More from day two at Wimbledon
Anyway, that was a pretty decent day ... and there’s another just like it but nothing like it all along tomorrow. Ooh yeah! See you then!
Updated
Right, that’s us for today. On No1, Struff has just served out to claw back a set against Medvedev – it’s now 2-1 – Krejcikova leads Tauson 6-3 2-0; Bertens and Kostyuk are 3-3 in set two, first to Kostyuk; and Jones leads Gauff 2-1 on serve in set two, Gauff having taken the first 7-5.
Federer meets Gasquet or Sugita next; currently Gasquet leads by two sets to one.
“It’s awful,” says Federer. “One shot can change the outcome of a match or a career.” He’s not pleased to win like that but notes that you don’t get many walkovers during a career. He’s worked very hard, enjoyed himself on the court, and is happy to have another match. In the fourth set, he tried to shorten the points and “found a nice groove from the baseline”. He pinpoints Mannarino’s “shovel backhand” that causes problems for everyone and caused problems for him, observing that he had to change his game more than his opponent did.
Updated
Ah man. Mannarino played so well today, as well if not better than I’ve seen him, and though Federer had taken over, a serve like his in a final set would’ve been a huge advantage.
Updated
Aaaaarrrgggghhh! Mannarino retires hurt and Federer moves into round two 6-4 (3)6-7 3-6 6-2 w/o!
What a shame that is.
Updated
Back on No1, Struff breaks Medvedev for 4-3 in set three but still trails 2-1. Elsewhere, Gauff has taken the first against Jones, 7-5/
Federer levels the match, winning the fourth set 6-2!
But Mannarino looks done-in.
Mannarino tries to laugh off his injury situation but he doesn’t look in a good way. My guess is he takes it easy for what’s left of this set – Federer now leads 5-2 – takes a break before the decider – then sees how he is.
At Wembley, Haitch Kane has just put England 2-0 up on Germany.
Trailing 4-2 in set four, Mannarino slips asks for the trainer to treat what looks like a knee situation.
Updated
Let’s go around the courts: Gauff and Jones are at 5-5, Sandgren leads Gombos 6-4 3-2, Shapovalov is serving for the match in the final set against Kohlschreiber, Hurkacz leads Musetti 6-4 1-0, Gasquet leads Sugita 7-6(4) 4-6 4-1, Lajovic leads Simon 1-0 on serve in the decider and Kostyuk leads Bertens 6-3 1-1.
Federer’s serving well now, winning a lot of cheap points, and the easy holds are giving him the gas and gumption to attack Mannarino’s go. He gets to 30-all, then Mannarino clouts a backhand wide ... but saves the break point with a fifth ace and quickly closeS out. Federer 6-4 (3)6-7 6-3 4-2 Manarino
Federer looks really loose now, springing into a backhand volley winner when Mannarino looks to pass him down the line. It gives him 30-0, and seconds later another hold is in the books and it’s 4-1 in set four.
Medvedev takes the second set and now leads Struff 6-4 6-1!
He looks alright on the grass, I’d say.
Updated
Medvedev now leads 5-1 in set two, and Struff has nothing for him.
Eyoop, Federer has been to Goa, Koh Samui or wherever and found himself, a classic forehand giving him 0-30. Then on 15-30, he whams a forehand into a fat net-cord and somehow the ball drips over to give him two break points ... then a drop looks good, and though Mannarino gets it back, Federer is waiting at the net to pat away. He leads 2-0 in the third but trails by two sets to one.
Updated
Mannarino in on one! He gets himself a break point, and if he can take this he’ll be very close ... but Federer finds a phat serve out wide, then a lovely drop that his Mannarino and his coach laughing. He’s absolutely loving this, and charges all over the court retrieving balls during the next point, until Federer finally puts a way a high volley. That was a great point and this is a really fun match.
Medvedev is toying with Struff now, hauling him to the net, sending up the lob, then faking the smash to tickle over the net with his opponent stranded. That secures him the double break and he now leads 6-4 3-0.
Mannarino takes the third set and now leads Federer 4-6 7-6(3) 6-3!
But a serve down the T makes it 40-30 and raises set point ... followed by one out wide which facilitates a pat-down, clean-up volley at the net, and that’s 2-1 Mannarino! He is playing beautifully here, and if Federer doesn’t improve, by a lot, if he can refrain from choking he’s looking good for round two!
Updated
Mannarino bashes his first go out wide – enough for 15-0 – then dominates the next point only to lose it when Federer plays his first good shot of the rally and he nets a backhand; 15-all. But he quickly makes 30-15 and he’s doing really well to stay so calm, except he then plans a backhand just over the baseline.
