this! He’s so pumped, almost as though he’s just won the match! 5-4 to Nadal, and Kyrgios will serve to stay in the set.

“The matador sees red,” says Boris Becker on BBC commentary, who doesn’t quite seem to have grasped the mechanics of bullfighting.

Julia Goerges will be Serena’s opponent in the next round. That is a repeat of last year’s semi-final.

Serena Williams beats Kaja Juvan 2-6, 6-2, 6-4

Serena sees it out with an ace! That was a nervy win in parts, but you have to give her credit for coming back from one set down. Juvan was playing incredibly well, despite her

I thought Juvan played well. She was really reading the returns. I started out a little slow. Pressure bring the best out of me. I play best when I’m down sometimes. I’m just a fighter that never gives up.

On playing with Andy Murray in the mixed doubles:

I’m excited to be playing with a British icon like Andy. Maybe I can learn a thing or two.

Serena Williams reacts after winning her match.
Serena Williams reacts after winning her match. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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At 40-0 up, Kyrgios plays an audacious between-the-legs shot when a simple one would have sufficed. It’s pure showboating, the sort of thing you might see down the park. Another loose volley at the net brings the scores to 40-30 – suddenly that circus shot isn’t looking so clever – but Kyrgios sees out the game to make it 3-3.

Juvan has broken Serena! This one isn’t done yet. The Slovenian is still 3-5 down in the deciding step, but she certainly still has huge energy and a smile on her face.

Serena is pulling away against Kaja Juvan, serving for the set at 5-2 in the third. Victory looks to be secured, but what a scare the seven-time champion here has had today.

It’s on serve, by the way, one set all, 3-2 to Nadal with Kyrgios to serve.

Updated

More controversy with Nadal and Kyrgios. The Spaniard challenges a service call, and the ball was just about ruled to be in, clipping the last millimetre of the line. Kyrgios’s return was out – he hit the ball at the same time as the line judge initially called it out – but because the serve is not ruled a valid one, Nadal is awarded the point on account of Kyrgios’s return being no good. Understandably, Kyrgios is not happy, and more or less forfeits the rest of the game, before another heated discussion with the umpire, in which the Australian says:

“You’re a disgrace. You’re a joke. Bro, you’re nobody in the scheme of things. You’re not important.”

This is getting a bit close to the bone.

Updated

Lauren Davis, a 5ft 2in lucky loser who lost in qualifying that has just beaten the defending champion, Angelique Kerber, has had a microphone thrust in front of her face.

“I am so happy to win, it is almost surreal. This means everything as it is what I work for.”

That’s Kerber’s earliest exit since 2013, she practically sprinted off Court 2 when she lost.

Kyrgios launches another tirade at the umpire, this time regarding the warning for unsportsmanlike conduct he received at the end of that second set for saying something as Nadal wound up for a serve. He really doesn’t need to do this, work himself up into a frenzy, when he’s playing sublime tennis and has just won the set. That said, maybe all this hot chat fires him up? His topspin forehands have been an average of 5mph quicker since he was given the warning.

The crowd, incidentally, cheered when Krygios got that code violation. They seem to be favouring Nadal.

Updated

Meanwhile, on No 1 Court, Serena has refound her own poise and won the second set against Kaja Juvan, the 18-year-old qualifier ranked 133 in the world. Now that Serena is back on level terms, this one is not a foregone conclusion. Juvan is holding her serve in the deciding third set, it’s 2-1 there.

This is exhibition stuff from Kyrgios! He lost his head, but has somehow found it again and is busy ripping 101mph winners º and deft drop shots at the net – to break Nadal back again! It’s 5-3 to Kyrgios in the second set, and he will serve for the set!

Nick Kyrgios serves.
Nick Kyrgios serves. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated

Kyrgios is in danger of losing it, and I’m not just talking about the last two games. Nadal held his serve, finishing the game with a ridiculous forehand down the line and then broke Kyrgios’s serve to love, with the Australian trying and failing with a couple of questionable shot selections, a drop shot that was never on and a reaching volley that fell well wide of the tramlines. Kyrgios is very unhappy that Nadal’s speed of play, on a number of occasions the former champion isn’t ready to face Kyrgios’s serve – doing that towel thing he does – and etiquette dictates that play should be dictated at the speed of the server, not the returner. Kyrgios is quite right to be angry, although he’s very animated at taking the umpire to task over the changeover.

Do it, then. Stop saying that you’re going to do it, and do it. Stop talking to me and talk to him. It’s only taking you guys 20 years to say something. So much power up there. Wow, look at you. Feels good for you, huh?

Updated

Hello everyone. Really bizarre to hear those boos for Krygios’s underarm serve. Let’s all try to have a bit of fun, shall we? It’s within the rules, and a bit unusual, but then so is a toilet break at the end of the first set, and Centre Court wasn’t booing Nadal.

Kyrgios holds for 4-1 but has the jeers of spectators ringing around his ears after another underarm serve. Williams holds for 4-2. And with that I’ll hand over to Michael Butler, who’ll be your guide for the next hour or so. See you later ...

Updated

The Kyrgios chatter has quietened a little, he’s got his game face on, and he’s holding on to that break, leading 3-1 in the second set after losing the first 6-3. Williams is also still in possession of a second-set advantage, 3-2 up against Juvan as the seven-times champion fights to force a decider.

