By Tony Fairbairn at Wimbledon
- Arthur Fery [WC] v Daniil Medvedev [3] | H2H: First Meeting
- Heather Watson [WC] v Barbora Krejcikova [10] | H2H: First Meeting
- George Loffhagen [WC] v Holger Rune [6] | H2H: First Meeting
- Sonay Kartal [WC] v Madison Keys [25] | H2H: First Meeting
- Katie Boulter [WC] v Daria Saville | H2H: First Meeting
LONDON, ENGLAND – Arthur Fery, Heather Watson and George Loffhagen will battle top ten seeds on day two of Wimbledon as they look to book a place in the second round.
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Arthur Fery [WC] v Daniil Medvedev [3] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Arthur Fery [WC] v Daniil Medvedev [3] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2023 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £55,000 |
| TBC | BBC Sport |
Arthur Fery is making his Wimbledon debut this year after having a good season on the ITF circuit towards the end of last year and in the early stages of this year. However the grass court season was his first bit of competitive tennis for five months and it’s clear the lack of match practice has hurt the Brit’s confidence and form with the 20 year-old only securing two wins in the build-up to Wimbledon.
Now Fery will look to put form to one side as he prepares for the biggest match of his life against third seed Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev has had an incredible season having won five ATP titles including two Masters 1000’s. However Medvedev’s early Roland Garros exit was a setback in his season as now the world number three must regain his confidence on his worst surface.
Fery can surprise Medvedev in the early stages as the third seed won’t know too much about the Brit heading into this match. However the best of five set format gives Medvedev time to adjust accordingly and once the former Grand Slam champion settles into his rhythm there should be no stopping him.
Prediction: Medvedev in four sets.
Heather Watson [WC] v Barbora Krejcikova [10] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Heather Watson [WC] v Barbora Krejcikova [10] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2023 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £55,000 |
| TBC | BBC Sport |
Heather Watson has built steady momentum over the last few months as her favourite time of year approaches. The 31 year-old’s run to the Nottingham semi-finals should give her a confidence boost heading into Wimbledon, where she reached the second week for the first time in her career. Now the Watson rollercoaster journey is ready for another tournament at SW19 full of highs and lows as the Brit will look to once again feed off the energetic home support.
Watson has another opportunity to cause an upset at Wimbledon as she takes on former Roland Garros champion and tenth seed Barbora Krejcikova. Krejcikova’s game is perfectly suited to grass with the Czech Republican’s accurate serving and heavy baseline aggression making her a dark horse for the title here. A run to the Birmingham final would seem to back that up as she searches for a second Grand Slam title of her career.
The Brit’s aggression and energy should come in handy here and Watson seems to elevate her game when it comes to Wimbledon. However Krejcikova’s experience and strong mental game may prove too strong here in a match that may be decided by who can keep their cool under pressure.
Prediction: Krejcikova in three sets.
George Loffhagen [WC] v Holger Rune [6] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| George Loffhagen [WC] v Holger Rune [6] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2023 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £55,000 |
| TBC | BBC Sport |
Just like Fery, George Loffhagen has enjoyed a successful season on the ITF circuit but elevated his game to new heights a couple of weeks ago with a run to the quarter-finals at the Nottingham Challenger. Loffhagen has an aggressive baseline game that almost earned him his first ATP victory against Luca Van Assche and will look to utilise that in his maiden appearance at Wimbledon.
First up for Loffhagen is sixth seed and Roland Garros quarter-finalist Holger Rune who continues to bolster his resume with his cocky yet effective baseline game. The Dane hasn’t had the best success on grass so far but broke new ground at Queen’s Club with a run to the semi-finals. Now Rune will look to take his powerful and aggressive game style to Wimbledon as he looks to win his first ever match at Wimbledon.
Loffhagen has the game to cause a player like Rune problems and this could be a difficult outing for Rune. In the end the sixth seed should edge to victory with the Brit producing an encouraging performance for him to build on for the rest of the season.
Prediction: Rune in five sets.
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Sonay Kartal [WC] v Madison Keys [25] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Sonay Kartal [WC] v Madison Keys [25] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2023 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £55,000 |
| TBC | BBC Sport |
Sonay Kartal is playing her second consecutive Wimbledon and enters this year’s tournament with confidence having reached the semi-finals in Ilkley. That was followed up by an encouraging performance against Bianca Andreescu in Bad Homburg as the Brit will feel she can compete with any player with her resilient style of play.
However a tough opening round test awaits in the form of Madison Keys who also has form and confidence. The American produced a resilient week in Eastbourne to power her way to the title and has produced confident and consistent form this season. Having said that, Keys has often disappointed at Wimbledon and will look to correct that over the next fortnight as she has only reached the second week on two separate occasions.
Kartal has the skillset to push Keys’ game all the way but the American should have too much firepower and patience to edge into the second round.
Prediction: Keys in three sets.
Katie Boulter [WC] v Daria Saville | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Katie Boulter [WC] v Daria Saville | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2023 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £55,000 |
| TBC | BBC Sport |
Katie Boulter has had a successful grass court season having captured a WTA title in Nottingham as well as becoming the new British number one. Boulter had a great run to the third round last year and will hope to pull off a similar accomplishment this year with the Brit’s game getting better with each tournament.
Next for Boulter is Daria Saville who is only playing her second tournament of the season having recovered from an ACL injury. The Australian on her day is a top 30 player but enters Wimbledon undercooked and is searching for match practice after missing the last nine months of action. Whatever the outcome, Saville will be relieved to even play Wimbledon and will look for a performance to build on for the rest of the season.
Boulter should have too much quality and consistency for an undercooked Saville although the Australian’s defensive skills could frustrate the Brit from time to time.
Prediction: Boulter in straight sets.
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