Federer holds for 5-3, so Mannarino will have to serve for it. Here we go....
Medvedev is so efficient, and he breaks Struff in the first game of set two because that is exactly what he does. He leads 6-4 1-0.
Updated
And while Medvedev was easing away, so was Mannarino! He breaks Federer for 4-2, and the way he’s been serving, looks a good bet for the set! He consolidates for 15, and at 5-2 is one game away from a 2-1 lead!
Updated
Daniil Medvedev takes the first set against Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4!
He serves out to 15, finishing with a clever swipe to the baseline with Struff expecting a drop.
Updated
On No1, Struff is playing ok now, but Medvedev still has his break and at 5-4 will serve for the set.
Here comes the Fed Express! Sorry. He starts coming to the net early door, and at 30-all he finds a terrific backhand winner cross-court ... but then Mannarino finds one of his own! This is a really enjoyable match now and we end up at deuce, whereupon Federer forces back a fine serve out wide and Mannarino can only net ... but he then nets himself and we’re back to deuce! Briefly. I don’t know where Federer’s well is, but he’s gone to it yet again, nailing a further break point with a glorious backhand down the line! Federer 6-4 (3)6-7 1-2 Mannarino
Now then! Mannarino breaks Federer at the first time of asking in set three, and if he keeps serving as he is, this could get exceedingly interesting.
Struff has settled, forcing Medvedev to save a break point and play through deuce before holding easily. Medvedev leads 3-2 with a break.
“Tickle me fancy,” says Abhijato Sensarma, “but Mannarino has truly rattled Federer here. I think it’s got to do with the fact that the latter hasn’t played enough over the last 18 months and his body is well past its prime. I expected the first round matches to be easy for the likes of Tsitsipas and Federer ... But I guess there isn’t much of a difference between the world’s top elites in any sport. Almost all of it comes down to mental agility in the end, doesn’t it?”
That’s a lot of it, but both those lads have all the shots and then some. At his peak, Federer could beat everyone even if he had an off-day and they played their best, but that’s no longer the case and when someone like Mannarino serves like this, it’s a situation.
It looks we’re getting back underway on the outside courts – checking in on 11, where Lajovic trails Simon by two sets to one, the covers are off and the net is up.
Back on No1, Medvedev consolidates and Mac notes that he’s not only never seen someone so tall move so well, but that he moves better than almost everyone on the tour.
Adrian Mannarino wins the second set 7-6(3) to level the match against Roger Federer!
Mannarino is 95% on points won his first serve goes in, and that was the key aspect of that set, along with his ability to maintain his standard during the breaker. We got ourselves a ball-game!
Updated
He wins points with both, and that’s 6-1! I doubt Federer’s lost many breakers to one, but Mannarino has go at a second serve ... and is well in the rally before hitting a forehand long.
Now then. Federer serves and immediately nets a backhand handing Mannarino the mini-break ...then goes long on the forehand to cede a second ... then a suffers a net-cord that results in a third! Mannarino leads 4-1 and has two serves to come!
From 40-0, Federer hauls himself back to 40-30, but then nets a backhand. A breaker it is, and if Mannarino can hold himself together, he’s got a good chance of seeing it away.
Great start for Medvedev on No1, taking his third break point when Struff nets. As I sagely taught just a few minutes ago this is a brute of a draw for him.
At 30-0 down, Mannarino plays a gorgeous backhand drop, taking a hand off the racket at the last second and leaving Federer rooted. And he makes it to 30-all, so Federer pounds down an ace, then a second serve onto the T that allows him to dictate the point, which he finishes at the net. Mannarino will now serve to stay in the set.
Mannarino is sticking with Federer, which I guess is more surprising than it would’ve been given the roof’s on. We’re now at 5-5 in set two, and if he can make his way to a breaker, he’s got a chance – though breaking prior to one would be the height of Federer.
On No1, Mac says that Medvedev has become his favourite player to watch – what an accolade that is. I’m sure he’ll find his way to a major at some point, but my fear is that there’ll always be others who do all the things better than he does, though he’s excellent at all of them.
Updated
Mannarino has a look of Zinedine Zidane.
“It’s a tough way to put it, but we enjoy putting up a valiant effort,” he said. [It’s] not celebrating it, but we put it right out there. You guys as well like to deliver the losses pretty front-page sort of stuff. I just think British mentality is that at the minute. It can change.”