Nick Kyrgios, game face on.
Nick Kyrgios, game face on. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated

Friday's order of play

With all this going on, I forgot to give you tomorrow’s order of play. Cori Gauff is on Centre, in only her third grand slam match. No pressure, Cori.

A smile but surely he was seething inside:

Updated

Just as the momentum shifts on Centre, so it does on No 1, where Williams, having dropped the first set to Kaja Juvan, is a break up, 2-1, in the second.

Serena Williams returns.
Serena Williams returns. Photograph: Javier García/BPI/Shutterstock

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Kyrgios, having been made to pay for a slow start in the first set, is dialled-in at the beginning of the second. Leading 1-0, he gets to 0-30 on Nadal’s serve. He goes for broke on a second-serve return. It doesn’t come off. But his next effort, a forehand down the line, does and it’s 15-40. Kyrgios has his first break points of the match. The pair go at each other’s throats in a punishing rally, which Kyrgios finishes with another firecracker of a forehand down the line! Kyrgios has the break, 2-0.

Nadal takes a toilet break between sets. Kyrgios continues to vent at the umpire. “He takes 40 seconds between every serve,” says the Australian. “Don’t tell me to play within reason; he doesn’t play within reason.”

Nadal will definitely not have taken kindly to that underarm ace. He responds by jamming a body serve into Kyrgios when he’s serving for the set – that’ll have felt good – which he follows up with a winning volley. It’s first blood Nadal, 6-3. Meanwhile Williams has indeed lost that first set, 6-2.

Davis conquers Kerber 2-6, 6-2, 6-1!

Lauren Davis, a 5ft 2in lucky loser who lost in qualifying, has put out no less than the defending champion, defeating Angelique Kerber 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. Just as I try to digest that, I’m distracted. A 143 mph second-serve ace from Kyrgios ... followed by an underarm ace! Kyrgios’s antics can be incredibly grating at times, but they can also be so fun. And while all of this is going on, Serena Williams is in danger of losing the first set to an 18-year-old qualifier ranked 133 in the world, trailing Kaja Juvan 5-2. Phew.

Lauren Davis celebrates victory against Angelique Kerber.
Lauren Davis celebrates victory against Angelique Kerber. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Updated

While Kyrgios has already been in conversation with himself, the umpire and anyone else who’ll listen about several perceived injustices, Nadal is just letting his tennis do the talking. 2-0 becomes 4-2. Nadal’s been dominant on serve, winning 94% of first-serve points, and there’s another love hold for 5-2. He strides purposefully to his chair, a game away from the first set after only 20 minutes.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga awaits the winner of this in round three. Meanwhile upset alert on No 2 Court: Angelique Kerber’s title defence is in serious danger. The fourth seed trails Lauren Davis of the US 5-1 in the deciding set. Meanwhile surely Serena Williams won’t suffer the same fate as her sister, Venus, losing to a teenage prodigy? The younger Williams is 3-0 down in the opening set against the 18-year-old Slovenian Kaja Juvan, who’s a former girls’ champion here.

Nadal’s perfectionist ways are in stark contrast to Kyrgios’s unpredictability and the Spaniard, having lined up his water bottles and performed the rest of his pre-match tics and tricks, is ready to play. And he’s most certainly ready. After holding serve to love, he charges to 0-30 on Kyrgios’s serve. Kyrgios gets his first point on the board for 15-30 but a showdown between Nadal’s backhand and Kyrgios’s forehand ends when Kyrgios clunks into the net. 15-40, two break points. Kyrgios throws in his first tweener at 30-40, but it’s not enough. Nadal breaks and it’s 2-0.

Next up on Centre it’s the one we’ve been waiting for, the Nadal v Kyrgios grudge match. These two really don’t like each other very much, and here’s the evidence:

Exhibit A: Nadal is KO’d by a 19-year-old Kyrgios at Wimbledon in 2014, as the Australian becomes the first player outside the top 100 to beat a world No 1 at a grand slam since 1992.

Exhibit B: Nadal is incensed by Kyrgios’s underarm serving at the Mexico Open this year, accusing his opponent of lacking respect. “He is a player who has enormous talent,” says Nadal after a frosty handshake. “He could win grand slams and fight the top positions of the ranking, but there is a reason why he is where he is [then at a world ranking of No. 72].” Kyrgios’s reply? “I can smell the blood when I play this dude.”

Exhibit C: Kyrgios lays into Nadal in an interview a few months later, accusing the Spaniard of being a sore loser and “super salty”. “He’s gracious only when he wins,” continues Kyrgios. “He’s my polar opposite, like literally my polar opposite. Every time I’ve beaten him ... when he wins, it’s fine. He won’t say anything bad, he’ll credit the opponent: ‘He was a great player.’ But as soon as I beat him, it’s just like: ‘He has no respect for me, my fans and no respect to the game.’ It’s not a good look.”

Updated

Federer defeats Clarke 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2

Federer has glided through the third set and Clarke is serving to stay in it at 5-2 down. Make that 5-2 and 15-40 down. Clarke cuts himself into pieces on the first match point with an errant slice and Federer takes the applause of the worshipping crowd, who don’t seem to mind that he’s just beaten a British player. After the aberration of losing a set in the first round to the world No 86, Lloyd Harris, the eight-times champion has taken care of business in straight sets.

