After days of rain disrupting play at Wimbledon, the tennis courts are finally dry, and there is a glimmer of hope for a full day of matches on Thursday. The sun has appeared through the clouds, boosting organizers’ confidence in completing a full day’s schedule. The initial rounds of the tournament were severely affected by the weather, resulting in only eight matches being completed on Tuesday. Fortunately, equipped with roofs, the Centre Court and No. 1 Court could host these matches.
Due to the rain delays, several first-round matches spilled over into Day 4, an occurrence typically reserved for the completion of the second round. Notably, three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka emerged victorious in a thrilling match against No. 29-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry, securing his spot in the third round. Wawrinka, from Switzerland, has enjoyed success at the other Grand Slam events but has yet to make a deep run at Wimbledon.
On the women’s side, Sofia Kenin and Elina Svitolina advanced to the third round. Kenin caused an upset by eliminating seventh-seeded Coco Gauff in the first round, while Svitolina overcame five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams.
Upcoming matches include a highly anticipated showdown between two-time champion Andy Murray and fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas on Centre Court. Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula is set to face Cristina Bucsa on No. 1 Court.
In a notable upset, 16-year-old Russian qualifier Mirra Andreeva, ranked 102nd, reached the third round in her Wimbledon debut. Her progress was aided by No. 10-seeded Barbora Krejcikova’s retirement due to a lower leg injury, with Andreeva leading 6-3, 4-0. Krejcikova, the French Open 2021 champion, had previously reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.