Anyone told Gareth Southgate etcetera etcetera?
Medvedev and Struff arrive on court, and Struff is an unfriendly draw for a player not especially comfy on grass; he’s got a big serve and just last year was ranked 29 in the world, so there’s work to do for the number 2 seed.
On which point, vaguely.
Like a lot of lefties, Mannarino delivers from pretty wide in the advantage court to maximise angle swinging out wide to the backhand. Federer is struggling to deal with it, and a love hold makes it 10 straight points on serve for the Frenchman. Federer 6-4 3-3 Mannarino
Mannarino gets himself a break point and they go cross-court, backhand to forehand - Mannarino’s a lefty – before he makes a space to hit a winner ... only to go long! But a backhand winner earns him a go from advantage ... so Federer disburses a service winner, then quickly closes out, sealing the 3-2 with an ace out wide.
Oh yeah, and this one.
It’s been brought to my attention that another sporting encounter is in progress. Follow it here:
Back on Centre, we’re again on serve. Federer leads 2-1 (and by one set to love).
Next on No1: Jan-Lennard Struff v Daniil Medvedev [2]
Kerber talks about how much it means to be in so fantastic a place, in front of a crowd, and congratulates Stojanovic on playing so well.
Stojanovic played pretty well there, but a fully-firing Kerber is a problem. She plays Sorribes Tormo or Konjuh next, and though she has Serena or Gauff in her quarter, she’ll fancy herself to be the one standing at the end.
Angelique Kerber beats Nina Stojanovic 6-4 6-3!
Well played Nina Stojanovic! Kerber quickly gets to 0-40, raising three match points ... and Stojanovic saves them all. She then plays a lovely rally, the longest of the match, which she constructs beautifully, sending Kerber to hither and yon, then takes it with a forehand onto the sideline. But she can’t secure the game and after five opportunities, a double hands the German her fourth match point ... which she takes courtesy of a booming forehand onto the baseline followed by another into the space.
Updated
Federer wins the first set against Mannarino 6-4!
Federer springs into life, a lovely backhand allowing an easy forehand put-away for 15-40 and two break points. Mannarino saves the first, but playing the second, Federer yanks him to the net to swipe a backhand pass cross-court! That was so easy and so expert.
Stojanovic is running out of road here. She’s playing well enough, but she’s struggling to make any headway on Kerber’s serve, suffering through another love hold. Kerber 6-4 5-3 Stojanovic
Mannarino is no mug – he’s been as high as 22 in the world – and he’s serving nicely here. We’re 4-4 in set one.
It’s absolutely caning down outside. I guess we’re at least an hour away from play on the outside courts.
Hi again and thanks Will. Here’s the full aw! of what Barty said about Suarez Navarro.
Ashleigh Barty on Carla Suarez Navarro after a lovely ovation for CSN:
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) June 29, 2021
"It was just incredible to be able to share the court with Carla [..] She's a fighter, she's an incredible competitor, she's a lovely person and genuinely you can't find one bad word to say about her."
Updated
Mannarino performs two double faults on the trot to make it 15:30 but he recovers to win the game and make it 3-3. The opening set is going with serve. In other news, Daniel is back.
No such issues for Federer next time around as he holds to love.
Federer earns himself two break points thanks to a smash at the net. The first he pings into the net with a backhand from the baseline, the second is volleyed into open court by Mannarino at the net for deuce. Mannarino goes on to hold.
Federer sends an ace down the middle to complete the hold. He is looking in decent nick, that’s for sure.
Kerber wins the opening two games in the second set against Stojanovic, who has a lot to do if she’s to get back into the match.
Mannarino, who is celebrating his 33rd birthday today, takes his opening service game to deuce. The left-hander holds his nerve and serve to battle through to level at 1-1.
Updated
I am not sure who is writing the script but Federer loses the first three points of the opening game. Mannarino, however, fails to break and it goes to deuce. Federer produces a wonderful shot from back of court to earn advantage, before the finishing the job to hold.
Kerber wins first set against Stojanovic
Kerber makes light work of the final game of the first set, winning it to love.
Elsewhere ... Federer wanders out onto Centre where he is given a huge ovation.
Updated
Stojanovic bounces back as she holds but Kerber will still serve for the set.
Stojanovic gets herself to 30:30 but then plays a woeful shot long to give Kerber game point, which is duly accepted.
It is another break for Kerber, as she moves into a 4-3 first set lead. Stojanovic has lost her rhythm here as she fails to win a point in the game.
Kerber seems to have found her groove now as she levels the set by winning her service game to love.