Roger Federer celebrates after beating Jay Clarke.
Roger Federer celebrates after beating Jay Clarke. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

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Konta speaks:

I’m pleased I was able to hold serve the way I did. She’s very tricky. I’m pleased I came through that and I really enjoyed my time on Centre Court. I look to enjoy every opportunity I get to play at the Championships, I never take it for granted. When I step on to court against Sloane it’s 50-50. She’s one of the best players in the world. It’s nice to play her on the grass.

Konta beats Siniakova 6-3, 6-4!

Konta clobbers an ace down the T for 30-15. And there’s another for 40-15. Two match points. Konta nets after a fairly long rally on the first. Siniakova slips and Konta calmly puts a winner into the open court on the second! Konta’s showing the form that got her to the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Meanwhile it’s all too much for poor Siniakova who, after her tumble, tumbles out of Wimbledon and scurries off Centre Court in tears.

Johanna Konta celebrates her win.
Johanna Konta celebrates her win. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Updated

Konta, meanwhile, is 6-3, 5-4 up against Siniakova and is about to serve to set up a third-round date against Sloane Stephens. That could be quite some match. Konta claimed a superb victory over Stephens at the French Open last month, a performance Chris Evert described as one of the best clay-court performances she’d ever seen. You’d have to say Konta is an even better player on grass than the red dirt – but Stephens will surely be looking to prove a point.

Johanna Konta, 6-3, 5-4 up against Katerina Siniakova.
Johanna Konta, 6-3, 5-4 up against Katerina Siniakova. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

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Federer, having given Clarke what now appears to be false hope in this second set, has decided to get serious and leads 4-2 in the tie-break. Which in the blink of an eye becomes 6-2. That’s five consecutive points. Clarke’s serving on the first set point, and Federer’s return flies out. Federer, however, is serving on the second, and he dismisses Clarke with an ace. Federer takes the tie-break 7-3 and leads 6-1, 7-6.

Cilic crashes out to Sousa, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

You wouldn’t blame Marin Cilic for wanting to draw a line under his 2019 season so far. The runner-up to Federer two years ago, seeded an unlucky 13th this time, has crashed out in straight sets to Portugal’s Joao Sousa, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Joao Sousa beats Marin Cilic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Joao Sousa beats Marin Cilic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

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Clarke, the world No 169, is still staying in touch with Federer in this second set at 5-all. At 30-all on Clarke’s serve, you wonder whether this is the moment when Clarke will blink or Federer strikes, but two botched backhands from Federer and Clarke nudges 6-5 ahead. Federer secures a speedy hold and this set will be settled by a tie-break.

Angelique Kerber is almost the forgotten defending champion given how quiet she’s been of late, barring that Eastbourne final appearance last week. However the fifth seed is making smooth progress against Lauren Davis, leading 6-2. Meanwhile Davis’s fellow American, Alison Riske, has edged out Serbia’s Ivana Jorovic, 9-7 in the final set.

Clarke is refusing to bow to Federer’s sovereignty in the second set. Maybe the eight-times champion’s kingdom doesn’t extend as far as No 1 Court. It’s 4-4, after Federer dominated the first set 6-1.

Jay Clarke, not letting Roger Federer have it easy.
Jay Clarke, not letting Roger Federer have it easy. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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Jose Mourinho’s a busy man:

With Konta in control at 5-2, Siniakova is serving to stay in the first set. There are chuckles around Centre when one of the spectators pulls off a catch that even Ben Stokes would be proud of. There’s a fist pump from Siniakova when she holds to 15. But there’s an even steelier fist pump from Konta when four points later she wraps up the set with a hold to love. Konta’s in charge, leading 6-3.

The current scores on the board:

Centre: Konta has broken Siniakova to lead 4-1.

No 1: Federer has glided through the first set against Clarke 6-1.

No 2: The defending champion, Angelique Kerber, has come from a break down to go a break up, 4-2, against the American Lauren Davis.

No 3: John Isner, the double marathon man after those matches in 2010 and 2018, is nearing his 673rd fifth set at Wimbledon. He leads Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin by two sets to one but Kukushkin is 5-1 up in the fourth.

Court 12: Jose Mourinho is watching on as his Portuguese compatriot Joao Sousa storms to a surprise two-sets to love lead, 6-4, 6-4, against the teary finalist of two years ago Marin Cilic.

Roger Federer returns to Jay Clarke.
Roger Federer returns to Jay Clarke. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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Always unconventional, Nick Kyrgios yesterday warmed up for today’s match with Rafael Nadal by having a hit with Carla Suarez Navarro and then doing down the Dog and Fox pub in Wimbledon. Whether this was the best preparation remains to be seen – Kyrgios will be on court after Konta – but it’s certainly worked wonders for Suarez Navarro, who’s wrapped up a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) win over France’s Pauline Parmentier.

