By Tony Fairbairn at Wimbledon
- Cameron Norrie v Facundo Diaz Acosta | H2H: Norrie leads 1-0
- Harriet Dart v Zhuoxuan Bai [Q] | H2H: First Meeting
- Dan Evans v Alejandro Tabilo [24] | H2H: First Meeting
- Francesca Jones [WC] v Petra Martic | H2H: First Meeting
LONDON, ENGLAND – Cameron Norrie is looking to overcome confidence crisis while Harriet Dart continues her bid for consistency as the British action intensifies at Wimbledon.
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Cameron Norrie v Facundo Diaz Acosta | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie v Facundo Diaz Acosta | H2H: Norrie leads 1-0 |
| Wimbledon 2024 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £60,000 |
| Third on Court Three (15:00 BST) | BBC Sport |
Cameron Norrie is enduring a tough time in his career after an incredible start to the season at the Australian Open. Norrie’s new-found aggression didn’t last long as the Brit is now returning to his passive play especially in big moments and now Norrie has paid the ultimate price by losing his British number one ranking. Not even at Challenger level can Norrie catch a break as losing to Jack Pinnington Jones in Nottingham was seen as a new low for his high standards. Now Norrie looks to regain his confidence at a place where he reached the semi-finals two years ago.
Norrie’s first order of business is to take care of Argentinian Facundo Diaz Acosta who has not played a match since Madrid. The world number 67 has suffered his fair share of injuries and is now playing his first ever Wimbledon. However Diaz Acosta has a tidy game and will look to mount more pressure on Norrie by playing with freedom and composure.
Norrie will need to be aggressive on serve as he aims to use depth to pin Diaz Acosta behind the baseline as he looks to mix up his patterns of play. The Argentinian will look to extend the rallies as he will use the backhand to accelerate the pace of the rallies. This should be a relatively straightforward match for Norrie although that word doesn’t seem to exist in Norrie’s dictionary at the moment.
Prediction: Norrie in straight sets.
Harriet Dart v Zhuoxuan Bai [Q] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Harriet Dart v Zhuoxuan Bai [Q] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2024 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £60,000 |
| First on Court 18 (11:00 BST) | BBC Sport |
A return to form will be welcomed by Harriet Dart who had entered the grass court season on a five match losing streak. However wins in Surbiton and Birmingham were followed by a run to the quarter-finals in Eastbourne as she has been able to manage a period of stability and consistency. Dart will be hoping to keep up this consistency as she is aiming for a place in the second round at Wimbledon for the third time in her career and only the second time in the last five years.
Next for Dart is Chinese qualifier Zhuoxuan Bai after the world number 92 won three matches to make the main draw at Wimbledon. However, Bai had only managed seven wins all season before her run in Roehampton. The 22 year-old will go into this match with nothing to lose and everything to gain as she looks to capitalize on her recent confidence.
Dart will aim to be aggressive on serve as she will use the forehand to dictate play. While Bai will extend the rallies and use the angles to move Dart into uncomfortable positions in the court. This will be a good test to see whether Dart can handle the pressure of being a favourite at Wimbledon but recent form suggests she should just about manage the occasion.
Prediction: Dart in three sets.
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Dan Evans v Alejandro Tabilo [24] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Dan Evans v Alejandro Tabilo [24] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2024 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £60,000 |
| Fourth on Court 12 (16:30 BST) | BBC Sport |
It hasn’t been an ideal last few months for Dan Evans as his Wimbledon and Olympic dreams are in doubt. After enduring a clay court swing full of defeats, the Brit failed to win the Nottingham Challenger before suffering a serious injury at Queen’s Club. It’s yet to be seen what physical shape Evans is in but the preparation is far from what is expected as he will just hope to be 100% fit in the near future.
A tough opening round opponent awaits Evans in the form of Chilean Alejandro Tabilo. The 24th seed backed up his Challenger win in France with a semi-final run at the Masters 1000 event in Rome. However, Tabilo has not only conquered clay as Tabilo enters Wimbledon with a grass court title to his name having won the title in Mallorca. The one thing holding Tabilo back at the moment is his performances at Grand Slams which he hopes to rectify at Wimbledon.
Evans will use his slice to neutralise the power of Tabilo as he will need to be aggressive on serve. Meanwhile Tabilo will be aggressive on serve and use his dangerous forehand to rush Evans’ baseline play. This will be a very tough match for Evans and although the Brit will not give up, Tabilo should be way too strong for Evans in this match.
Prediction: Tabilo in straight sets.
Francesca Jones [WC] v Petra Martic | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Francesca Jones [WC] v Petra Martic | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2024 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £60,000 |
| Fourth on Court 15 (17:30 BST) | BBC Sport |
When 100% fit, Francesca Jones has been in sensational form having won ITF events as well as producing problems for top players on the WTA tour. However, the fitness part has been a struggle for Jones to maintain on a consistent basis. It’s something that Jones will look to get right in the coming months as the Brit now hopes to make an impression in her first appearance in the main draw of Wimbledon for three years.
A dangerous opponent awaits Jones in the second round in the form of big-serving Croatian Petra Martic. Martic isn’t the force she once was but the 33 year-old still has a style of play that is effective and efficient on grass. A big forehand and serve can still cause problems for the most consistent of players and will now hope to secure a 17th career win at Wimbledon.
Jones will need to be aggressive on serve as she will use the forehand to dictate play from the baseline. Meanwhile Martic will look to use her forehand to push the Brit behind the baseline. Jones should have the quality to push the Croatian all the way but Martic should have enough quality and consistency to get through this match.
Prediction: Martic in three sets.
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