I say that ... but Kerber breaks back after some underwhelming serving from Stojanovic.
Kerber is a break down against Stojanovic in the opening set. The teenage Serb is currently 3-1 up.
Barty speaks ...
On Suarez Navarro: “She’s a genuine champion and she will be very sorely missed.
On how her body is feeling: “Good, great. The grass is a little more forgiving on the body.”
On her dress: “This is the very least I do as a tribute for Evonne Goolagong, 50 years since her first win here.”
Ashleigh Barty [1] beats Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-7, 6-1
Serving for a place in the second round, Barty makes light work of the final game of the day for her. There are a few decent rallies thrown in for good measure as Barty completes a deserved victory, but it’s been great to see Suarez Navarro in action again.
Suarez Navarro bounces back, much to the enjoyment of the fans, to ensure she wins at least one game in the final set.
Barty is now 5-0 up in the deciding set. This match is pretty much done and dusted.
Anyhow, I’m off to do the school run, so Will Unwin will guide you through the next hour.
Email! “She might be the number 1 seed but she is certainly not the best player in the world right now,” says Mike Allen of Barty. “She’s playing pretty poorly today and won’t go far in the tournament.”
I don’t know – she’s number one in the world, which is a helpful gauge. I think it’s fair to say that her best isn’t the best, but maybe she hits her best level more consistently than anyone else.
Back on Centre, Barty has broken to love at the first time of asking, leading 2-0 in the decider. I was hoping Suarez Navarro would tap into a vein to give us a bazzer, but Barty seemed to lose focus when serving for the match and now it’s back in the balance, she’s bang at it.
Angelique Kerber [25] and Nina Stojanovic are waiting to walk out onto No1 Court.
Carla Suarez Navarro takes the second set 7-6(1); she and Ash Barty [1] will now play a decider!
She only needs one of them! Barty nets a backhand slice, and Suarez Navarro, who’s only played once in 18n months due to Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a first-round defeat at Roland Garros – is level with the best player in the world!
Suarez Navarro takes the first mini-break and at 3-1 chills in the middle of the baseline while directing Barty from corner to corner; she’s really feeling it now, sending a forehand down the line for 5-1, and this is excellent from her! Next point, she comes into the net, Barty’s lob goes long, and she now has five opportunities to clinch the set!
Barty hold for 6-6, and Suarez Navarro has got her breaker.
Updated
Next on Centre, by the way: Adrian Mannarino takes on some bloke called Roger Federer. Might be alright.
Updated
On Zverev – and the wider issues he raises – this, from Tumaini Carayol, is essential reading.
Updated
Zverev says he’s enjoying things getting back to normal, and is happy to see people without masks. A lot of people have suffered a lot, he says, before moving onto tennis, and is happy there’s a roof over No1 Court. He notes that they’re always trying to improve things, “and that’s why everyone’s loved it for 130,000 years”. He won’t say what he thinks will happen in the football for fear of being booed off.
Suarez Navarro gets 0-30 but two heavy first serves bring Barty, serving for the match, back to 30-all ... but have a look! Suarez Navarro hammers a backhand return, wins the next point too, and we’re 5-5 in set two!
Alex Zverev [4] beats Tallon Griekspoor 6-3 6-3 6-1!
That’s impressive from Zverev, who finishes with a booming backhand return down the line, when set out wide. He plays Sandgren or Gombos next – they’re 3-3 in the first.
Suarez Navarro just hasn’t been able to land anything on Barty, who’s just broken her and will now serve for the match at 5-4 in set two.
Zverev, on the other hand, has taken to Griekspoor’s serve like a duck to hoi sin, leading 4-1 in set three.
But as I type that, a fine backhand cross-court gives Suarez Navarro deuce ... and as I finish typing this, Barty cements her hold.
Suarez Navarro is hanging in there well, on serve in set two. But Barty’s first serve has been solid as you like so far, and she’s struggling to make an impression – though in a breaker, who knows? Barty 6-1 3-4 Suarez Navarro
It looks pretty miserable on the outside courts, but the forecast reckons no more rain after 5pm, so we should get a fair bit done this evening.
As he did in set two, Zverev has broken Griekspoor at the first time of asking, and this match is nearly over. Zverev 6-3 6-4 2-0 Griekspoor
Updated
Suarez Navarro is warm now, and we’re on serve at 3-2 in set two – Barty having won the first 6-1.