Carla Suarez Navarro wins her match against Pauline Parmentier.
Carla Suarez Navarro wins her match against Pauline Parmentier. Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA

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Let’s hope the next British player on Centre fares better. But Johanna Konta has a tough assignment against Katerina Siniakova, the Czech doubles whizz who beat Naomi Osaka at the French Open last month. Meanwhile on No 1, another Brit, Jay Clarke, is attempting to take inspiration from his mixed doubles partner Cori Gauff’s giantkilling of Venus Williams as he tackles Roger Federer. The last time Federer lost to a home player at Wimbledon was in 2001 against Tim Henman, when Clarke was only two years old. The eight-times champion has dropped only one set to British players since, in the 2012 final against Andy Murray, and the GOAT doesn’t look in the mood to be any more charitable today. Federer already leads the 20-year-old 3-0.

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Norrie loses to Nishikori 6-4, 6-4, 6-0

Even though Evans has allezed his way to victory, he’ll never be as cosmopolitan as Norrie, who has a Scottish dad, a Welsh mum, was born in South Africa, raised in New Zealand and played US college tennis. So perhaps we can chalk off Norrie’s 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 loss to Kei Nishikori as not only a British defeat but one for South Africa, New Zealand and the US too. That’ll soften the blow. In all seriousness, though, that was a comprehensive victory for Nishikori, who’ll play the American Steve Johnson in the last 32. Johnson outlasted the Australian 25th seed, Alex De Minaur, 6-3 in the final set.

Cameron Norrie (left) and Kei Nishikori shake hands after their match.
Cameron Norrie (left) and Kei Nishikori shake hands after their match. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

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“I was pretty nervous at the end,” admits Evans. “It means so much to get through. I just want to win big matches. The crowd here are always so good to me, they got me over the line.”

Evans beats Basilashvili 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (2)!

At 6-2 Evans has four match points to add to the four he had earlier in the set. Surely all of these won’t go begging? This time Evans needs only one. He clenches his fists and looks to the skies and there’s even a tear or two. You can see how much this means. A year ago he was denied a wildcard after his ban for testing positive for cocaine. Now he’s matched his best performance here by reaching the third round, where he’ll face either Marin Cilic or Joao Sousa. Cilic, the 2017 runner-up, is in a bit of bother, trailing by a set 6-4.

A tie-break it is on No 2 Court, when Evans biffs a backhand into the net. Norrie v Nishikori is briefly interrupted on Centre when a spectator is taken ill. It’s hot out there today, well hot by Wimbledon standards, and the heat is rising back on No 2 when Evans grabs the first mini-break of the breaker. At 3-1, Basilashvili has a great chance to reduce his arrears, but his forehand flies wide! They change ends with Evans in charge at 5-1 ...

Evans looks to be heading for a tie-break. He leads 6-5 but Basilashivili has a game point. Norrie meanwhile looks to be heading for the locker room. He’s already conceded a break in the third set to trail Nishikori 6-4, 6-4, 2-0.

Petra Kvitova beats Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 6-2

Petra Kvitova was 5-3 down in the first set against France’s Kristina Mladenovic. The two-times champion is now a 7-5, 6-2 winner. That’ll further calm fears about the arm injury that forced her to miss the French Open. Kvitova’s interview with Simon Hattenstone is well worth a read, if you’ve not yet seen it:

Updated

Thanks Tom. I said an hour ago I was hoping that Dart and Evans would have wrapped things up but the time I returned, but I suppose one out of two ain’t bad. Dart did well to finish so strongly after her earlier wobbles and the win is especially impressive given Haddad Maia upset Garbine Muguruza, the 2017 champion, in the first round. Evans, however, isn’t finishing with such a flourish, and from 5-2 up he’s now been pegged back to 5-5.

Updated

It’s not “this time” at all, as Evans flakes out with Basilashvili at his mercy. He’s 0-40 down but has to fight back very hard to get to deuce. Even once he gets there, he has to send a hard, fast serve down the middle to stop his opponent breaking him. But it doesn’t stop Basilashvili, who brings the scores back to 5-4 in the third set. On Centre Court, Nishikori has won the second set against Norrie 6-4. And with that, I’ll hand back over to Katy Murrells.

Updated

Evans blows two match points against Basilashvili and loses the game, having missed a very easy return at 30-40. The British player will now serve for the match at 5-3 up in the third. “This time,” he says as he prepares to serve. Meanwhile, Nishikori is ahead but not finding Norrie an easy opponent on Centre Court, he leads 6-4, 4-3.

Dan Evans goes 5-2 up against Basilashvili in the third set after a tricky game ended when the Georgian dumps the ball into the tramlines. He is one game away from victory and the third round.

Dan Evans celebrates.
Dan Evans celebrates. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA

Updated

That’s a good comeback from Kvitova, who wins a first set against Mladenovic despite being against the head for most of it. She takes it 7-5 and it will be interesting to see whether she can take the momentum of the last couple of games into the second set.

Petra Kvitova wins the first set against Kristina Mladenovic.
Petra Kvitova wins the first set against Kristina Mladenovic. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA

Nishikori breaks Norrie in the second set on Centre Court to go 2-1 and a set up. Evans is well on his way to victory on No 2 Court. He’s 4-1 up and two sets up against Basilashvili. On No 12 Court, Marin Cilic has been broken by Joao Sousa and is 0-2 in the first set.

