After a solid opening day for the home players at Wimbledon, with five of the nine Brits in action advancing to the second round (Paul Jubb, Oliver Tarvet, Hamish Stewart, Ryan Peniston and Oliver Bonding), momentum is on the side of British tennis. Today, following yesterday’s draw, it’s the turn of the women, and once again, there are promising names to keep an eye on.
On this second day, eight British women will take to the courts, with just one match scheduled for the early slot at 11:00am (Katie Swan). Later in the day, at 12:10pm and 2:30pm, two exciting young prospects, Ella McDonald and Ranah Akua Stoiber, both of whom have only just turned 20, will also be in action.
Katie Swan, a familiar face in the main draw at SW19 in recent years, will look to draw on her experience as she faces Spain’s Leyre Romero Gormaz in a winnable opening tie. With her aggressive baseline play and court awareness, the Brit will aim to make a strong statement on her favoured surface.
Ranah Akua Stoiber, a product of the British junior system and former Australian Open girls’ semi-finalist, faces a tough task against Polish seed Katarzyna Kawa in what could prove to be a tightly contested battle. As for Ella McDonald, she comes into qualifying in strong form, having reached the final of an ITF grass-court event in Ilkley just two weeks ago. Up against a more seasoned and seeded opponent, she’ll be looking to extend her upward momentum.
British players in action on 24 June (UK time) :
- Katie Swan (UK) vs Leyre Romero Gormaz (ESP) – 11:00am – Court 3
- Ella McDonald (UK) vs Darja Semenistaja (LAT) – 12:10 pm – Court 2
- Iryna Shymanovich (BEL) vs Amelia Rajecki (UK) – 12:10 pm – Court 3
- Emily Appleton (UK) vs Simona Waltert (SUI) – 1:20 pm – Court 1
- Oksana Selekhmeteva (RUS) vs Yuriko Miyazaki (UK) – 1:20 pm – Court 3
- Ranah Akua Stoiber (UK) vs Katarzyna Kawa (POL) – 2:30 pm – Court 2
- Julia Grabher (AUT) vs Amarni Banks (UK) – 2:30 pm – Court 4
- Alizé Cornet (FRA) vs Katy Dunne (UK) – 2:30 pm – Court 3