In comms, they’re talking about Berrettini, who gets underway tomorrow against Pella. He’ll fancy himself to win this quarter, in any case but especially after winning Queen’s, and looks a future major winner. This one will probably be too early and who knows how long Djokovic will hang around ruining careers, but eventually.
Zverev takes the second set against Griekspoor to lead 6-3 6-4!
On 40-0, Griekspoor blocks back an excellent backhand return winner, so Zverev retorts with 121mph second serve service winner. Bye!
Back on No1, Zverev is serving for set two.
Korda beats De Minaur [15] 6-3 6-4 (5)6-7 7-6(5)
I guess they stayed out on Court 17 and that’s a great win for Korda, the son of former tenniser Petr; his sisters are both pro golfers. Anyhow, he plays Zhang or Hoang, both of them qualifiers, in round two.
Updated
Zverev, then. He’s getting closer to that elusive first major and he’s got a decent enough draw here – Federer, Berrettini and Medvedev are the men to beat. His serve gives him a chance against anyone, but it’s still hard to see him beating anyone ranked above him in a big semi or final.
Updated
Barty’s dress, we learn, is a tribute to Evonne Goolagong Cawley – a close friend with whom she has a shared heritage – and the Wimbledon champion in 1979 and 1980.
Updated
Well done Tallon Griekspoor – he retrieves a break and holds easily. He’s never played a top-10 player before, never mind played on No1 Court, but perhaps he’s settling now. Griekspoor 3-6 2-3 Zverev
Ashleigh Barty wins the first set against Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1!
That was as one-sided as the score suggests.
Updated
Zverev, meanwhile, has done likewise, and now leads 6-3 3-0.
But Barty has broken again for 5-1 and is looking really good.
Suarez Navarro’s mum is in her box, absolutely loving it – it’s great to see. And how alike do they look?!
Barty slices into the net at 30-all and Suarez Navarro now has a point for an immediate break-back ... but can only net her backhand return. Barty quickly seals the consolidation. Barty 4-1 Suarez Navarro
Barty breaks Suarez Navarro immediately for 3-1.
Updated
Barty leads 2-1 in set one, on serve; Zverev leads 6-3 1-0 (with a break).
Updated
And here come Zverev and Griekspoor.
Barty and Suarez Navarro are back out and warming up.
“Owt else going on today?” I hear you ask. Apparently so.
The Centre Court roof is closed, so the covers are off.
Petra Martic, the number 26 seed, leads Varvara Gracheva 7-6(3) 4-6 3-0; De Minaur is a break up in set four against Korda, so looks like a decider there; and Lajovic leads Simon by two sets to love, the winner to meet Evans.
Alex Zverev wins the first set against Tallon Griekspoor 6-3!
He leads 1-0 in the second.
Diego Schwartzman [9] beats Benoît paire 6-3 6-4 6-0!
He meets Great Britian’s Liam Broady next, Broady having seen off Cecchinato 3,4 and 0.
Updated
Remember I said that coming back to play a match in which you’re two sets down was the absolute opposite of Benoît Paire? Well....
Linguists: Why is it roofs and not rooves?
Rain stopped play
We had a good run, at least, nearly three hours without interruption. I guess it’ll take about half an hour before we’re back on the show courts, 10 minutes to close the roofs and 20 to regulate the atmosphere.
Updated
Venus Williams beats Mihaela Buzarnescu 7-5 4-6 6-3!
But it doesn’t matter! What a win that is, in her 23rd Wimbledon, and how beautiful to see it! She meets Ons Jabeur next, in what should be an absolute jazzer.
Updated
No she cannot...
A majestic serve out wide then allows the forehand into the opposite corner and that’s another match point, Venus’ third. Can she get a first serve?
This Venus-Buzarnescu game is a monster, Buzarnescu earning break points and Venus saving them...
On Centre, umbrellas are going up. The sky looks alright though, so I’m not sure they’ll close it or go off on the outside courts.
And look at Venus, moving from 0-30 to 40-30 and match point in seconds! But the second serve she’s forced to deploy is nothing like the ace we just saw and a poor backhand brings us to deuce.
Updated
Goodness me! Shapovalov, whose backhand has cost him plenty today, slices a beauty down the line and on the run, to break back!
Meanwhile, Kohlschreiber has just broken Shapovalov, and is now serving for the fourth set at 5-3.
Back on Court 3, Venus secured a double break for 5-1, but serving for the match she was broken. Buzarnescu is now at 30-0, so she’ll likely try again in a short while.