This is roughly what Evans v Basilashvili looks like, but to make it more accurate, shout ‘Allez!’ a lot alongside it.

Nishikori wins the first set on Centre Court 6-4 against Cameron Norrie. On No 2 Court, Evans goes a break up against Basilashvili, then 3-0 up in the third set. On No 1 Court, Kvitova breaks Mladenovic after a deuce battle to make it 5-5 in the first set.

Kei Nishikori returns to Cameron Norrie.
Kei Nishikori returns to Cameron Norrie. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Updated

Australia’s Alex De Minaur has levelled against Steve Johnson of the United States. It’s two sets all on Court 18 after a gruelling 2hr 42min, with the score 6-3, 6-7(7), 3-6, 6-3.

Dan Evans is chuntering away to himself. For reasons that are not entirely obvious, he keeps shouting ‘Allez!’ whenever he wins a point. He’s a game up and two sets up in the third set. Meanwhile, on No 1 court, Petra Kvitova is battling, she’s 4-5 down in the first set with Kristina Mladenovic serving.

Evans blows one set point at 30-40, but works his way to another from deuce. He takes it eventually, going two sets to the good against the 18th seed. He’s 6-3, 6-2 up against Basilashvili, then wanders off the court, presumably for a comfort break, seemingly in a bit of a funk. On No 3 court, Mikhail Kukushkin has won the first set against the big American No 9 seed John Isner 6-4.

Here’s the moment Dart won:

Nishikori has broken Norrie back as the first set on Centre goes back to being on serve, but the British player has started well. Dan Evans is moaning that the mixture in his drinks isn’t right, but he’s got his on-court formula correct - a hard-working performance has him 6-3, 5-2 up against Basilashvili and receiving the serve.

Harriet Dart beats Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-1

She blows the first, but takes the second. Harriet Dart wins to go into the third round for the first time, where she will face world No 1 Ashleigh Barty.

Harriet Dart celebrates after winning her second round match against Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Harriet Dart celebrates after winning her second round match against Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters

Updated

Dart has two match points against Haddad Maia, who is now hobbling a lot.

Dan Evans is continuing to steamroller Nikoloz Basilashvili, he’s now 6-3, 4-1 up. On Centre Court, Cameron Norrie has just broken Kei Nishikori in the first set to go 4-2 up.

Serving to go 5-1 up in the second set, Harriet Dart is attacked by some sort of flying creature. She brushes it off, but doesn’t brush off Haddad Maia who takes her to deuce. Dart gets to advantage when a challenge reveals one hair of the tennis ball is on the line but cannot capitalise. She sees it out at the second time of asking to go 7-6, 3-6, 5-1 up.

Right I’m off to get some lunch. Tom Bryant is taking over. See you in about an hour’s time, by which point hopefully Dart and Evans will be through to round three given Dart now leads 7-6 (4), 3-6, 4-1 and Evans has a 6-3, 3-0 advantage ...

John Millman has indeed set up that third-round meeting with Sam Querrey, easing past Serbia’s Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

Dart has been cursing on Court 12, as well as whacking the grass and her shoe for good measure. She doesn’t look as if she thinks she’s going to win this. But then out of nowhere, she breaks for 2-1 in the third set! Haddad Maia decides it’s time to get some treatment on her hip. Meanwhile Dan is the man on No 2, winning the first set 6-3 against Basilashvili when the 18th seed flings a forehand wide.

Updated

Fancy some action on the show courts? Sure you do. First up on Centre it’s Britain’s Cameron Norrie, making his debut on the main court, against the 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori, while on No 1 it’s Petra Kvitova, the champion here in 2011 and 2014, against France’s former top-10 player Kristina Mladenovic.

Updated

Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff was strutting his stuff against the USA! USA!! USA’s!!! Taylor Fritz, leading 6-4, 6-3, but Fritz won the third set 7-5 and it’s going on serve in the fourth. Meanwhile Australian whippersnapper Alex De Minaur, who scraps in the style of his mentor Lleyton Hewitt, is in a battle with the USA! USA!! USA’s!!! Steve Johnson. It’s one set all, De Minaur taking the first set 6-3 and Johnson the second 7-4 in the tie-break.

Jan-Lennard Struff returns to Taylor Fritz.
Jan-Lennard Struff returns to Taylor Fritz. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

Updated

It’s been a horrible, error-strewn 15 minutes for Dart on Court 12 and the result is that she’s succumbed in the second set, losing it 6-3 to Haddad Maia. The Brazilian celebrates by once again feasting on some honey-covered banana. This one’s going the distance.

While we’re talking about Thiem, I still find this stat absolutely crazy: the Austrian’s the only active player under the age of 28 to have reached a men’s grand slam final.

Updated

Sam Querrey has had a quiet year but is making some noise here. Having defeated Dominic Thiem, the French Open runner-up, on Tuesday, he’s just routed the Russian Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Australia’s John Millman looks a likely third-round opponent, given he’s currently two sets to the good against Serbia’s Laslo Djere.

Wang Qiang, perhaps one of the best players you’ve never heard of, has booked her place in the third round, trouncing Tamara Zidansek 6-1, 6-2.

