Day 2 of the men’s singles at Wimbledon was hugely disrupted by constant rain, with all the matches outside the two biggest courts being suspended for the day after an hour of play. But those under the roofs of Centre Court and Court 1 were still treated to some entertaining tennis.
Wimbledon Day 2 Men’s Recap
Who looked good
Carlos Alcaraz matched the strong starts made by title rivals like Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. He dropped just two games in the first two sets against French veteran Jeremy Chardy. His level lowered in the final set, which he eventually won 7-5, but this may have been inevitable in a match he was so dominant in. Although it was a match the #1 seed was expected to win comfortably, his movement and ball striking was ominously good, and sent a message to the rest of the draw.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray also began the tournament positively, easing past countryman Ryan Peniston 6-3 6-0 6-1. Murray started slightly slowly, but was near faultless in the following two and a half sets, with his movement looking the best its been since his last Wimbledon title in 2016. The three time Grand Slam winner has talked up his chances of a deep run at Wimbledon this year, and he showed where that confidence has come from.
Both Cameron Norrie and qualifier Tomas Machac looked good in an entertaining four set affair. Norrie eventually prevailed 6-3 4-6 6-1 6-4. Machac played an old school style of grass court tennis, with much excellent net play pushing Norrie hard, and the Czech came close to forcing a fifth set. Norrie had to play a good match to win, and hit many winners alongside his trademark consistency.
Quentin Halys also deserves a place in this section. He was playing clay court challengers in the run up to Wimbledon, but defeated seeded player and Brit Dan Evans in four sets. Lokoli produced a powerful and big hitting performance that made his hesitancy to play any grass court events before Wimbledon surprising, but it seems to have worked for the Frenchman.
Who looked bad
It may be somewhat harsh to say Jeremy Chardy and Ryan Peniston looked bad against high class opponents firing on all cylinders. Neither fully rising to the occasion may be a fairer term. Chardy was playing in his final ever professional match and has suffered from much illness and injury in the last two years. Playing Alcaraz was always going to be a step too far, and he deserves credit for his performance in the third set. Peniston meanwhile simply lacked the firepower to seriously challenge Murray.
Dan Evans is the biggest disappointment. He restarted his match today from two sets down, and managed to narrowly win the third set on a tiebreak. But he still looked out of sorts and quickly ran out of steam. His performance over the two days was underwhelming, and a break to recharge mentally may be of benefit to the Brit.
Match of the day
Tomas Etcheverry vs Bernabe Zapata Miralles was not what I expected to be match of the day, but it is the deserved pick. The match was an extra one added late on Court 1 due to the scheduling issues caused by the weather. Etcheverry restarted the match trailing by 6-7 5-7 6-3, but recovered in a dramatic final two sets to win 6-7 5-7 6-3 6-4 7-5. Those that stayed to watch on Court 1 were treated to some unexpected Wimbledon magic.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