That was lovely, and it’s also great to see Barty, who was nearly denied by injury. I wondered if she’d be one of those world number ones who don’t have the game to win a major – See Pliskova Ka, Ivanovic and Safina – but she took the French in 2019 to remove that pressure from her life. Now, the question is whether she can adapt her game to grass; we shall see.
But I’ve switched to Centre to see the reception given Carla Suarez Navarro, who’s recently beaten Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Here she - and Ash Barty – come!
On No1 Court, Zverev is already a break up on Griekspoor, leading 3-1.
That breaker I told you about: De Minaur won it, so now trails Korda by two sets to one.
Venus is getting there! On deuce, she hammers down an ace, then on advantage she hits a flat backhand winner down the line. It’s taken her a while, but is she now settling into her best form? Buzarnescu 5-7 6-4 1-4 Williams
Next on Court 2 we’ve got Schwartzman [9] v Paire. That match started yesterday and Schwartzman leads 6-3 6-4; fancying this is the absolute opposite of Paire.
Fabio Fognini [26] beats Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6(4) 6-2 6-4!
He meets Cuevas or Djere next.
I wonder how deep Evans can go here. The next seed he’s scheduled to play is De Minaur, who’s two sets down to Korda and playing a breaker; the highest seed in the quarter is Tsitsipas, who’s out; and the highest seed left is Khachanov, who’s ranked below him.
Evans is delighted with his win, thanking people for coming out. He says that in the first set, he was too into himself, but let go thereafter and praises “a good mental effort today”.
Dan Evans [22] beats Feliciano Lopez 7-6(4) 6-2 7-5!
Lopez goes long with a volley, and Evans absolutely loves it, bouncing aboout then bouncing his racket. He meets Lajovic or Simon next; they’re currently on serve in set three having split the first two.
Updated
Serving at 5-6 in the third, Lopez nets a backhand approach and is soon at 0-30. But he gets back to 30-all before they wind up at deuce, a fine forehand return raising match point...
Venus, sent out wide, finds a fine, dipping backhand that persuades Buzarnescu to net, earning her two break points. Buzarnescu saves the first, but nets on the second, and it’s now 2-0 in the decider.
Martincova beats Riske [28] 6-2 4-6 6-1!
She meets Podoroska next, who beat Li 6-4 7-6(1).
Updated
Evans and Lopez are now at 5-5 in set three. You’d fancy Evans in another breaker, but Lopez is a live dog.
Having made Shapovalov serve for the third set, Kohlschreiber takes him to deuce, but Shapovalov eventually prevails. Shapovalov 6-4 4-6 6-3 Kohlschreiber
Buzarnescu wins the second set 6-4 to level the match against Venus Williams!
Venus pushed her in the decisive game, but at 30-all an ace down the middle settled Buzarnescu’s nerves, and she looks favourite now.
Updated
That returning solidity is allowing Lopez to put Evans under pressure, and he makes 15-40. But a big serve and forehand pass bring it back to deuce, after which Evans quickly mops up. Evans 7-6(4) 6-2 4-3 Lopez
Lopez has rediscovered the first serve that forsook him in set two, holding easily for 3-3 in set three but with Evans up 2-0, while Shapovalov just survived a game in which he sent down three doubles; Kohlschreiber will now serve to stay in the third at 2-5.
Martincova, who won the first set against Riske, the number 28 seed, lost the second but now leads 2-0 in the third.
There’s a loud holler on Court 12 as Shapovalov bangs a forehand to earn a break against Kohlschreiber. He now leads 4-2 in set three, the match tied at 1-1.
Buzarnescu is looking really solid on serve now, holding to love for 4-2; this will be a much quicker set than the first and, by the looks of things, it’ll deliver us a decider. Buzarnescu 5-7 4-2 Williams
Also going on:
Phew.
A reminder that in 25 minutes, Zverev and Griekspoor will arrive on No1 Court.
Korda now leads De Minaur, the number 15 seed, 6-3 6-4.
Elise Mertens [13] beats Harriet Dart 6-1 6-3!
Mertens meets Zhu or Barthel next.
Updated
Karolina Pliskova [8] beats Tamara Zidansek 7-5 6-4!
She meets Donna Vekic next, Vekic having beaten Anastasia Potapova 6-1 6-4.
Dan Evans wins the second set and now leads Feliciano Lopez 7-6(4) 6-2!
He’s never lost from 2-0 up before.
Tangentially, when Daniel Welbeck played for the football team I support, I found myself shouting “Expletive sake, Daniel!” and wondering how often the same had been said in my connection; and when watching televised football, I always enjoy Joe Cole calling Rio Ferdinand “Ri”, because three letters are too many. I guess they still amount to two syllables.