Wang Qiang returns focuses on the ball as she prepares a backhand during her straight sets win over Tamara Zidansek.
Wang Qiang returns focuses on the ball as she prepares a backhand during her straight sets win over Tamara Zidansek. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

It’s been an eventful second set for Dart. Having called for the trainer to get her ankle strapped, she was promptly broken. But from 2-0 down she’s now 3-2 up on Haddad Maia. Meanwhile Evans has been operating in reverse. After breaking in the opening game he’s been broken back and it’s 1-1.

Harriet Dart receives treatment for an injury.
One ankle nicely strapped up. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters

Updated

Dan Evans is Stephens’s successor on No 2 Court. The British No 3, who was ranked 1,195 just over a year ago after his suspension for cocaine use, has been enjoying himself on the grass this summer, winning Challenger titles in Surbiton and Nottingham. His talent has never been in doubt, his application has. But the drugs ban seems to have given the 29-year-old the kick up the backside he needed. He’s playing Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, who was the villain of the piece on Tuesday when he came from two sets down to defeat another Brit, James Ward.

Sloane Stephens clearly also means business, surging past China’s Wang Yafan 6-0, 6-2 in 54 minutes. Konta could be next in the last 32.

“What’s the deal with Ash Barty not playing on centre court???” emails Victoria Cook. “She’s world No 1. If they treated Novak like that, it’d be all over the news!” Yes it is puzzling. Granted it’s a packed schedule today, but I’m not sure that Cameron Norrie and Johanna Konta’s matches both warrant being on Centre. Novak was exiled to No 2 Court for one match last year – but he wasn’t the world No 1 then. I can’t see Barty being back on No 2 in the next round.

Updated

Dart, having been broken when serving for the first set against Haddad Maia, has recovered from the disappointment to force a tie-break. She’s got a mini-break, too, and is serving at 5-4. Dart brings up two set points with a, erm, darting forehand down the line. Haddad Maia’s backhand then misfires! Dart takes the tie-break 7-4. Credit to the 22-year-old for putting that ninth game out of her mind.

Barty beats Van Uytvanck 6-1, 6-3

The Aussie Fanatics are in full voice on No 2 Court, where Barty is stepping up to serve for a place in the third round, having dominated Van Uytvanck 6-1, 5-2. However Van Uytvanck decides to gatecrash the Barty party by breaking to 30. Barty responds by breaking to 30 herself for the victory, knifing away a high backhand volley to take her winning streak to 14 matches. There’s so much to like about the new world No 1 and French Open champion, who has such a classic style and level-headed attitude. She’d be a popular winner here, though she may find she has few friends in round three, because next up could be Britain’s Harriet Dart.

Updated

Haddad Maia bizarrely got out a bottle of honey and squirted it on a banana during an earlier changeover. It’s clearly done the trick though. Meanwhile talking of food ...

Dart, having managed to hold on to that break she secured early against Haddad Maia, is serving for the first set, leading 5-3. There’s danger for Dart at 0-30 but she shows composure to recover, including with a delicate drop shot, to get to 30-all. But from there it all goes wrong with two unforced errors - and Haddad Maia breaks. It’s 5-all and we’ll see what Dart’s made of. Can she regroup?

Beatriz Haddad Maia returns to Harriet Dart.
Beatriz Haddad Maia returns to Harriet Dart. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

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Double-take time:

Stephens has to be one of tennis’s most unpredictable players. The 26-year-old’s just as likely to go out of a slam early – witness her first-round defeats at Wimbledon in 2017 and 2018 – as rip through the draw and do some serious damage. The signs here are that she’s in the mood to go deep.

Barty may have perfect manners but she’s beating up the Belgian, leading Van Uytvanck 5-1. It’s a race between her and Stephens to secure the opening set first. It’s the world No 1 who comes out on top, taking hers 6-1, while Stephens shortly follows, whitewashing Wang 6-0.

Ashleigh Barty, foreground, returns to Alison Van Uytvanck.
Ashleigh Barty, foreground, returns to Alison Van Uytvanck. Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

Updated

Stephens, who’s now 5-0 up, is one of four Americans currently on court on the 4th of July. Sam Querrey, the giant and something of a giantkiller here in recent years, leads Russia’s Andrey Rublev 5-3, Taylor Fritz is 5-3 down to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff and Steve Johnson’s also trailing by a break, 4-3 against Alex De Minaur.

Sloane Stephens dinks a shot from Yafan Wang back over the net.
Sloane Stephens dinks a shot from Yafan Wang back over the net. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

Updated

More news on the Australian antithesis to Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic:

What a start from Dart, as she breaks the qualifier Haddad Maia in the opening game, before consolidating it for 2-0. It’s much the same story on No 2 Court where Barty moves 2-0, then 3-0 ahead. And getting in on the game gobbling act too is Sloane Stephens. The 2017 US Open leads China’s Wang Yafan 3-0 on No 3.

Harriet Dart plays a backhand to Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Harriet Dart plays a backhand to Beatriz Haddad Maia. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Updated

As if there weren’t already eight early singles matches to keep an eye on, here’s some reading for you to get through too:

Harriet Dart, the first of five Brits in second-round singles action, has finished her warm-up on Court 12, where she plays the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia. No sign yet of whether the Duchess of Cambridge will be slumming it with the commoners again today, having watched the 22-year-old’s first-round match out on Court 14.