Updated
There’s a “Come on, Daniel!” from the crowd, and John Inverdale notes that it’s probably only his mum who calls him that. I have similar experiences: at school there were lots of boys called that, so we were all surnames apart from when being spoken to by our parents, and now it doesn’t matter what I tell people my name is, they all shorten it anyway.
Updated
Evans earns himself three break points, but Lopez slams down a second-serve ace to save the first ... no he doesn’t! The ball was long and Evans, despite not playing especially well, is up a set and a break. Evans 7-6(4) 4-2 Lopez
Buzarnescu also has no plans for swift departure, breaking Venus at the first time of asking in set two. Buzarnescu 5-7 2-0 Williams
On Court 12, meanwhile, Kohlschreiber has a point for 1-1 against Shapovalov ... and a wild backhand from the Canadian flies long! Shapovalov 6-4 4-6 Kohlschreiber
Back on Court 2, Lopez is not going away – it’s 2-2 in set two, Evans having taken the first on a breaker.
Venus Williams takes the first set against Mihaela Buzarnescu 7-5!
A loose shot on 40-30 handed Venus deuce and she missed a really good chance on her first set-point, going long on the forehand. But on her second, Buzarnescu went long, and now has it all to do.
Updated
Pliskova took that first set against Zidansek 7-5 and now leads 3-2 in the second with a break. I guess Zidansek is a clay-court specialist, but that matters less now than it’s ever done before, so I thought form, talent and confidence might get her through this one. Apparently not.
Ons Jabeur [21] beats Rebecca Peterson 6-2 6-1!
She plays Venus or Buzarnescu next (if they’ve finished by then).
Updated
Our friend Ons is nearly home, now 6-2 5-1 in front against Peterson, while Kohlschreiber is a break up in the second set against Shapovalov, now trailing 4-6 3-2.
On Court 17, a potential shock is brewing: Sebastian Korda leads Alex De Minaur [15] 6-3 1-2.
Maria Sakkari [15] beats Arantza Rus 6-1 6-1!
She meets Shelby Rogers or Sam Stosur next; Rogers leads 6-1 3-3.
Venus and Buzarnescu are still slogging – Venus just saved two break points for her 5-5 – and we’re at deuce. Which is to say this looks a really even match-up.
Updated
Dan Evans takes the first set against Feliciano Lopez 7-6(4)!
Evans, though, is still focused, and a decent get at the net allows him the put-away for 5-4 when the ball comes back. A serve out wide and clean-up forehand follow, then Lopez nets a return, and that’s the set!
Evans gets the mini-break immediately, then secures another with a dipping backhand pass as Lopez comes to the net. You get the feeling that Lopez, at 39, won’t be wanting a long match and really needs to win this first set ... and he might, because two sloppy points from Evans and we’re back on serve at 4-4, a nauseation compounded by a smash hammered in his precise direction.
Updated
Hello. Lopez gets to 0-30 and suddenly Evans is under pressure. But he makes 15-30 with a big serve and forehand, then does similar again only with two forehands, and quickly closes out. A breaker it shall be. Evans 6-6 Lopez
Back on Court 2, Evans is serving at 5-6 in what’s been a very tight set.
Williams and Buzarnescu, meanwhile, are working hard and taking time; Williams leads 4-3 on serve.
Yeah, that stuff I was saying about Zidansek: Pliskova is now serving for the first set at 6-5. Meanwhile, Tereza Martincova has taken the first against Alison Riske [28] 6-2, Sakkari now leads Rus 6-1 4-0 and Mertens leads Dart 6-1 0-1.
Updated
Shapovalov has just broken Kohlschreiber in what is therefore the final game of the first set. He leads 6-4.
Evans has just survived a break point to square his first set against Lopez at 4-4, then opens the next game with a ridiculous shot, chasing a smash to whack from shoulder-height cross-court. He then makes 0-30, but misses a forehand down the line with plenty at which to aim. He eventually winds up at deuce and when Lopez goes wide with a simple forehand, has an opportunity ... which is immediately extinguished with a lefty serve out wide followed by a clean up forehand. Lopez quickly cleans up. Evans 4-5 Lopez
I mentioned yesterday that I was looking forward to seeing how Tamara Zidansek does – she gave us so much pleasure in making the semis at Roland Garros and is playing Karolina Pliskova, the number eight seed, here. Well, she’s 5-2 up, while in other women’s side news, Maria Sakkari – the other defeated semi-finalist in Paris – has raced to the first set against Arantxa Rus, 6-1, while Elise Mertens, the number 13 seed, leads Great Britain’s Harriet Dart 4-0 and 30-0.
Venus, who just survived a break point, is in a similar situation to Murray. People expect them to retire because they don’t think they’ll win another major, forgetting that they didn’t start playing the game to win majors, they started playing the game because they loved it. I’m older than both of them and still writing drivel.
Shapovalov is another player – like Tiafoe, like Felix Auger-Aliassime, who plays later today – with a lot of potential. His serve is a monster – though in commentary they reckon if he improves his toss it can be one of the best if not the best on the tour – and he hads hands too. He currently leads Kohlschreiber 4-3 on serve.
When deciding which matches to watch, I thought long and hard and Ons Jabeur, whose power-touch style I love – she and Marcos Baghdatis remind me of each other. Anyhow, the number 21 seed is a break up on Rebecca Peterson, leading 3-2.
Evans is seeded 22 here, and according to the VT we’re watching of him – odd, given the match has already started - he’s pleased about that. He’s improved so much in the last 18 months, but Lopez, at 39, knows his game and these courts, so is a suboptimal round one opponent.
Updated
I’m also watching Venus Williams against Mihaela Buzarnescu – Venus won the first game on her serve – and Shapovalov [10] v Kohlschreiber, which is 2-2.
We’re underway on Court 2, where Dan Evans is taking on Feliciano Lopez.
Oh, and on those scotch bonnets: keep them in the freezer not the fridge to avoid that burning sensation when you take your contact lenses out (or worse).
Yesterday, we discussed that every day we’ll share a few life-enhancers, beginning with Rincón de la Subbetica olive oil and Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories series. Today, let’s do a scotch bonnet sauce recipe from Craig and Shaun McAnuff’s Original Flava Jamaican cookery book: scotch bonnet peppers, lime juice, salt, blend – I’m addicted – and an extremely underseen Netflix series, Suburra.
I was hoping we’d enjoy a slightly better match, but I really enjoyed Sloane Stephens’ performance against Petra Kvitova. She moves beautifully, and is good enough to do something here, if she’s feeling good and hitting the ball well.
Also yesterday, Jack Draper took the first set off Novak Djokovic, and with his swinging lefty serve, booming forehand and implacable tenacity, looks like he might develop into a player.
One of yesterday’s highlights was Francis Tiafoe seeing off Stefanos Tsitsipas. Obviously it’s a shame that we won’t get to see more of the latter – the sooner he acclimatises his rrrrridiculous game to grass the better – but Tiafoe is a blue-chip talent who looked to have stagnated. But he still has time to explore the outer limits of his talent – hopefully Wayne Ferreira, his new coach will help him with that – and this was a great start.
Weather update: yes, stick with me for more invigorating nuggets. Anyway, it’s currently grey but dry, though looks likely to rain around lunchtime (and on Friday and Saturday). Coming next: kids’ telly from the 80s, and the reduced size of Monster Munch.
Show-court order of play
Centre court (from 1.30pm BST)
Ashleigh Barty [1] v Carla Suarez Navarro
Roger Federer v Adrian Mannarino
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Serena Williams [6]
**
No1 Court (from 1pm BST)
Tallon Griekspoor v Alexander Zverev
Angelique Kerber [25] v Nina Stojanovic
Jan-Lennard Struff v Daniil Medvedev [2]
Preamble
It feels strange to set up today by harking back to yesterday, but seriously, how good was it to see Andy Murray back roaring, chuntering and fist-pumping? In a way it barely mattered that he won ... except he won so it absolutely mattered, a lesson in drive, suffering and love.
Today we’ll see more of the same from Serena Williams, his former doubles partner, and Roger Federer, his always sparring partner, as they seek to establish themselves as the best to ever do it. Serena is one singles major behind Margaret Court while Federer is level with Rafael Nadal and one ahead of Novak Djokovic, both of them running out of time. But both are never more at home than on the grass of Centre Court, and for those of us lucky enough to watch, at this point it’s more about enjoying them than it is about them winning ... unless they win.
And on top of all of that, we’ve got Venus Willliams, Ash Barty, Daniil Medvedev, Alex Zverev, Coco Gauff, Dan Evans, Barbora Krejcikova and Nick Kyrgios ... along with an absolute panoply of others. Welcome to day two of Wimbledon 2021!
Play: 11am BST on outside courts, 1pm BST on No1 Court and 1.30pm BST on Centre Court
Updated