Updated

Thursday's order of play

Centre Court 13:00: (8) Kei Nishikori (Jpn) v Cameron Norrie (Gbr), Katerina Siniakova (Cze) v (19) Johanna Konta (Gbr), Nick Kyrgios (Aus) v (3) Rafael Nadal (Spa)

Court 1 13:00: Kristina Mladenovic (Fra) v (6) Petra Kvitova (Cze), Jay Clarke (Gbr) v (2) Roger Federer (Swi), (11) Serena Williams (USA) v Kaja Juvan (Slo)

Court 2 11:00: (1) Ashleigh Barty (Aus) v Alison Van Uytvanck (Bel), Daniel Evans (Gbr) v (18) Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo), Lauren Davis (USA) v (5) Angelique Kerber (Ger), (17) Matteo Berrettini (Ita) v Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp)

Court 3 11:00: (9) Sloane Stephens (USA) v Yafan Wang (Chn), Mikhail Kukushkin (Kaz) v (9) John Isner (USA), Marton Fucsovics (Hun) v (12) Fabio Fognini (Ita)

Court 4 11:00: Shuko Aoyama (Jpn) & Aleksandra Krunic (Ser) v Kaitlyn Christian (USA) & Dalila Jakupovic (Slo), Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukr) & Abigail Spears (USA) v Sofia Kenin (USA) & Andrea Petkovic (Ger), Roman Jebavy (Cze) & Philipp Oswald (Aut) v Hugo Dellien (Bol) & Guido Pella (Arg), Anastasia Potapova (Rus) & Dayana Yastremska (Ukr) v Jennifer Brady (USA) & Alison Riske (USA)

Court 5 11:00: Madison Brengle (USA) & Erin Routliffe (Nzl) v Xinyun Han (Chn) & Oksana Kalashnikova (Geo), Marcus Daniell (Nzl) & Wesley Koolhof (Ned) v Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Pablo Cuevas (Uru), Alize Cornet (Fra) & Petra Martic (Cro) v (14) Veronika Kudermetova (Rus) & Jelena Ostapenko (Lat), Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spa) & Feliciano Lopez (Spa) v Christian Garin (Chi) & Nicolas Jarry (Chi)

Court 6 11:00: Roberto Carballes Baena (Spa) & Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) v Fabrice Martin (Fra) & Hugo Nys (Fra), (16) Robin Haase (Ned) & Frederik Nielsen (Den) v Romain Arneodo (Fra) & Damir Dzumhur (Bih), Rebecca Peterson (Swe) & Tamara Zidansek (Slo) v Mihaela Buzarnescu (Rom) & Raluca Olaru (Rom), (3) Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe) & Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Cze) v Mona Barthel (Ger) & Xenia Knoll (Swi)

Court 7 11:00: Monica Puig (Pur) & Shelby Rogers (USA) v Makoto Ninomiya (Jpn) & Renata Voracova (Cze), (8) Henri Kontinen (Fin) & John Peers (Aus) v Gerard Granollers-Pujol (Spa) & Marcel Granollers (Spa), Robert Lindstedt (Swe) & Tim Puetz (Ger) v Denis Kudla (USA) & Sam Querrey (USA), Andreea Mitu (Rom) & Pauline Parmentier (Fra) v Danielle Collins (USA) & Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA)

Court 8 11:00: (11) Nicolas Mahut (Fra) & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (Fra) v Liam Broady (Gbr) & Scott Clayton (Gbr), Pablo Andujar (Spa) & Fernando Verdasco (Spa) v Evan Hoyt (Gbr) & Luke Johnson (Gbr), (13) Ying-Ying Duan (Chn) & Saisai Zheng (Chn) v Magdalena Rybarikova (Svk) & Stefanie Voegele (Swi), (16) Raquel Atawo (USA) & Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukr) v Mandy Minella (Lux) & Heather Watson (Gbr)

Court 10 11:00: Vitalia Diatchenko (Rus) & Yulia Putintseva (Kaz) v Alicja Rosolska (Pol) & Astra Sharma (Aus), (5) Samantha Stosur (Aus) & Shuai Zhang (Chn) v Margarita Gasparyan (Rus) & Alexandra Panova (Rus), (5) Jean-Julien Rojer (Ned) & Horia Tecau (Rom) v Marco Cecchinato (Ita) & Andreas Seppi (Ita), Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) & Viktorija Golubic (Swi) v Asia Muhammad (USA) & Taylor Townsend (USA)

Court 11 11:00: Maria Sakkari (Gre) & Ajla Tomljanovic (Aus) v (11) Lucie Hradecka (Cze) & Andreja Klepac (Slo), Lloyd George Harris (Rsa) & Casper Ruud (Nor) v Marcelo Arevalo (Esa) & Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (Mex), Laslo Djere (Ser) & Janko Tipsarevic (Ser) v Santiago Gonzalez (Mex) & Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pak)

Court 12 11:00: Harriet Dart (Gbr) v Beatriz Haddad Maia (Bra), (13) Marin Cilic (Cro) v Joao Sousa (Por), (25) Amanda Anisimova (USA) v Magda Linette (Pol), Dominik Koepfer (Ger) v (24) Diego Sebastian Schwartzman (Arg)

Court 14 11:00: John Millman (Aus) v (31) Laslo Djere (Ser), (30) Carla Suarez Navarro (Spa) v Pauline Parmentier (Fra), Varvara Flink (Rus) v (18) Julia Goerges (Ger), Daniel Evans (Gbr) & Lloyd Glasspool (Gbr) v Leonardo Mayer (Arg) & Joao Sousa (Por)

Court 15 11:00: (33) Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger) v Taylor Harry Fritz (USA), (21) Elise Mertens (Bel) v Monica Niculescu (Rom), (27) Lucas Pouille (Fra) v Gregoire Barrere (Fra), Daria Kasatkina (Rus) & Anett Kontaveit (Est) v (15) Irina-Camelia Begu (Rom) & Monica Niculescu (Rom)

Court 16 11:00: Sam Querrey (USA) v Andrey Rublev (Rus), Alison Riske (USA) v Ivana Jorovic (Ser), (20) Gilles Simon (Fra) v Tennys Sandgren (USA)

Court 17 11:00: Tamara Zidansek (Slo) v (15) Qiang Wang (Chn), Laura Siegemund (Ger) v Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Cze), Ricardas Berankis (Lit) v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Fra), Denys Molchanov (Ukr) & Igor Zelenay (Svk) v (7) Bob Bryan (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA)

Court 18 11:00: Steve Johnson (USA) v (25) Alex De Minaur (Aus), (4) Kiki Bertens (Ned) v Taylor Townsend (USA), Kaia Kanepi (Est) v (13) Belinda Bencic (Swi), (10) Jamie Murray (Gbr) & Neal Skupski (Gbr) v Ivan Dodig (Cro) & Filip Polasek (Svk)

TBA Not Before 17.30: Marius Copil (Rom) & Ugo Humbert (Fra) v Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Fra) & Andy Murray (Gbr)

Updated

At least Australia also has an extremely professional and level-headed representative in Ashleigh Barty, who’ll be one of three Aussies in action once the players have finished weaving and winding their way to the outside courts. The world No 1 faces Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck, who last year beat the defending champion Garbine Muguruza at this stage, while John Millman and the young Alex De Minaur play too.

Meanwhile in news regarding another talented but extremely temperamental Aussie, Bernard Tomic has this morning been fined his entire prize money of £45,000 following his 58-minute loss by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round on Monday. Tomic was deemed not to have met the “required professional standard” in his 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 defeat, which was the shortest men’s match here since 2004. You may remember the 26-year-old was also fined two years ago during a controversial opening-round loss in which he admitted he felt “bored”.

Nick Kyrgios has been preparing for his grudge match with Rafael Nadal as only Nick Kyrgios can:

Preamble

Rafael Nadal has been in something of a seedings-induced funk since last week and his mood has probably not been improved by having to share a court with Nick Kyrgios today. Not only was Nadal knocked KO’d by Kyrgios when the Australian enigma gatecrashed the quarter-finals as a Wimbledon debutant in 2014, the Spaniard felt the full force of his rival’s tongue a few months ago, when he was accused of being a sore loser and “super salty”.

“He’s gracious only when he wins,” cussed Kyrgios. “He’s my polar opposite, like literally my polar opposite. Every time I’ve beaten him ... when he wins, it’s fine. He won’t say anything bad, he’ll credit the opponent: ‘He was a great player.’ But as soon as I beat him, it’s just like: ‘He has no respect for me, my fans and no respect to the game.’ It’s not a good look. And then Uncle Toni came out saying: ‘He lacks education.’ I’m like: ‘Bra, I did 12 years at school, you idiot. I’m very educated. I understand that you’re upset I beat your family again.’”

Hostilities will be renewed in the third match on Centre Court today, after Cameron Norrie and Johanna Konta’s matches, something of a scheduling surprise given that another Brit, Jay Clarke, is playing none other than Roger Federer and that’s over on No 1 Court, where Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova are also on the bill. Eyebrows have also been raised at the decision to put the world No 1 and French Open champion, Ashleigh Barty, on No 2 Court, along with the defending champion, Angelique Kerber. Completing the lineup there is the British No 3, Dan Evans, who is continuing his tale of redemption after a drugs ban, and Marcos Baghdatis, the charismatic Cypriot and 2006 semi-finalist whose story will come to an end today if Italy’s Matteo Berrettini puts him into retirement.

Elsewhere, Harriet Dart takes British numbers in the singles to five, Sloane Stephens, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Amanda Anisimova are among the American contingent in action on the 4th of July, while Marin Cilic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kiki Bertens play too.

And last but certainly not least, Andy Murray, back at Wimbledon after two years away, complete with a career-saving metal hip that has probably had security machines ringing around these heavily fortified and guarded grounds, begins his bid to make doubles the new singles. He and Pierre-Hugues Herbert take on Herbert’s fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert and Romania’s Marius Copil in the first round, while his brother, Jamie, also begins his campaign. The Murrays could meet in round three. As for the Andy and Serena show, their mixed doubles courtship will commence on another day. But given today’s super schedule, there’s more than enough to keep us going.

Play begins at: 11am BST on the outside courts/1pm BST on the show courts.

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